Guest Bedroom Ideas

Guest Bedroom Ideas

Sweet Tea Properties has purchased a variety of holdings for a variety of different reasons and outcomes. One of our first acquisitions was an older home that needed to be totally remodeled (fix and flip) and we recently sold it for a substantial profit. We learned a lot of lessons and today I want to talk about finding the purpose for a house/room/area before you begin looking for paint colors and design features. I like to spend some time walking through a house and imagining what the next owners will be doing in each room. I do this with each property as a whole, but also with individual rooms and outdoor areas.

In our Coastal Cottage property we had a very “interesting” man cave room that was formerly the garage. I knew that was not the best purpose for the room, but it took me a while to decide which direction to take. I ended up with a multi-generational guest room (possible adult child or elderly parent) because it was separate from the other bedrooms, had its own bathroom and could easily have its own private entrance. Once the purpose was set, I had good direction and was able to move on into the designer elements–my favorite part.

 

Decorative Bedroom Ideas, Guest Bedroom Ideas, Bedroom Decor Ideas, Properties, Remodeling Homes, Acquisitions, Man Cave, Fix and Flip, Paint Colors, Sherwin Williams, Acoustic Ceiling Solutions
Decorative Bedroom Ideas, Guest Bedroom Ideas, Bedroom Decor Ideas, Properties, Remodeling Homes, Acquisitions, Man Cave, Fix and Flip, Paint Colors, Sherwin Williams, Acoustic Ceiling Solutions

In our Coastal Cottage property we had a very “interesting” man cave room that was formerly the garage. I knew that was not the best purpose for the room, but it took me a while to decide which direction to take. I ended up with a multi-generational guest room (possible adult child or elderly parent) because it was separate from the other bedrooms, had its own bathroom and could easily have its own private entrance. Once the purpose was set, I had good direction and was able to move on into the designer elements–my favorite part.

We removed all the hunting trophies and replaced the worn carpet, but after some consideration, we decided to keep and paint the acoustic ceiling (Sherwin Williams Alabaster White). We painted the walls the same as the rest of the house (Sherwin Williams Repose Gray) and we updated the bathroom, again, to match the rest of the house. Many decisions were much easier after the purpose was set. For example, to change out the acoustic ceiling would have been expensive, but with the purpose being set  for a possible long-term adult, it made sense to keep it for absorbing the noise from a personal sound system or television.

This is just one of the many lessons we learned along the way and are still learning as we develop even more properties. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas at info@karenconrad.net. Send us a note and check out my 15 Remodeling Tips for Under $500.

Be Purposeful,

Karen Conrad

 

Family Room Ideas

Family Room Ideas

Sweet Tea Hospitality brings inspiration to your heart and your home. There is a strong connection between your heart—what you enjoy, value and cherish—and your home. A home is the place we safeguard, share and experience our treasured, loved ones and make memories to carry with us through life. The family room is a favorite place in my house, where movies, activities and conversation can be found at all times of the day and night. Our family room decor is designed to be open, welcoming and ready for fun, but also relaxing and refreshing.

‘Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” Matthew 11:28-30 TPT

 

Family Room Ideas, Family Room Decor, Refreshment, Rest, Welcome, Fun, Safeguard, Enjoyment, Memories, Activities, Relaxing, Inspiration, Heart and Home

Don’t those verses sound exactly like what you want your family room to convey to your friends and loved ones? No matter whether you are playing games, watching a movie or leading a Bible study, you want it to be a room that brings rest to everyone’s soul. These verses are an inspiration for exactly what we want our family rooms to be, places of refreshment and rest for those we love. I would like to hear your family room ideas. Write to me at info@karenconrad.net or visit my website to let me know what you have done to make your family room a refreshing place.

Blessings,

Karen Conrad

 

Sweet Tea Hospitality

15 Remodeling Tips Under $500  

 

DIY, home tips, design tips, remodel, home design, real estate
Remodeled Kitchen Ideas

Remodeled Kitchen Ideas

The kitchen is often everyone’s favorite room in a house. It is definitely a place where family members congregate around the countertops to hang out before, during and after a meal. If you are considering a kitchen remodel, take into consideration the gathering times that are shared in a kitchen and make space for them. The kitchen may involve food prep, but it also involves lots of fellowship—it is a place people like to be. No matter the culture, there is something special about the activity of a kitchen.  

