My Beautiful Farmhouse Bed...

My "New" Old Farmhouse Bed

 

As soon as I arrived at the farmhouse in late March, I went online in search of mattresses for the farm bed I purchased last fall. After research, and then telephone calls, I decided to go with Antique Bed Mattress Company in Texas.

 

I worked with Linda, and she was really helpful. She asked me to set up the frame, photograph the set up, and then shoot closeups of the areas where the side rails meet the head and foot boards. She asked me to measure the inside of the frame so they'd know what size the mattress needed to be, and also from the floor to the top of the inside platform, so we could discuss mattress depths.

 

My Custom Mattresses

In the end, my top mattress measured 12" deep x 49" wide x 71 1/2" long, with a matching 4" deep box spring. The finished height of the installed mattresses is 25". Perfect! 

I placed the order on April 6th, and the mattresses arrived yesterday! How's that for fabulous customer service? 

Handsome and I cut and screwed the bed slats to the side rails (for stability). It is an old bed, after all. Then we installed the mattresses, and made up the bed. By then, I was ready to take a nap, but settled for simply lying down on the bed to see how comfortable it is. It's wonderful, and not a single squeak!

 

Customized Mattress Label

The last question Linda asked me was whether or not I wanted a custom label attached to the top mattress. I didn't hesitate to tell her, "Yes, please." along with the information I wanted to appear on it. It's the first thing we saw when we unpacked the mattresses, and it will be a lasting reminder of the bed that now belongs to the farmhouse. (I'll add a date to the label, too.)

The mattress line I chose is "Sweet Dreams", and it's a perfect name for the place where I'll sleep the nights away here at the farm. They will definitely be filled with sweet dreams.

Inspiration For Our Farm Bedroom...

Farmhouse Bed and Bedding Inspiration

One of the things I've always done when I'm planning a new living space is to keep clip photos in notebooks to use as inspiration. Thanks to the advent of computers and Pinterest, I'm now able to save those images to my computer.

These are a few inspirations I've saved as I plan the master bedroom at the farmhouse. I choose them for the way they feel, as much as for the way they look. Sometimes, I choose them with only one element of the room in mind.

This one is a favorite. It has blue china (and you know how much I love that!), along with a bed that has a high headboard, like mine.

Farmhouse Bedroom Inspiration

 

This room favors blue and white, too, but this blue leans toward aqua. I like the berber-type carpet, but our room would only have it as an accent on our newly finished floor. I like the airy curtains in this room, too.

Farmhouse Bedroom Inspiration

 

Where to start with this room? I love the slipcovered chair in the foreground, the old wood chest, the bench at the end of the bed, and the shelf above the headboard. 

 

I think one of my favorite aspects, though, is the fact that there is a mix of painted and natural wood here. I have a few antique oak pieces that I'll never bring myself to paint. This image gives me an idea of how I could mix the two in my room.

Red and White Farmhouse Bedroom

I'm drawn to flour sack fabric, and as much as I love blue and white, I also love this red and white bedding. I think I might have to have a "winter" ensemble just so I can have a red and white bedroom for a few months a year.

Farmhouse Bedroom Inspiration - Table and Door

Here's another room that has a mix of painted and natural wood elements. I love the table at the end of the bed, and the basket under it. Notice the window leaning against the wall next to the bed. It reminds me of the doors in our built-in china cabinet downstairs. And I like the door leaning up against the wall adjacent to it, too.

Brynwood Needleworks - Bed Before Paint. Room "Before"

Here's a picture to remind you of the bed I purchased for the farm. I bought it partially painted, knowing it was going to be painted to match the wood work in the room. 

 

There was carpet covering the maple floor, and a pretty blue paint on the walls when we became owners. The room also has abundant natural light, so I really had to think about whether this was going to continue to be a bedroom - or become my sewing studio. Bedroom won out.

Brynwood Needleworks - Farmhouse Bedroom In Progress

Here's a peek at the bedroom after it was painted, but before the floor was refinished. My repainted bed is unassembled, but against the wall. It looks even nicer with the refinished floors, and I can hardly wait to see the whole room for myself.

 

I'll be looking at more photos for inspiration, until I'm able to actually start putting our "look" together. It helps me decide what's going and what's not, too. So many boxes. So little time!

 

Let The Painting Begin...

Today is the day. I decided to get started on that redecorating project for our master bedroom. After a mere seven years, I've grown soooo tired of the paint on the walls that came with the house. I've always called it a boring, mauve/blush color, but until I put the new color over it, I never realized that it's actually a very light lavender gray. (Yellow and purple are opposites on the color wheel, which made the old shade really obvious.) Did I tell you the purple colorways are my least favorite? Well, now you know!

I decided I would start painting the hallway from our bedroom to our closets and master bath area. I didn't have to move any furniture, and it only required removing one framed piece from the wall. Seemed a logical place to begin don't you agree?

I only spent half the day painting, but what I accomplished has given me a sense of what the new color is going to do to the whole feel of our room. I have to tell you, I really love it! It's going to be great to wake up in our bedroom with the sunrise coming in through our east-facing windows. The light will bounce around these walls for a cheery start to every day - including even the gloomy, rainy days! I don't think we could have settled on a better color for our Florida bedroom (not that we have a bedroom anywhere but here in Florida).

Don't worry...I'll post little, vignette photo updates to this project as we progress, but I'm saving The Big Picture for when we're completely finished. (I've also started a new Flickr album for all the redec photos.) Be sure to let me know what you think of the new color. I hope you love it as much as we do!



PS. I'm hoping to be able to give you an update on the Hog "situation" tomorrow. I have added new photos to the Flickr album I dedicated to The Lone Ranger (our soon-to-be-transplanted hog). You can check there to see the hog trap installation. It really adds a lot to the ambiance of our front yard. (deep sigh)