Make an antique iron bed the centerpiece of your bedroom.
Decorating your bedroom with antique furniture doesn't mean you will be sleeping in a museum. Using antiques should add a warm, inviting feeling to the room that is your cozy refuge from the day's stress. The key to a welcoming space is to find pieces that are not hands-off, museum-quality items. Choose more functional antique furniture that was originally built to be used rather than admired, and, if you wish, include more fragile pieces here and there. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Decide on your decorating style. Choose antiques that reflect it. For example, a graceful four-poster bed might not work in a primitive-style bedroom. Study decorating magazines and books, and make note of the bedrooms that most appeal to you.
2. Shop for antique furniture. Go to antique shops. Take part in auctions, both online and in person. Poke around flea markets and garage sales. You never know what treasures might turn up. Check the want ads in your local newspaper. Look through your garage and attic.
3. Choose a bed. Go country or shabby chic with an antique iron or brass bed. Dress it in white linens with crocheted edging. Cover it with a quilt. Opt for a sleigh bed or four poster in a colonial-style bedroom. Make the bed with tailored sheets and a chenille bedspread. Fold a coverlet at the foot to pull up when the nights get chilly. Center a primitive-style bedroom with a rustic rope bed. Add interest with burlap or rough linen throw pillows.
4. Add storage. Arrange an antique blanket chest at the foot of the bed in a country- or traditional-style bedroom. Use it to hold out-of-season clothing and linens. Give the room a primitive vibe with an antique stagecoach trunk. Go shabby chic with two weathered antique dressers, one on either side of the bed. Hang your clothes in an antique armoire. Stash books and craft supplies in an antique canning cupboard.
5. Create a cozy dining area with an antique wicker table and chairs. Add seat cushions covered in ticking. Set the table with a vintage lace tablecloth and an antique tea set.
6. Relax on an antique chaise lounge placed in front of the fireplace. Couple it with a Shaker side table and wrought iron lamp topped with a stained-glass shade. Opt for an antique Windsor rocker warmed by a vintage quilt.
7. Add accessories. Display quilts folded on an antique church pew arranged at the foot of your bed or on the shelves of an antique pie safe. Hang vintage prom dresses from an antique clothes tree. Use an antique child's rocker or cradle to show off a collection of vintage rag dolls. Bring the outside in with plants displayed on an antique school desk or rustic garden bench.
Tags: with antique, antique furniture, antique iron, bedroom with, chic with, primitive-style bedroom
