Today I am finally sharing our primary bedroom in our current home. I am never happy until I feel it is perfect but who cares about perfection, right? If you have been reading my blog long you know I am all about collected interiors. I know it can sometimes be a challenge using things you already own and combining them with new items. You have to build a relationship with the two in order to make them work, but that is the fun of it. Let’s talk about How to Achieve a Collected Look in your Bedroom.
We purchased our current home a year ago December, but didn’t move in until May. The former owner’s had great vision so we have just had to make a few tweaks to make the home our own. All of the bedrooms have white carpet (yikes we are not clean enough for white carpet).We have never had any carpet except for a very short stint when our kids were small. We will eventually replace this carpet with seagrass but for now we are trying our best not to ruin it!
HOW TO ACHIEVE A COLLECTED LOOK IN YOUR BEDROOM
In this room we had to buy “matching” nightstands, something I have never done in my entire life. The bed had to go inside a niche. I was ready to give up our bed we have had forever but Steve wouldn’t have it.
It was really a challenge to find something that didn’t look too dimutive next to our large bed. I found the little chests at Wisteria. In the catalogue they do not look like this. We ended up covering them with a coat of brown briwax and I plan to tweak them with a coat of pickling wax as well. I will do a post on that soon.
Purchased Items
Two Nightstands/chests from Wisteria
A new rug & quilt & curtain panels & rods from Pottery Barn
New Pillow Shams (our old ones got stained in storage)-Cottage by Design
New lampshades from Ballard Designs
Decorative Pot from Anthropologie
We purchased this Pottery Barn rug to cover up a spot where our cat Furrie had an accident while being chased by our daughter’s dog (as I said we are not fit to have carpet). We added the larte mirrors above the nightstands so the nightstands wouldn’t seem so puny next to the bed. They had to be at this height to accomodate the light switches for the lights above the bed that we never use. I am looking for something (an old house vent or something to go above the bed. It needs to be simple. I could get smaller mirrors as well, but I kind of like them.
The pillow shams are made by Trish from Cottage by Design. You can find Trish on Instagram here. She fabricated our old ones, but they were stained in storage and the color wasn’t quite right for this room. The bolster was in the guest room of our former home. It was made by Trish as well.
The lamps were in our former home behind the sofa. We replaced the shades with new from Ballard Designs. Everything that is available is linked at the bottom of the post.
This bench was in our bedroom in Chualar in front of the large window next to the fireplace. You can read my post about my Chualar Bedroom here. I ordered two new pillow covers (linked below the post). The shelf was in our hallway and the vintage egg prints were above the loveseat.
This wing chair I found at a junk shop years ago. I had it recovered several years ago and I still love it. It has resided in both of our former bedrooms, and I am so glad it worked here as well. You can read about my Fixer Upper Bedroom Reveal here. I am not sure where we found the painting but have had it for over 20 years I am sure. The curtain panels are from Pottery Barn. The pillow was made by Trish from Cottage by Design and was in our guest bedroom in our Chualar home.
This corner cupboard was also in our enormous bedroom in our Chualar home. The chair was from a former antique dealer friend’s estate. The painting I found in a junk shop. The little mirror is not antique. I linked similar at the bottom of the post. All of the treasures in the corner cupboard are antique or vintage.
This armoire (kas) we have owned for over 30 years. It has been in the bedroom of every house we have lived in since we lived in California. It is one of our favorite pieces. My husband’s brother gifted it to us when my husband built his first house.
SHOP THE POST
Thank you for reading How to Achieve a Collected Look in your Bedroom. If you would like to read more about how to get a collected look in your own home, you might enjoy these posts:
The Collected Look How to Get It
The Collected Look in My Garden
Late to the party but you’ve done a wonderful job making it all work. I love the feel and your philosophy. I am still laboring away on my situation. The struggle was real on those beside tables no? Same here – I am still giving mine a wash and have to wax one. Then on to drapes…
You are so resourceful Cindy. I love everything hands down and I’m glad Steve made you safe that gorgeous bed! I’m much like you. I will pick out some core, much needed or wanted pieces and then I need to let ideas brew for awhile to reflect my own taste and the gut feeling I have for the space. Funny, when I did a redo of our family room two years ago it dragged on and on just because o couldn’t decide on what o wanted as far as the walls, I.e., art. I looked and looked and searched and finally went downstairs and chose some gold tone framed pastoral paintings that went magnificently with the room and I still (and always will) love the English countryside so I’m glad I hung on to those pieces for over thirty years! We are so alike. I’m so glad you shared. Looking forward to more of your new home decor.
Jane d
Hi Jane
Completely agree with everything you said!! Birds of a feather!!
Hi Cindy- your bedroom is sheer perfection! Lovely and serene. Noticed the little oval bronze bird mirror on your wall- I have that mirror in my bedroom, too! GMTA. 😉
Cindy, my comment evaporated. I want to say that I love the fabric on your wind chair. and great move with the lamp shades. Beautiful bed linens too. Must be fun to wake up to all the collections!