Kitchen Ideas, Kitchen Remodel, Gathering, Fellowship, Kitchen Activity, Culture, Taste, Fullness of Joy, Holiday Meals, Food, Hospitality

Were you wondering what Scripture has to do with a kitchen? Well, it has a lot to do with the kitchen and actually every part of your home. When I think about the kitchen and about Sweet Tea Hospitality, I am thinking about laughter, fun, and enjoying wonderful food and drink. I also find it quite interesting that God uses the word taste in scripture. In Psalms, David writes: 

‘Because of you, I know the path of life, as I taste the fullness of joy in your presence. At your right side I experience divine pleasures forevermore!’ Psalms 16:11 TPT

 

Kitchen Ideas, Kitchen Remodel, Gathering, Fellowship, Kitchen Activity, Culture, Taste, Fullness of Joy, Holiday Meals, Food, Hospitality

God is telling us that we can taste the fullness of joy. It reminds me of some great memories from places I’ve visited and holiday meals prepared at our own home. Of course, the food was good but what I remember most is how it made me feel. When people say they enjoyed coming to your home it’s about the hospitality and how you made them feel. It certainly is about tasting the food but it’s more about bringing God into a home and people being able to taste the fullness of joy.

Taste and See,

Karen Conrad

 

Master Suite(ness)

Master Suite(ness)

What is the last thing you see before you fall asleep at night and the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning? Your bedroom. The master suite decor often reflects the same care that is given to the marriage relationship of those that reside there. When a master suite is cluttered, dingy, dark or crowded, it can be a picture of a marriage that needs some attention and care. Beauty and airiness in the master suite decor can change how you end the day and begin the day with your spouse.

‘I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine.’ Song of Solomon 6:3a NKJV

In Song of Solomon there are many references to spending time together in a vineyard and a garden, which communicate beauty and airiness. That should be our focus when creating master suites and bedrooms—to make it a special space for you as a couple. For example, Dave and I have our first cup of coffee together each morning in our master suite. We also eat popcorn together in our room at the end of the day. It is priceless to begin and end your day together in a peaceful place.

Spend some time clearing out the clutter, open up the windows to create some freshness then see what a difference it makes in your relationship. Beauty, airiness and keeping it neat is a goal. The master suite is where we end the day and start the day together, so make it your private retreat. In addition, God’s interactions with us in the night are a promise we can delight in. The Word of God tells us, when my mind is asleep, my heart is awake (Song of Solomon 5:2a). What a blessing!

 Embracing Beauty,

 Karen Conrad

 

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Small Bathroom Ideas

Small Bathroom Ideas

It is easy to find homes with less than swoonworthy bathrooms. Walking through houses for sale or rent often yields a stack of bathrooms that are dated, poorly laid out, dark or dingy. A bad bathroom is not only a deterrent to selling a house, it is definitely not a house I want to live in. Nearly everyone who enters your house will visit a bathroom and you will personally be inside the bathrooms in your home multiple times a day. Bathrooms are VERY important rooms and they are not places I am willing to skimp on when renovating a house.

Small Bathroom Ideas, Bathroom Remodel Ideas, DIY Bathroom Ideas, Swoonworthy Bathrooms, Updated Bathrooms, Replacing Tile, Replacing Dated Fixtures, Bright, Clean, Uncrowded Spaces

We had 3 bathrooms we were working with in the Coastal Cottage, but today we are going to talk about the small bathroom at the back of the house. This bathroom was connected to the former “man cave” and we needed to update the 60s taupe tile, and try to make it a place that would be delightful for the guest room we created next door. The shower was not large enough for a regular size person to stand in, not to mention a relatively tall person. There was not enough light even though it was a small room, and I can’t begin to talk about the toilet. You need to be aware that once you start removing tile, there is no going back, so make sure you think all the options through before you begin.

 

A truly swoonworthy bathroom is open, bright, clean and not crowded. We worked with our contractor to do just that with this little bathroom. We took out the “micro-mini” shower and reconfigured the room to put in a lovely shower with the cultured marble we used in the other bathrooms. We even added an extra light inside the stall. We matched the tile, paint and light fixtures to the other bathrooms and added a rolling barn door for character. A clean, beautiful bathroom adds tremendous value to our homes and our hearts. Everyone spends time in a bathroom and we want it to be pleasant for our guests as well as our family. It is a wonderful opportunity to reflect excellence and hospitality in our home. 

Swooning together,

Karen Conrad