Eighteen Months Of Fooling Around In The Bedroom

Now don't get too excited about fooling around in the bedroom. I really mean, messing and fidgeting with the decor in the bedroom ha ha.
When I first started 18 months ago, I had the vague idea of wanting something "Frenchy", a throwback to our bedroom in our cute 1812 Creole house in The French Quarter. I had just purchased the Directoire daybed for our bedroom in our new house in The Irish Channel, to use as the headboard. The room was painted a Frenchy gray blue, a color called Gray Verbena. Toile, a coronet, ticking, new French country nightstands, well smell me.
Then I posted my spiffy new bedroom decor on Rate My Space, and WTF they didn't love it! Said I needed more throw pillows and why don't I try the big harpy thing (a lyre FYI, a rescued fragment from a discarded trellis in a New Orleans yard) over the bed.
Okay, I thought, that's why I'm on the internet with other decor geeks, to play, to give and take, so chop-chop I changed it and was met with moans - "oh we liked it better the other way, and BTW what kind of dinky headboard is that, is it (gasp) twin beds, and BTW we hate the dog pillow!"
I was fed up, but determined to get it right. So I studied the popular rooms. There were no drop cloths for curtains, or doors to nowhere, or grandma chairs, or gasp, painted pine gasp bombe chests.

Ta da! Urban French???? New duvet cover, a cool X bench, fabric accent wall to hide the door, Carlo of Hollywood mod century painting over the raised headboard, lots of throw pillows, and no pink lamps, which BTW were a gift from my 90 year old friend Miss Anne thank you very much.
Still tweaking for a photo shoot, trying to make two puny sisal mats look like a SGG stripey rug ha ha. Out with the X-bench, because Cholo prefers the cushy one, pink lamps come back, black and white photos leaning, so okay it was magazine worthy.
Summer is coming fast here in New Orleans, so I broke out the white bedding, a new deep drop ruffle spread.

Inspiration from Joni

I draped the nightstands in drop cloth fabric (because I can't decide whether to paint them or not and I saw a very cute linen draped night table at Cote de Texas, and a cute linen sink skirt at Simply Seleta).

Inspiration from Seleta

And out went the pink lamps. It's a work in progress. I'm looking for some feedsack pillows maybe?


And, Joni, yes, yes, yes, I painted the bombe chests WHITE! I call it Swedish Snow. I used a dry brush technique that looks like lime wash, using Ben Moore Flat China White, yes the same quart can I got for the little table I just did. No sanding, no primer - just MY technique that has always come out perfect and lasts forever! And I got some proper curtains though not the silk drapes I really really want. These are a $9.99 eBay find. I would have preferred no pattern, but it is so hard to find curtains long enough for the tall New Orleans window, so for $9.99 I will make do. But the big thing is my new mountain grass rug, very much like the sea grass favorite of so many of you savvy blog decorators, that I got HERE.
Sorry to show the room in snippets. It is damn hard to photograph a bedroom. But I think you get the idea. And the room is not styled at all, not really photo ready, but I am excited about the process, and beginning to see how cute it's going to be, and just had to share it since you all help me out so much!
Even though we are all supposed to be happy shopping our closets, and making do, and carrying on and remaining calm, I still want to buy things so very badly. But what else is new? I've been making do all my life, and making something out of nothing. I have always wanted gorgeous alabaster lamps, so I got them. Err. Okay. They're the pink lamps that I gave the old foe-doe-dee-oh-doe.
Now I wonder if I can make some burlap pillows like the ones I just saw at Villa Vici on Magazine Street, the big one $140., the small one $120.
I happen to have a few yards of left over burlap from the accent wall project. I don't know how to really sew, but how hard can making a square be?

I love this bedroom!
I could inch up to this ha ha!

And one more thing - thank you all for all the heartfelt good wishes on my blog birthday!
Lately I know people who really have it all and are miserable. They are loved, with a nice house, great kids, a job, money to spend on nice things, friends, a respected position in the community, a support group of shrinks and coaches, talent, good looks - and none of it makes them happy. But when I experience the depth of this sadness and this tragedy of a life misspent, a life squandered, I feel even more determined to live life fully, and I feel so fortunate for having found all of you through blogging, and for your ever upbeat attitude and encouragement. Times are a little harder and scary, but please don't despair, and please let us stick together and help one another. And please pray for the poor miserable creatures who can't find their exhausted way to the gratitude and happiness that is right in front of them. xo xo

Posted in: Bedrooms, Blogs And SItes You Might Like, DIY, Valorie Hart Designs