I too, love this bedroom post and of course, love the bedroom….however, I’m in a snit because I can’t find your post on the 5 Eileen Fisher French Terry pieces and how you styled them. I was so sure I saved it but alas!!!
Can you tell me how to retrieve it???
Hi Vicki
Here you go! Here is the link:
https://cindyhattersleydesign.com/how-to-make-sweatpants-look-chic-over-50/
If you go to the home page all of the recent posts show up!! Those pieces are faves of mine!!
Thank you! You are the best!!
Hi Cindy,
I am recovering living room chairs much like the ones you’ve done in a beige ticking stripe. I think they are upholstered rather than slip-covered but I’d love to know as they are so well done!
Hi Maureen
They are upholstered in a Perennials fabric
Back again…but I have been thinking. What if you paint or wallpaper the alcove to make it seem as if you love it. Then remove mirrors and lamps, but hang lights that move to read . No need for anything above the bed. Also the bench and trunk seem to be too close to bed. It is always hard to know how the room is set up without a 360 view…just saying.
Hi Eileen
Whoops I replied via email. I have to say I am not a wallpaper or statement wall girl. I tire of things like that. It’s just me a fault I know. I love hanging pendants next to beds but I think if you saw this issue in person you would realize that the giant bed needs weight to anchor it. Otherwise it looks like a giant behemoth in the middle of the room. I don’t think the bench is too close to the bed at all. In my perfect world I would retire the bed. In my mind it is too overpowering for this room but my partner thinks otherwise and we have to meet in the middle. You can check out the real estate photos online.
Cindy,
I have loved every room in all of your homes. 😊 I believe the collected look appeals to me because there is a history behind most of what you have included. Great job, as always.
Karen B.
Hi Karen
Thank you. This room has it’s challenges…still tweaking. Our problem is we have pieces that we treasure that we aren’t willing to part with, so we have to do the best we can with what we have. Trust me, it took me moths of research before I purchased those night stands. I would love to have oval mirrors as there are already too many squares and rectangles, but no oval mirrors that would fit that spot…
Hi Cindy, I am an avid reader of anything about design. The ones I always gravitate to are the rooms that have a lot of layers/interest, like Bunny Williams, James Farmer or my newest find, David Jimenez. Of course that group includes you! I have watched (in awe) how you have made all three of your homes resonate with layering of antiques, high and low priced new items, and vintage finds etc. Above all, your homes have wonderful warmth and a true sense of who you and Steve are. You have an incredible sense of style!
I can’t wait to see how your gardens look at your new home this summer.
Hi Sharon
Oh I love David Jimenez. He is so good, isn’t he? Working on one small garden area. Most of it is already good! Different than what I am used to but good.
Cindy,
I love seeing your collected rooms and how you use/reuse each piece that you have loved and had for years. We are much the same in that respect.
I am “working” on our bedroom and it too is a challenge, it was the former owners’ art studio and it is huge with windows and doors on every wall and sky lights as well. There is only w=one place for the bed and then there is a lot of empty space that you cannot do anything with. For now, this room is not my priority.
Back to your room, I love the bed but I am not sure about the mirrors. What about just something over the bed and no mirrors? Just a thought, it just seems as if the mirrors detract from the beautiful bed.
Have a great day Cindy!
Hi Eliz
In both our former homes we had windows on either side of the bed which was great so there was no need or anything above the side tables. It is a conuncrum for sure. I probably will end up getting smaller mirrors but that is a challenge as well they have to be tall and slender. I tried putting something above the bed in our Chualar home and I didn’t like it for the same reasons Eileen doesn’t like something at the base of the bed. It is hard to explain since you can’t really see the whole room. Definitely a work in progress.
So much inspiration from this post! It’s like you knew I was redecorating our bedroom. On a side note, I ordered the kantha jacket from etsy that you featured in your Sunday, Feb. 26 post “Outfit of the Week”, and I already received it today, all the way from India! This is better delivery than any US businesses I’ve ordered from this winter (e.g. Ann Taylor, JCrew, Anthro; Tablot’s)! The kantha is unique, well made, fits well, and was a superb recommendation. It will be the “zing” element in my weekend speech meet outfit! Nice find! Thank you!
Hi Louine
So glad the jacket worked out for you! I have had my eye on that one for quite sometime!
Hello! I have only recently discovered your blog, or is it that I have only recently admitted to being over 50yrs old…Anyway, I love this post about the bedroom. We are finally beginning to plan an update for our bedroom and I absolutely love the bedside chests you chose. I did not see the link to the retail site to which you referred, Wisteria. I would greatly appreciate it if you would include it in the reply to this post! Have a wonderful day…from up North here in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!
