Tag: Bedroom

  • The Bedding for August’s Room

    The Bedding for August’s Room

    I don’t know if other kids are as into decorating as mine are. (So this is how I’m making them weird! Got it.) They’re always seeing the house get shuffled around, they’ve been to their fair share of home stores and flea markets, and they have definite opinions on furniture, colors, and layouts. Quote of the morning: “Hi, mom. Whatcha doin’? Oh! Making the bed more beautiful!?” Yep. The next generation of decorators, right here in this house.

    All of this is to say that August is excited about each little change and new addition to his room. I took his mattress off and removed the slats so I could prime the frame, and while I had it taken apart, I tightened everything up.

    IKEA Wooden Bed

    I’ve also been pulling together the bedding, and I think we’re at a good place with it now. I like to have multiple options for each bed so we always have a clean set sheets ready. (Even past the kids’ potty training days, we’re always just one stomach bug away from a middle-of-the-night change of bedding.)

    The golden mustard stripes in the curtains pick up on the honey tones in the woodwork, and the creamy white brightens things up. I have polka dot sheets in the same colors, but also a set of black and white sheets with teeny tiny plus signs. A black and white duvet cover from IKEA looks good with both sets of sheets, and I picked up a cable knit blanket and matching throw pillow in deeper color than the curtains. The green quilt that was in the room will be a spare, tucked away in the closet.

    August's Bed

    Don't Bug Me, Pillow

    We’re getting there! I wanted to find a chambray quilt, but that was before I came across the blanket that’s on the bed now. I’m getting ready to finish painting the bed and upholstering the headboard, and now I’m thinking I might go with chambray there instead. A trip to both the fabric store (upholstery weight options) and the military surplus store (wool blanket?) is in order.

  • Our New Mattress

    Our New Mattress

    The stairs in this house don’t make it easy to get anything large up to the second floor. A traditional spring mattress? Only if it’s a twin size. Anything larger and it needs to be foam so it can round the corner on its way up. A mattress that arrives magically compressed into a box that’s smaller than me? Ideal.

    Leesa Mattress

    Leesa ships their mattresses, for free, rolled up in a box that makes it easy to transport. The mattresses are made in America, with three foam layers: the bottom is dense foam for support, with a 2″ layer of memory foam in the middle that contours to the body, and then a 2″ layer of Avena® (similar to latex) that adds bounce and keeps the mattress from feeling too hot.

    Because they’re a direct-to-consumer company, they can offer lower prices than brands typically bought through nationwide showrooms. Yep, this means that you’re buying a mattress online without ever having slept on it, but they offer a 100 night risk-free trial period. If you don’t like it, they’ll arrange for the mattress to be picked up and recycled or donated. Leesa also has a charitable component to their business; for every 10 mattresses they sell, one is donated to a homeless shelter or others in need.

    I was easily able to get a king-sized Leesa mattress setup by myself. Gif time! Enjoy.

    Leesa Mattress Unboxing

    * A few people have asked about the box spring in the comments, so I thought I’d better add the info to the post itself. It’s actually just a foundation (no springs), it is indeed one piece, and I had to build it in the room. It’s not needed for the mattress, but it is necessary for the bed I ordered. *

    I like shopping for bedding — looking for colors and patterns that will mix well with the linens we already have, and giving the bedroom a little update every time I swap out the sheets or change the throw pillows. Heading out to go mattress shopping though? Not so fun. Being able to order a luxury mattress online is so much nicer.

    Forty Winks

    If you’re in the market for a new mattress and want to go with Leesa, the first 30 readers to redeem promo code MAKINGITLOVELY at checkout will get $75 off.

  • Hello, Quincy

    Hello, Quincy

    Spoiler alert: I bought the Quincy bed from Ethan Allen.

    Quincy Bed from Ethan Allen

    And now, the thought process behind the purchase.

    Our Hoffman bed from Room & Board was great. If we weren’t changing sizes from a queen to a king, we would have kept it, and I would recommend it to anyone in the market for something upholstered. That said, I figured that if we’re about to get something new, it would be fun to switch things up a bit and go for something else.

    Not a brass bed. Too on the nose with the Victorian. Nothing too mid-century modern either. As much as I love the style, I don’t like it as much for this house. I love a good Jenny Lind and I’m still glad we bought one for Eleanor, but wouldn’t it be weird to have matching mother/daughter beds? (E has one for her doll, too.)

    Turned wood though — we’re getting closer! I do like all those antiquey cannonball and four poster beds.

    Painted Red Cannonball Bed, Martha Stewart

    Antique Spindle Bed

    Antique Four Poster Bed
    Images: Martha Stewart, Royal Design Studio, Country Living

    I featured the Quincy in a past edition of Making it Yours. The bed was definitely the star of that look, and I immediately thought of it as a possibility for the bedroom. Knowing you like something in general and knowing it’s the right piece for a specific spot are two different things, but yep. That bed would look amazing in this house. It’s expensive though, so I started looking around at other options. Maybe there was something out there that was even better? Or the same look for less?

    Four Poster, Cannonball, and Other Decorative Beds

    1. Washed Wood Bed, Anthropologie
      Maybe too simple? Compared to the other options, it is.

    2. Soraya Four Poster Bed by Bebe Furniture, Wayfair
      Nice, but do I really want a four poster bed?

    3. New Haven Maple Tall Cannonball Bed, ShaKa Studios
      Three wood finishes and several headboard shapes to choose from.

    4. Spindle Bed, Rosenberry Rooms
      Really cute. Twenty colors and wood finishes to choose from.

    5. Avignon Headboard, Serena & Lily
      I’ve featured this one on the blog before and I love it, but it only comes in a queen size.

    6. Cordevalle Santa Rosa Four Poster Bed by Universal Furniture, Wayfair
      Another four poster. The Holcomb Bed from Horchow is identical, or nearly so.

    7. Cambridge Bed, Serena & Lily
      I would like something like this more for one of the boys’ bedrooms.

    8. Claudette Headboard, Ballard Designs
      Nice curves, but I think I would get tired of putting a bird on it.

    9. Stinson Wood Bed, Pottery Barn
      The barley twist posts are paired with a simple curved headboard to keep them from going too fussy/traditional.

    10. Barrett Poster Bed, Ethan Allen
      Those are some good-looking pencil posts.

    Lots of options. There were more too, but those were the tops and I didn’t love any of them like I did the Quincy. Which brings us to the lookalike: the Soraya Regency Panel Bed by Bebe Furniture, from Wayfair.

    Quincy Bed Knockoff or Lookalike

    And actually, there are plenty of lookalikes out there, but that was the most similar one I came across. They’re all, Quincy included, modeled after antique cannonball beds (which you can still find, but almost always in smaller sizes). That particular one was less expensive, but only available in white (I wanted black), I didn’t like the added trim along the top of the headboard and footboard, the spindles aren’t as interesting, and it doesn’t have the small brass details. At that point, it seemed worth it to go for the bed style and color I wanted all along. Since the Quincy is currently on sale for 15% off, it was only a difference of a couple hundred dollars; kind of a drop in the bucket when you’re already looking at a pretty pricey purchase.

    Quincy Bed, Ethan Allen

    The Quincy Bed from Ethan Allen

    We went to check it out in person, and then placed the order. No word on when it’s arriving quite yet, but when it does get here, we’ll likely have to hoist the headboard up over the back porch to get it up to the second floor. Should be fun! Should be worth it though, too. It’s the kind of bed that can go country, traditional, whimsical, modern, or classic, depending on the bedding, furniture, and surroundings. The kind of bed we can be happy with for a long time.

  • See Ya, Bed

    See Ya, Bed

    Oh, hey there, empty bedroom. Why not throw another room into the started-but-not-yet-finished mix?

    The Bed is Gone

    A couple of things happened at the same time. The first is that a mattress company reached out, interested in working together on a post (which will go up next week). Brandon and I bought our queen-sized upholstered Hoffman bed from Room & Board back in 2007 when we moved in to the bungalow. While it has held up beautifully, but both our family and our bedroom are larger now. A king-sized bed has been on the wish list for a couple of years and I figured if we were going to get a new mattress, we might as well take the opportunity now to make the switch to a king.

    Then while we were considering the new mattress, our friends’ bed broke. They were thinking of either finding a bed on Craigslist or picking something up from IKEA, and when we mentioned that we were thinking of selling ours, they said they’d take it. We gave them the ol’ friend discount, and we brought it over yesterday (leaving us with a temporarily empty bedroom).

    So… we’re updating the bathroom on the third floor. August’s room is being redone. The kitchen is getting a new stove at the very least. Another bathroom is waiting on electrical work to be done so we can wallpaper. The wood flooring in the hallway still needs to be completed (it’s also waiting on electrical work). And now we’re changing up the bedroom, at least a little with a new bed.

    Since so many things are in flux, I’m trying to step back and keep the whole house in mind so that it’s cohesive. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying about decorating that “if you love it, you’ll find a place for it,” and it’s true to an extent. You also have to be a good editor though, because if you’re anything like me, you can love four thousand chairs and a good number of rugs — doesn’t mean you’ll find a place for it all! It’s a balance of taking stock of what you have and what you need, planning ahead, and leaving room for serendipity. I don’t have the bedroom all planned out yet, but I have chosen a bed. I’m going to put together the foundation now so we’ll have a mattress to sleep on tonight, but I’ll put together a post soon about which bed I chose and why, along with the other close-but-not-quite options I considered. I overthought the process, as usual. It’s what I do.

  • A Colorful Pain-in-the…

    A Colorful Pain-in-the…

    A new rug has once again entered our house. It’s cute and colorful! August likes it! Tiny Lego pieces get lost where the baby can crawl over and find/eat them or you step on them, ouch! I did not realize what a pain it would be to make sure there aren’t little tiny toys hidden, lying in wait. It’s not an impossible task but it is worth mentioning in case you’re looking for something similar. I imagine this would be a problem with most of the colorful options I was looking at, or with any heavily patterned rug.

