A blank slate is invigorating. It’s possibility, potential, and anything you want it to be. But a blank slate is also terrifying, because sometimes having every option is more difficult to face than having no option at all. Where do you begin?

This guest room (owned by Heidi, the blogger behind HoneyBear Lane) was a big, fat blank slate. But Heidi didn’t let it scare her. Armed with a sturdy starting point — DIY board-and-batten — she instantly turned a wisp of a room into a heftier one, and chose decor that played well with the space’s new ‘tude.

Rich navy paint makes a bold, but serene, statement next to a crisp chair rail, and pillowy bedding continues the welcoming white palette, but with a cozy appeal. And pops of pink and gold paint infuse the once blank canvas with a bit of preppy style.

Here’s the finished look: