Antique French Linen Sheet

I finally found a lightwight summer replacement for the cozy down comforter that is usually folded at the foot of our bed. Seeing that is now mid-August, it was about time! We obviously weren't using the down comforter at night, but the bed looked so bare without it that I couldn't stand to take it away.

So when I spotted this gorgeous antique linen monogrammed sheet (seriously on sale!) from an Etsy seller in France, I thought that it might be a perfect option. And with that beautiful red monogram, how could I resist?

It fits right in with all my other red, white, and gray bed linens, and adds a charming French detail.

The sheet is made of two homespun linen panels that are seamed together in the center, and the "AA" monogram falls just off-center to avoid the seam. The sheet is about 70" wide, which is just about right for laying across our queen size bed.

 

And the placement of the monogram could not be more perfect for displaying at the foot of the bed, layered on top of the gray checked blanket and underneath the red and white antique quilt.

 

And the best part? The sheet arrived all the way from France about two weeks ago... on my birthday. Happy birthday to me!! 

New Bedroom Layout

The rearranging continues! Yesterday, I reoriented the bed so that it faces the doorway. I love walking into a bedroom and seeing the front of the bed rather than the side, but with a small off-center window on the far wall, I didn't think it could work for our room.

Here's the "before" view walking into the room - the side of the bed. I've wanted to turn the bed for a while, but especially without a headboard, positioning a bed partially in front of a window with full length curtains can be tricky.

But it works! Even though the window is off-center, the height of the mirror and dresser on the opposite side of the bed helps to balance the room.

And I love, love, love that all of the layers of linens on the bed take center stage in the room now. And even though summer is fast approaching, I can't bring myself to put away the down-filled comforter with linen duvet cover. It's just too pretty... so it stays on the bed all year long!

 

I can now also put my antique trencher bowl at the foot of the bed... something I've always wanted to do, but never before had the space to do it.

One side of the bed gets a traditional bedside table with a lamp.

On the other side of the bed, the antique white dresser stands in place of a table. It makes for one less piece of furniture than before, which in a small room makes a big difference in space.

An antique full-lenth mirror and topiary sit on a chippy white bench right inside the door.

 

And after sleeping on it for one night, I declare the new bedroom layout a success!

A Grain Sack Pillow for the Bedroom

 Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of this day of romance, I thought I'd give you a peek into our bedroom, and show you the latest addition to my bed linens. I have our bedroom decorated in natural shades of linen, grey and white, with an accent of red in the pillows, blankets, and other textiles.  

The newest piece of bedding I bought is actually not new at all... It's an antique European grain sack, with the wonderful nubby texture and neutral flax color that I love so much. Now, normally I go straight for the striped sacks, but this extra-long plain sack with a simple red embroidered monogram was just what I needed to complement all of the other patterns and textures I already have on my bed. I choose this particular grain sack because of the length - at 59" long, it is the perfect size for to use as a bolster pillow on a 60" wide queen size bed.

I stuffed it with a king size pillow plus a standard pillow to get a full, over-stuffed look. At this size, it is perfect for laying across the head of the bed. Before, when I would make the bed, I used to fold back the gray and red checked blanket, as well as the white blanket and top sheet underneath, and stand up four standard pillows in regular pillowcases, like this...

BEFORE

Nothing wrong with that... but it was a lot of pillows standing at attention, and it didn't have that simple, unfussy, antique look that I wanted.

AFTER

Now, it has a much more simple, primitive look. I cover our regular sleeping pillows with the grey checked blanket and lay the grain sack bolster across the top. A pair of vintage-inspired pillows (the striped one is from Pottery Barn, and the coverlet design is from Family Heirloom Weavers) add some additional pattern without going pillow crazy. I do have a tendency to go pillow crazy... but I was able to practice some restraint this time! 

A close-up of the GE monogram. It's got my initial! I told my hubby we need to start calling him George or something so that it fits. He was not amused.

Since the end of the pillow I used to stuff the sack was visible, I covered it with a piece of french-inspired striped fabric, and used a safety pin to fasten the sack together in the center. A safety pin, you ask?

Yep, there it is! Luckily, the nubby hemp fabric is thick enough that the edges just naturally cover the pin, unless you're looking up from underneath. I'd like to find an antique button yet to stitch on top, so it looks like it's held together by the button. But that's a project for another day.

And, just so you don't think I've let good pillows go to waste, I made room for a couple more...

A quilted pillow from TJ Maxx covers up dirty laundry in a wicker basket under the window...

A small lumbar pillow sits on a windsor chair by the door...

 And a striped pillow stands guard over my bench full of decorating magazines. See? No pillow left behind!

A Cozy Place to Sleep

With the nights getting cooler and thoughts of a snowy season just around the corner, I've beefed up our bedding with new layers of patterned pillows and richly textured blankets for a cozy nights sleep and, just as importantly, a beautiful bedscape that adds a burst of inviting warmth and color to our tiny home.

The red and white quilt at the foot of the bed is an antique, but the rest of the bedding only looks vintage, with french-style stripes and classic woven patterns. The gray blanket with big red checks, along with the red coverlet pillow, are both new additions to my bedding from Family Heirloom Weavers, a small company in Pennsylvania that creates beautiful woven textiles patterned after early colonial antiques. Their stuff is gorgeous!

A tiny oval antique picture of a young girl hangs with a vintage mirror above the bed, creating a focal point in lieu of a headboard.  

With a bedroom this bright and welcoming, I think we're ready for a cozy winter hibernation. Plus, I can't help thinking that in a few weeks a Christmas tree would fit perfectly in that back corner.... In the two and a half years since we've been married, we haven't had a place yet that was big enough (or that we weren't in the process of moving into or out of) to put up a full size Christmas tree. Maybe this will be the year!