A Chateau style bedroom makeover plan

Our bedroom, as shown in the Spring issue of Romantic Country Magazine,

is getting a makeover.  After spending a week in Florida at a wonderful rental 

home, sleeping every night on a super comfy King size bed, hubs and I decided to

make the switch from Queen to King.  While I am excited about the new bigger mattress,

it also meant we would need a new bed, bed frame and bedding, 

which was the really exciting part!

The bedding part was easy. 

I have always loved this tapestry style bedspread from Soft Surroundings. 

 It has that Old World Frenchy Chateau look that you all know I love, and the colors

couldn't be more perfect!  We both decided to go for a bed without a footboard, to allow for more room in our smallish bedroom.  So that meant a bedspread like this could finally work.  These spreads

don't look great when sandwiched in between a headboard and footboard.  I finally could order the spread I had lusted over, ever since I laid eyes upon it.  

Imagine that spread with my painted antique table....yum zone!

The new headboard will be a fabric headboard, since it is easier to mix it in with the existing bedroom furniture.  I ordered it online, and took a roll of the dice, chance wise, in the color department, since I picked out a blue fabric headboard. I think the blue fabric will be closer to the painted table than the lighter blue of the spread.  It could be totally wrong or amazingly right.... 

I will just have to wait and see how it looks with the walls and the spread.

The only real dilemma I see, is that the bed will go in front of our window, and I have always

hated that layout option.  Its not great, putting most furniture in front of a window, lets face it.

So I am cooking up some creative ideas on what to

do with the window and the wall behind the bed, so that it looks GREAT!!!

Not ok, not kind of alright, but really wonderful.....and I have a few ideas.

Of course I could just put up wider curtains as a backdrop, but that seems very boring.

I am thinking of a hardscape back behind the tufted blue bed.  Think old doors on barn sliders

that could open and close to allow access to light and air, and provide a stunning rustic backdrop.

I have been looking at inspiration photos of beds in front of windows, and I haven't seen

anything as pretty and as rustic and as cool as what I envision in my mind.

Wish me luck!

Click here to read how it came out!

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Blue Fairy Tale Table

Once upon a time, I had a little French shop called Maison Decor. It was in a town outside of Boston and inside of it were treasures to be found.  One of the most special treasures was a hand painted set of furniture that was more than a hundred years old. I was told it was from the late 17th century and was either French or Italian, by the auction house expert. The set comprised a daybed, a chest of drawers, a chair and a tea table. It was painted in the prettiest of all blues, by an accomplished artist who rendered scenes in cameos and decorated every inch with special care.

There were sea faring scenes of fancy wigged men and lovely ladies in formal gowns.  Roses and flourishes adorned the bed, and the furniture seemed to tell a story.  But what it was remains to be interpreted by anyone's imagination.  I was so enchanted by the set, I quickly decided to keep the tea table for myself.  The dresser, was kept by my designer friend, Betsy Speert, who purchased this set at auction, with the intention of keeping just the dresser, and I would sell the rest of the lot in my little shop.  In the end, the entire ensemble was parceled out~ the dresser to Betsy, the table to me, the day bed for a woman who wanted it for her home office, and the chair to a man from Boston who was searching for just that kind of antique chair.  Kind of sad in a way, isn't it?  I adored that set.  And it was really one of the first blue pieces I ever owned, and perhaps was the turning point when I began my love affair with blue.

So the pretty tea table came home with me, and became the 

focal point of our living room.

Its fun to think of where it might have stood all those other years before.

It's gotten hundreds of compliments and I never tired of it.  In retrospect, I wish

I kept the rest of the set....but I didn't. In the meantime, after adding a set of

French doors in the dining room, I had to find a spot for the huge chippy chest we

had, along the window that was now a door.

And there was really only one place for it...

The trunk/chest would go smack dab in the middle of the living room.

And as you can see, I have added more blue to my home with the 

newly painted walls in a Woodlawn Blue by Ben Moore. 

But where did that leave my Fairy Tale tea table?

Many have asked in hopes that I still own the table. 

Do not fear, as I will never let her go.

It is no longer in a spot where it catches the eye of my camera very often.

She sits in the corner of the living room now. 

Not the best spot for her, but for now it works. 

 Each morning when I have my coffee in the morning on the sofa I look across and admire her.

And Mr. Maison Decor sits in the green chair and has his coffee next to her. It is our routine,

and routines and things have a way of making moments or spaces especially "ours", 

as I am sure you all do as well. 

And sometimes I think of what special girl or woman this set was made for.  

Did she live by the oceanside in France or Italy?  

Was she a fancy girl or one not so fancy, but her parents wanted her to feel 

as special as Marie Antoinette may have...

Whoever she was, I am sure she loved it as much as I do.

I'm linking up today with a few talented designer friends dedicated to the color blue! 
Please visit each of them linked below for a dose of inspiration!

 French Country Cottage

Housepitality Designs

 Maison Decor

Savvy Southern Style

Shabbyfufu

Stone Gable

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