Tiny Primary Bedroom Reveal

If you’re coming to this post first, you may want to go back and read It All Started with Curtains and How to Deconstruct a Heavy Plaster Faux Finish before you jump into my Tiny Primary Bedroom Reveal.

We left off with me patching the wall behind the bed and giving it yet another coat of paint. After completing that task, we moved the lingerie chest back into the room, which had been blocking the hallway for almost two weeks. Despite our attempts to protect everything, we continued to track dust and debris every time we squeezed past it. This project was probably the biggest mess we’ve ever encountered.

The secret to the success of this room has always been selecting appropriately scaled furniture to fit the space. As I mentioned in my previous post, this room is tiny at 9’6″x13’6″. There’s no room for a king-size bed, no room for a double or triple dresser, and certainly no space for a bench or small sofa at the foot of the bed. There’s no walk-in closet with a fabulous primary suite. I’ve always dreamed of rooms that were destinations — a bedroom with a fireplace, a small sofa and a couple of chairs, and French doors leading out to beautiful gardens. Yeah, well, not in this house! What I do have is a room made up of quirky pieces created with lots of love. Although it’s not a destination, it is a place where I can feel nurtured and stimulated—a calming space at the end of a busy day.

  • What I do have is a queen-size bed,
  • 30″ round table, an antique “telephone table” with a warped top,
  • An antique chest of drawers, and a lingerie chest that fits its wall space exactly and gives me a place to put my clothes (this piece will get a refresh).
  • And of course, there’s the infamous Restore Store chair.
  • Oh, and a reach-in closet! That’s the entire room. Let’s take a look.

Off white Pottery Barn cotton/linen stripe drapes I bought last year. I finally got around to hemming them because I hated the way they puddled on the floor. The “shade” is just a lovely linen throw that I folded up to “shade” size. I picked it up at Salt Creek Mercantile in Ashland, NE. My daughter pointed out that she felt it was hanging too low so you will see in a later photo that I shortened it up. Really fabric is just fabric and can come from anywhere.  When looking at things think outside the box.  This throw made the perfect accompaniment to the drapes.

This old stand was just the perfect height and size to tuck into this corner. I still haven’t figured out if I will paint it or not. We’ll see. The books are a nod to my mom, her favorite poet was Percival Shelley, so she named me after him.  The figurine reminds me of my dad he made my bed and so many other things for me and there was a time when he smoked fancy pipes!

You may remember these dishes from the bathroom remodel. These are very early Staffordshire dishes and something I brought from my moms home.  My original intent with these dishes was to sell them because they aren’t a pattern I’m overly fond of but when accessorizing this tiny primary bedroom for the reveal I remembered that I had these in a box downstairs.  I loved them in there.  But when I got this quilt, well what else was I supposed to do?  The oil painting is my moms and I think it is the perfect focal point for this wall.  The Chippendale style mirror was a gift from my dad years ago for Christmas, of course he made it, and the jewelry box on the table belonged to my mom.  Complete with the tassel she had on it!

I’ve never had anything on this wall. The room is so narrow. I always felt it was too small to clutter, but after the new paint, it just felt so bare.  My 1824 French Voters registration and a pair of pewter sconces fit the bill.

Which brings me to the Restore Store 35.00 chair

Chandelier made by my dad and the best part, the 1850’s Cherrywood Regency Chest I picked up at the antique mall in September.  

Yes there is so much of my parents in this room and yet everything I have done here is completely me; done in a way that they would not recognize but yet they would be smiling now saying Bravo. The room is quiet, restful and the paint color allows for the accessories to play the music. By painting the walls, trim, and ceiling the same color it allows this tiny room to breathe even though it is packed with furnishings.

The only new things I bought for this room was the quilt, curtains, throw, chair and chest.  Less than a $500.00 investment.  Everything else I just pulled from other locations in the house. Oh and the 100’s of nail holes behind the bed and believe me there were over 100 all filled with the exception of where the plates are hanging!  

I went from that first shock of I hate this to I love this. The paint color alone is cold and uninteresting but yet I knew I just had to hang in there with it until the end. This room is such a different look for me and yet it is totally me. I still have a bit of tweaking to do but for now I’m more than satisfied. Let me know what you think in comments.

Thanks for stopping

Shelley