Grecian Inspired Bedroom prompted by sleepless nights

So it all started with sleepless nights and big Italian bed jealousy I decided! As every night I heard two sets of footsteps and a bed that started with two ended by morning with four! When asked the next morning, I am always told “ your bed is cosier”, “Bigger” “nicer” so we decided the Thomas the Tank and the toddler cot bed had to go and went bed shopping as the experts say “include them” in the decision process if you want them to stay in their own bed. Finally we realised they also wanted to share a bed, so I said fine and we started off sensibly looking at all childrens beds.  I spent 3 weeks ringing dealers, checking salvage yards and auctions looking for a replicate of my bed brought home with me from Italy. Finally at 4 o clock on a wet Friday I got a call back, a mahogany bed had been sourced matching the dimensions I had given. It was a trip to an antique dealer in North county Dublin, I decided I had to go, I had that “feeling”.

First he showed me a beech bed I was horrified then he said well I have this one its a lot dearer ( dreaded words) so it was a mahogany poster bed with a lot of intricate designs, not exactly “my thing” but I tried to stay focused, it was perfect size, I had Chalk Paint™  b y Annie Sloan that can miraculously transform things you think you don’t like so I bargained. Then as the posts very long and not “child friendly” rang my husand who said “NO”.

(Image above was my inspiration and when I found this online at Billy-Hustace.Getty I realised that I was looking to achieve a similar look with my Greek Blue, Coco and mixture of frames in complimentary blues)

(part of my wardrobe search that had to be abandoned)

Bargained anyway and discovered posts could be unscrewed at a certain height so somewhat safer.... Negotiated for an hour till we got a price we could both live with a 6pm on a Friday. Organised delivery and I was smiling all the way home to now get rid of Thomas Tank and toddler bed. Tried in vain to source antique wardrobe that would need to be dismantled and then customised to fir around hearing as existing wardrobe is, after estimating costs and work decided little by little and decided instead to use Coco to fade out the current walnut wardrobe.

Decided to upcycle chair in room as desk is also in the bedroom, so painted the legs Coco to match and made a slipcover to match from a remanant picked up in France four years ago. For the black out blind, went to Ikea and sourced a complimentary fabric to remanant and sewed so black out curtain in vain hope this would keep them in their new “large cosy bed”.

Complimentary fabric for all Annie Sloan Colours can be sourced and ordered at Twenty Six, to view 

http://www.anniesloan.ie/collections/annie-sloan-fabrics

It took a lot more paint, elbow grease and a lot of space to dismantle bed and paint but was worth every minute, as both boys I decided to go traditional for once and chose Greek blue to give a Mediterranean feel to the room, the new vibrant colour meant we then had to repaint the walls white as colour had made them a little faded looking! So sewing done, painting done, took three coats as was a dark mahogany and kept showing through, then waxed with a lint free cloth and brush in the carvings and it was time to erect.

(first selection of suitcases for upcycling I found, otherwise in lovely shops but €100 so had to search harder)

In my enthusiasm, I painted two old suitcases, one in Aubusson blue to match existing colour and a more faded one in Greek Blue and with some maps varnished on for detail to help hide childrens clutter. Then added in a vintage leather suitcase picked up in Italy more than 20 years ago. And it was ready for the first nights sleep....................

Greek Blue painted bed and Coco chalk painted wardrobe

Chair legs painted in Coco and suitcase in Greek Blue and wallpaper

And so for the next project to grab my attention...