    Colorful Rag Rug

    The bigger problem is that it’s a cheap rug, and that’s evident in the quality. Basically, it’s just a big 8×10 cotton rag rug, but even among rag rugs, quality varies. The little loops are continuously popping up and I have to tuck them back in or trim them. And of course I can’t use the vacuum’s beater brush, which may or may not be a problem in the long run. Returning a rug by mail is a pain, but the shipping both ways is free and I’m going to replace it with either this one or this one instead. The flat weave should last longer and be easier to keep clean, which is worth the hassle of swapping them out. It’s a disappointment and a minor setback, but it’s easily fixable.

    Little Loops Sticking Out in a Rag Rug

    A new desk is here too. (I sold the armchair to make room for it.) August requested red and the one I was going to order (#20 in the roundup) sold out before I grab one, so I went with one of the other options. It’s sturdy and solid and will stand up to little boy wear and tear, and the castors have locks on the front wheels. Plus, obscenely large pet cages fit beneath it, so bonus!

    Guinea Pigs Take Up a LOT of Room

    Eventually a chair and some sort of drawers/storage will go where the cage is, but August is happy to have the boy guinea pigs in his room right now and that’s the best place for them.

    The new layout with the bed in front of the windows means we couldn’t use the sconce we had again as a bedside light. I spotted the windsor task floor lamp on clearance and I bought the store’s floor model, figuring it would work well as a replacement. The cord is part of its design, but the floor switch is annoying because you have to get out of bed to turn the light on or off. A plug-in dimmer switch will solve the problem.

    Windsor Task Floor Lamp

    How’s that old “to do” list shaping up?

    To do:

    • paint the bed frame

    • upholster the headboard

    • no more bed rail

    • new rug return and replace the new rug

    • rearrange the furniture

    • repaint (maybe) (definitely)

    • add shelves above the radiator

    • more art

    • organize (and pare down) the toys

    • replace the light with a ceiling fan

  • Rugs, Rugs, Rugs, Plus Plans for August’s Room

    Rugs, Rugs, Rugs, Plus Plans for August’s Room

    Staring at those photos of August’s room while I edited them and wrote up my post last week made it increasingly evident that the gray rug in there needed to go. I rolled it up later that day while Brandon had all of the kids at the park, and I rearranged the furniture while they were gone too.

    August’s reaction could have gone two ways. Mild interest in the novelty of the new, or absolute hatred with a side of resistance to change. When he got back, I called him upstairs and told him I had a surprise for him in his room. I was met with a hug and the biggest smile. “Oh, it’s so beautiful!” Not what I expected to come out of his mouth, but I’ll take it.

    August's Room

    I took the safety rail off of the bed when I changed the room’s layout, and I’m pleased to report that August has only tumbled out of bed once since then. He was so sleepy and out of it that he didn’t even remember it the next morning. Parenting win! (The kid was fine. You gotta learn to sleep in a normal bed some time, right? And anyway, his is super low to the ground, so you know. Not too far to fall.)

    I brought in a white rug that we already owned so that there would still be a soft surface to play on (or fall out of bed onto). I feel like this is about as good as that wall color can look, and it’s not looking great. The curtains and artwork though, I like, and those are definitely staying.

    Plans for August's Room

    Rugs, rugs, rugs. Stick with what I’ve got, or…

    Fun & Coloful

    Colorful Rugs

    1. Boucherouite Rug, The Land of Nod

    2. Gypsy Stripe Woven Cotten Rug, Dash & Albert

    3. Melita Flokati Rug, Anthropologie

    4. Magical Thinking Triangle Chindi Rag Rug, Urban Outfitters

    5. Paint Palette Rug, The Land of Nod

    6. Carrousel Lattice Rug, Lulu & Georgia

    7. Delphine Rug (Ruby and Teal), Lulu & Georgia

    8. Salma Wool Shag Rug, West Elm

    hr 644

    Stick with Ivory

    Neutral (Ivory) Rugs
    Our rug has long been discontinued, but these are similar if you’re in the market.

    1. Honeycomb Textured Wool Rug, West Elm

    2. Textured Wool Rug, PB Kids

    3. Moorish Tile Rug, Pier 1

    hr 644

    Neutral & Geometric

    Neutral Geometric Rugs

    1. Woven Geo Fringe Kilim Rug (Navy), PB Kids

    2. Magical Thinking Printed Boucherouite Rug, Urban Outfitters

    3. Azi Rug, CB2

    4. Threshold™ Aztec Fleece Area Rug, Target

    5. Torres Wool Kilim (Iron), West Elm

    6. Herald Rug, Anthropologie

    7. Delaney Rug (Navy), PB Kids

    8. Oslo Wool Dhurrie Rug, CB2

    hr 644

    What do you think? Are there any other good options that I may have missed?