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March 2011 » HOUSE AND home

Alove of cowboys and retro furniturewas the starting point of PatriciaKelly’s guest bedroom makeover. “We decided to have a bit of fun withthe room as you can get away with

daring decor in a room that is used onlyoccasionally”.

As part of an earlier house renovation, Patricia’sguest bedroom had been re-plastered, the wallspainted white and a new solid walnut floor fittedalong with some built-in wardrobes. What shereally wanted was a comfortable guest room with abit of personality and what better inspiration thanher interest in all things retro and all thingscowboy.

How do you mix a love of cowboys and retro furniturein one room without ending up with a clash of kitsch?Find out how in this House and Home makeoverSTYLING: KAREN HESSE PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL SHERWOOD

URBAN COUNTRY

The projectThe project: To give a plain andfaceless guest bedroom somecosiness, warmth, personality, and to make it a more welcoming spaceThe key challenge: Working thecowboy-retro look without stumbling into the realms of kitschThe budget: About €1,500How long it took: Two weeks,including sourcing, making theheadboard and executing the design

The retro-countrybedroom after themakeover. Walls arepainted in CrownColormix MattEmulsion F6.06.75. For a before photo and step-by-step guides, check outwww.houseandhome.ie

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UPCYCLINGWith a limited budget, Patricia decided to puther craft skills to good use and upcycled an oldtimber bed in a country style by painting thebed in a shade of mid-grey and upholstering itin a gingham fabric and matching coveredbuttons. “It was surprisingly easy to do. All youreally need to know is how to use a staplegun!” she says.

WALL COLOURThe walls were painted in a gorgeous stonecolour from Crown Paints leaving the ceiling,timberwork and walls above the picture rail inwhite.

To add further interest and make a strongstatement in the room, Patricia sourced ahandmade Toile de Jouy wallpaper by YukariSweeney with a cowboy motif fromGarrendenny Lane Interiors which she used tocreate a feature wall behind the bed. The paperperfectly picked up on the grey and red coloursin the upholstered bed. The scheme was thenpulled together with charcoal grey curtains on a

An original Tretchikovframed print sets theretro tone. Similar areavailable fromRetrorumage. Anitacurtains €34.99 and PSSAGA chair €49 fromIKEA; A number of smallframed photos, bought ata carboot sale, make aninteresting display on the

wall. The old handmirrorwas fixed to the wallpaperusing 3M Command framehangers, available fromWoodies DIY (which canbe removed withoutleaving holes or damagingthe wall); Ball of Woolcandle from Article,Powerscourt TownhouseCentre, Dublin

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To tie in with theoriginal wrought ironfireplace theovermantle wassprayed with satinblack Painters Touch paint fromRustOleum availablefrom Woodies DIY

online extraFor step-by-step instructionssee www.houseandhome.ie�

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Black Lemotiv Z table lamp€53 and mini red alarmclock, both from Debenhams.Retro radiogram used as abedside table, €50 from ajunk shop; Pure Evoke MioDab radio £149.99 fromAmazon

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March 2011 » HOUSE AND home

wrought iron pole and a wrought ironchandelier with mini red lampshades.

Patricia used an old Latvian radiogram - picked up for €50 in a junk shop - as a bedsidelocker. A small collection of framed prints andan old hand mirror form an interestingcollection on the wall behind. An antiquenursing chair was upholstered with retrocowboy fabric bought online from the US andtwo posters, also sourced online, were finishedwith black IKEA frames.

FINISHING TOUCHESThe bed was dressed in white linen from IKEA and TK Maxx and Patricia crocheted ablanket in complementary colours usingDonegal yarn. An old over-mantle mirror wastotally transformed with a can of black spraypaint and fitted above the original fireplace inthe room.

The result is a homely guest room with aretro country twist that shows how a little bit ofcreativity, a small budget and some carefulsourcing can totally transform a room. «

Wild West Toile in the Mist colourway (alsoavailable in three othercolourways), designed byYukari Sweeney Design.€135 per roll atGarrendenny LaneInteriors and available online atwww.garrendennylane.com;

An antique nursing chairwas recovered using retro cowboy print fromthe US. Masked Rider artprint, €13.90 and Mexico Masterprint, €4.98, fromwww.allposters.ie andframed in Black RIBAframes, €14.99 from IKEA

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