I always adored my parent's bedroom set...made from beautiful bird's eye maple. When my mom passed away, I was the one who inherited the set...and moved the high-boy dresser and the smaller petite dresser into our bedroom (lucky for us, my mom was living next door so transport of furniture was relatively easy...)
A couple of years has passed...and the Southern Man and I were in complete agreement...the bedroom set has to go...
The wood was beautiful...and the vintage hardware striking...but the drawers were shallow and small...perfect for 1950's clothing...silk ties and cotton boxers for men...slinky lingerie and nylon hosiery for women. The Southern Man and I - its cotton t-shirts, blue jeans and wool sweaters...it just doesn't fit...
And while I was moving out the furniture, I decided to update the entire bedroom...nothing much had changed since we moved in 10 years ago...but the tan/cranberry English cabbage rose motif looked tired...and dated...time for an overhaul.
Not wanting to take on the challenge of a total re-do, I assessed what would stay and what would go...
in the "stay" column...
1- paint on the walls - it was fairly neutral and in good condition
2- black painted bed frame
3- overstuffed reading chair with light seafoam green slipcover...its companion is in the living room downstairs...someday they may get to co-habitate!
4- wood slat natural shades on the windows that help to shield the western light...especially in the summertime
in the "go" column...
1- high-boy dresser mentioned above
2- oriental-type rug in green/gold/cranberry tones
3- all cranberry toned bedding
4- heavy tan damask curtains
I had some idea of what I wanted...and started with a trip to IKEA...my friend Sue needed new slipcovers for her sofa, so it seemed like the perfect place to get inspired...
My biggest frustration was in finding a dresser that would accommodate our clothing needs...and without spending $800 and getting a huge behemoth piece of furniture...until I had a eureka moment...
We don't need a dresser at all...
Instead I had a wild hair of an idea...and one that the Southern Man instantly bought into...so I knew I was on the right track...
Now I have to apologize for the pictures...I live in the Pacific NW...its winter...its gray...my bedroom window faces west...I never get any sun in the winter in there...but here's a few photos of what I did...its not completed yet...but its on its way...
We bought two metal shelving units from Lowes...one of the units we constructed to its full height...the other unit we broke into two smaller components...and filled the shelves with cotton lined baskets from Michael's...
A trio of vintage suitcases hold items not needed on a daily basis...i.e. dress up clothes...
From IKEA, I found a pair of linen curtains with a wonderful leaf design that had all of the tones I wanted to highlight...natural, gray, cream and tan...
which made the color of the overstuffed reading chair stand out ...
We did keep the smaller maple dresser...partially for sentimental reasons...
it's just the right size for a bedside stand...
and you can see the gray and cream bedding that now covers the bed...
on the opposite side, the other half of the metal shelf unit holds bedside neccessities...
while a vintage laundry basket underneath keeps sweaters within easy reach...
that's the overall view...next posting I'll cover some of the details that make the space all our own...