Hi KC
I linked them in the script because they are not on LTK but it may have been hard to find. The bedside chest are very well made. I did cover the with a coat of brown briwax because they looked a little pink next to my bed. The finish was good it just wasn’t good with the bed. It comes in three finishes by the way. Here is the link https://wisteria.com/collections/nightstands/products/st-etienne-night-stand-110?variant=42511597109435.
You did a great job for that bedroom layout. I love the tall mirrors and the nightstands you chose. The only thing I would do is find antique wood sign to go above head board or antique wood piece. Oh, and I like plant and bowl at foot board because it looks like a fence….
Cindy, Your bedroom is lovely and inspiring. Could you share the color of your Pottery Barn quilt?
Many thanks.
Love the room and all of your collected things. However, I have never liked things at the bottom of a bed. Your bed is the star of the room..and so I would like to see all of it! The trunk is also a piece that needs to be without a grouping on top. Maybe there is some other place or room for it to go. Somewhere there is a need for blue??
Hi Eileen
Unfortunately, we have many pieces that we have no place for and a few that we really love. This chest is one of them and no we don’t have another place for it…trust me. We love it so here it will stay. Yes we could leave it bare that is an option. I always appreciate your insightful comments.
As you know, you and I share the same PB quilt on our beds which is the basis for my bedroom colors. The rug is gorgeous and looks like it was made decades ago. I think your room looks just fine but now that it’s comfortable for you, you can keep tweaking it to be even more to your taste if that’s what your goal is. As long as you and Steve are getting a restful nights sleep!
Hi Wren
Ha! Steve is sleeping in the guest room because the bed is lower!! That is why I wanted to retire this one…in time…
It is no doubt a beautiful room, but for me I agree with some others here, too much “decoration”. I was staying once in a friends house and learned a valuable lesson for decoration of a bedroom, and that is, there should be space to easily put down your end of day objects – water glass, phone, glasses, earrings, books – however I am more about a Scandic design vibe which is somewhat minimalistic.
Hi Nancy
Thanks so much for weighing in. I have never had such small bedside tables before. There isn’t much room for anything besides a lamp and a vase of flowers.
Your bed is gorgeous and unusual. I would make it work in your new primary room, too. What if you floated the bed out from the niche? It would give you more space so your bed is not crowded by the night stands. Perhaps, you could find another home for
Ha! It wouldn’t allow much more room unfortunately. Trust me we struggled with the options, that is why it took so long. The bed could have been on the other wall and gained a bit of space but then no room for corner cupboard, and I hate looking at the side of a bed when you walk in a room if it can be avoided. Keep those ideas coming!!
I love your bedroom! Beautiful styling. The nightstands and the mirrors are great and I love the bench. Wow!
It all looks very serene and comfortable. I would have to have more color in my bedroom, but the style bones are something to emulate. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nancy
I love color too, but find I tire of it in a bedroom. It is just a personal thing with me. I totally understand!
Cindy
Love how your new bedroom has come together – and your talent in utilizing collected items that you have used in your homes in other rooms. Beautiful, relaxing and very pulled together. What is your paint color?
Hi Martha
To be honest I am not a big fan of the white. I would not have chosen it. If I were choosing I would choose BM White Dove or Simply White. It is Sherwin Williams Creamy
Your bed frame is beautiful…do you remember where you got it?
It was designed by me and handmade in Mexico over 25 years ago.
I have loved that bed in all three of your homes and am so glad Steve insisted on keeping it! It is beautiful, along with the rest of your bedroom.
Hi Dana
I loved it in our Chualar home, and the fixer upper…this one not so sure…
Hi Dena
Well it is a bit of a challenge in this room for sure! A work in progress!
My very favorite posts are when you show your own home or your own style! Your bedroom is beautiful. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
Hi Denise
Thank you so much! A work in progress…
LOVE your bedroom! Dottie
Thank you Dottie! It is a work in progress.
I am a huge fan of mirrors as decor. In this case I think the mirrors reflect so much in your room that it reads over kill – too much stuff. Your rooms are always gorgeous with items . I’m always on the prowl after your postings. Fern prints are insanely priced. They have to go somewhere in my home. Your antiques are out of my price range in general – but I have been finding replicates. Thank you for sharing. Anxious to see your gardens as the season progresses.
Hi Amy
The mirrors aren’t working as is. I intended for them to come all the way down to the tops of the chests. Forgot about the light switches. The bed overwhelms the nightstands without anything. It is a bit of a tricky situation. I will have to see if I can find a picture. If I put nothing there the bed eats the nightstands…always enjoy hearing everyone’s input.
If you aren’t using the lights over the bed, why not just cover the light switches with a flat cover and lower the mirrors? I love everything you’ve done and feel it is so important to be surrounded by things you’ve collected and loved over the years.
Hi Cynthia
My centiments exactly if I could convince my husband…Unfortunately he has his opinions!!
Your bedroom is so restful. I love it.
Hi Renae
Thank you so much!