From Storage Room to Stylish Stay: Our Military-Themed Guest Room Makeover

We were so excited to score a 4-bedroom house when we PCS-ed to Hawaii! Not only do the girls have their own rooms, but we also have an extra room for guests.

Initially, the spare room was a storage area while we unpacked. It became a catch-all for the elliptical machine, craft supplies, and my husband’s military gear. It stayed like that for almost a year, until our first visitor (my mom) told us that she had booked a flight.

Then the race was on to get it into shape before she got here!

Step 1: Clean Out

The first step to getting this guest room under control was cleaning out. And I know that I don’t have to explain all of this to you, but every time I see a radical room makeover on the internet, I always wonder, “What did they do with all that stuff?”

We sold the elliptical and the big armoire that held my craft stuff for years. (I’m still not sure that was a good decision.) I went through all of the craft stuff and reorganized it into containers that could fit in the top of our closets or under the bed.

Once the craft supplies were out of the way, I moved the random holiday decor to the storage closet under the stairs. The military gear was neatly organized in the closet. (But that’s another post for another day!)

That left one end table and our WWII field desk.

HyeFlora Artificial Hibiscus Flowers for Outdoors Faux Plant Summer Decor, 4 Bundles Red Fake Tropical Flowers UV Resistant Realistic Outdoor Silk Flower for Outside Planter Porch Patio Garden WindowTSDTUO Phonetic Alphabet, Morse Code Sign Print Wall Art, Spelling Alphabet, Military Gifts, Large Abc Poster, Nato, Aviation, Minimalist Art 8 x 10 Inches Frame NOT INCLUDED

 

Step 2: Find a Bed

The next thing we had to do was find a bed. Even if the room was bare, my mom still needed a place to sleep.

Flea markets and thrift stores are hit or miss; however, Facebook Marketplace almost never lets me down! I have found some of my favorite furniture projects on there.

And wouldn’t you know, there was a queen-sized bed and box spring listed for less than $100.

I felt like taking the box spring was a gamble, because I’m paranoid about bed bugs. So, to make sure it didn’t have any creepy crawlies, we vacuumed it, sprayed it with a bleach/water solution, and left it in the garage for 2 weeks.

That 2-week waiting period gave us time to order a mattress from Amazon. I was nervous about it too, but it’s pretty comfortable, especially for less than $200.

Step 3: Decorate the Military-Themed Guest Room

Finally, after the bed was assembled and in place, we could start the fun stuff…decorating the military-themed guest room!

We knew we wanted a military theme. My husband has so many cool plaques from various units, and they don’t really fit anywhere else in the house.

The olive green quilt was a Target find and pairs well with basic cream-colored sheets and pillowcases. We also blew up my husband’s favorite ‘Army’ picture of his crew chiefs leaving work for the night.

Laolitou Set of 2 Boho Throw Pillow Covers 18×18, Rustic Farmhouse Cotton Linen Soft Sage Green Decorative Pillow Cover for Living Room Sofa Bedroom Couch Cushions Home DecorWRENSONGE Queen Quilt-3 Pieces Lightweight Bedspreads Olive Green Queen Size Quilt Bedding Set for All Seasons, Soft Summer Coverlet with 2 Pillow Shams Suitable for Bed & Couch

 

We changed the stain on the end table before placing it beside the bed as a nightstand.

I used leftover flowers from my Hawaiian wreath to make a flower arrangement in the 30 mm shell Heff brought home from work.

The phonetic alphabet sign was a Hobby Lobby find, and the lamp came from Walmart. (We hope to switch it out one day with a special DIY project, but we’re waiting to find a WWII helmet.)

We filled the small wooden bowl with empty shells that Heff also brought home from work. I even put some novels set in Hawaii on the bottom shelf. My sister-in-law really enjoyed ‘Red Sky Over Hawaii‘ while she was here for a visit!

This plaque was a PCS award/gift from Heff’s unit at Fort Hood. Understandably, it’s his favorite one to date!

These wooden aviation wings were a parting gift from his unit at Soto Cano in Honduras. (They are what the unit called ‘little wood’.) The picture in the frame was taken during a ‘Best Crew Chief’ contest in Texas. The matted frame is part of a matching pair that I found at our favorite flea market in Texas! (The other one is in the wall collage in our bedroom.)

There was a little bit of room at the foot of the bed, so that’s where we put our refurbished WWII field desk. I also ordered folding luggage racks from Amazon so our guests wouldn’t have to keep their suitcases on the floor.

PRIMROSE Champagne Velvet Curtains 84 inch Long for Living Room,Set of 2 Panels Blackout Rod Pocket Back Tab Window Treatment Room Darkening Heavy Decorative Curtains Drapes for BedroomLOGOFUN Vintage Iron Art Desk Fan Model Antique Retro Table Fans Sculpture Static Ornaments for Home Tabletop – Bronze(Not a Real Fan)

 

The WWII field desk is one of my favorite pieces in the room. It’s not only on-theme, but it’s also functional as it stores some of my gift-wrapping supplies.

The shadow box hanging above it was a PCS gift from Heff’s unit at Fort Polk. The curtains were another Amazon find (I actually have them in 3 different colors in various rooms throughout the house). The fan was a TJ Maxx find, and the flower arrangement was made with the same leftover wreath flowers/greenery. The whale tail is a souvenir from the Swap Meet here in Hawaii, and the wooden grenade was another PCS gift from Soto Cano (the ‘big wood’).

Heff made this American flag to display all of his patches. We also hung up his 1st Cav shield and an intricately carved wooden machete and case that he brought back from the Philippines.

The soldier’s uniform cap hanging on the corner of the flag is from a flea market in Romania. He was told that it was from their uniforms in WWII. Though it’s not American, it goes perfectly in this military-themed guest room.

I think this military-themed guest room came together so well!

My husband is very happy to have a place to display all of his ‘Army stuff,’ and I’m glad that it’s no longer a cluttered storage room. So far, we have hosted guests three times, and they love it!