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Officially living my little girl dreams through my children with our recent French Cottage Girls Bedroom Makeover. What little girl doesn’t want to drift away in a fluffy mountain of delicate florals and linen?? Enjoy the tour!
*This post is in partnership with Saphyr Pure Linen, a company with beautiful products and who shares my obsession with all things linen. All opinions are my own.
*This post contains my affiliate links. Thank you!
I’ve shown you my girls closet organization, and now it’s time to take a peek at the rest of the basement bedroom we made over for our cute kiddos.
But first, a look at the “before” . . .
For the 5 years we’ve been in this home, this room sat pretty much looking like this – drab and dark. It is a basement room, and we didn’t actually “need” it to function, so it became a random storage room of sorts. At a few points we threw in an extra bed for guests and occasionally it was a place the kids would play.
But as the girls got older, I felt like they could move to the basement and we set our minds to making the whole downstairs a more welcoming and beautiful space like the rest of our home, starting with the bedrooms.
So, with some new wall treatments, lighter paint and updated furnishings – this French Cottage girls bedroom feels like a completely new space!
For 2 little girls who were once scared of the basement, they now rejoice to sleep and play in their little room. That’s such a relief for this mama heart, who also grew up being scared of a basement.
Let me share some of the details and sources of the items you see in the space.
The beautiful headboards were items I found one day while cruising along on Facebook marketplace. I actually had never bought anything from this online resource until I found these beds. They were listed as 2 antique headboards and footboards for only $100 dollars each. For someone who constantly looks for these kinds of unique items at thrift or antique stores, this felt like a steal of a deal compared to other prices I have seen. I didn’t want a fresh out of the box look for this room, rather I was aiming for a simplistic curated-over-time, kind of space, and the antique beds fit the bill!
I was originally planning to paint the beds, until we finished the bead-board wall treatment and placed them in the room. It was then when I realized how pretty the wood tones would look among all the white, so I left them alone.
Next up, let’s talk about the bedding.
I’ve made sure my girls don’t take for granted the fact that they rest their little heads on pure French linen from Saphyr Pure Linen, in the most delectable blush pink. They’ve heard me rave on and on about this lovely linen, after our Master Bedroom refresh where I shared the new linen bedding on our bed. Be sure to read that post to gather all my thoughts on pure linen bedding.
The linen touches in the bedding add another layer of the old world curation that I was hoping to achieve for this room makeover.
I was going to DIY some duvet covers, but because of a time crunch on other circumstances in our lives at the moment, I opted to purchase the rest of the bedding. Because I was going for a French Cottage look, I turned to Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic bedding line and found some linen floral bedding with a ruffled edge, called the Rosabelle collection.
Then I searched on Target and Amazon for some bedding with lace or embroidered edges, all adding to the layered cottage look.
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The muslin ruffled bed skirts was also an Amazon find, and work perfectly with the bed frames. I was sure to measure the length I needed before I purchased.
I put the bedding all together while the girls were at school and was so excited to see their reactions. I should have known their greatest delight would have been the $1.00 thrifted porcelain dolls I placed on their beds.
Yes, they were truly only $1.00 and have become their most treasured dolls. I was thrilled to find them, and knew it would be the highlight of the space for them . . . and I was okay with that.
The night stand was a thrifted and painted find from a long time ago, and fit this space perfectly. We do a lot of musical furniture in my house.
You may recognize this wall art, from my free black and white vintage botanical printable post. I love how they look so simple and clean.
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The wall images really wrapped up the space and put the final touch to the French Cottage look.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the final results of this girls bedroom space makeover!
I’d love to know if you would have painted the beds, or left them alone as well. I still second guess myself, but for now they are staying just as they are.
Here are the sources for the space in visual style, if you would like to shop this look yourself.
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Thank you so much for visiting today! I’d love to hear what you think of the room or if you have any other questions for me!
Hello! I’m very glad to have found your blog. I’ve been struggling to figure out what decor style speaks to me most and French country was what I recently came down to. I’m slowly beginning to add elements into my home. I feel your blog will be good inspiration and help to keep ideas fresh for the start of my journey:)
I’m so glad you found inspiration here Veronica!
I know this is an old post, but if you have a minute, can you share your white paint color choices? They are perfect!
Wow! Please never ever paint those beds!
It looks gorgeous! I am impressed!
Classical style with the blend of white creates a luxurious space.
I think that it looks cool
Love the room. You inspired me to go retrieve my childhood doll from the basement (she is 70 years old), and put her on my bed. My sister and I each have a hand made needlepoint picture, and a Huldah print from our childhood. Who is going to appreciate them more than we do? Love the light your paint gives to the room. What are the colors?
What a lovely room!
Also, just loving the bedding. Wondering, do you have the sheets (that are listed in the post and from Amazon) underneath the quilted blanket cover from target? Do they sleep under the sheets, or on top of the comfy quilted cover and under the duvet? I’ve never been a sheet girl myself. All my life I’ve grown up sleeping with my moms homemade quilts, no top sheet. And that quilted cover thing looks so cute and sort of like a sheet, wondering if that could just double as the top sheet for my little girls bed? 🙂
I love everything in this room, it is so beautiful! The beds are so perfect left in original brown finish. It adds such richness and color to everything else in the room. I’m obsessed with the bedding. Just like the curtain you made for their closet door, the baby flowers on the white fabric, oh so pretty! The beds with their colors and layers looks so comfy and so beautiful all at the same time! Beautiful job!
A beautiful room for your girls. Glad you left the beds in there natural wood stain.
The bedding is gorgeous.
What a scrumptious room!!!! I can imagine the girls’ joy when they finally moved in.
I love the beds as they are. Beautiful old wood with so much charm. Please keep them as they are as I am sure you will since public opinion is in the beds’ favor!!
What a beautiful room for your little princesses. It is a room we all have dreamed of as little girls and the beds are perfect just the way they are.
I LOVE the beds!!! I’m jealous that you found them. They are beautiful!!
I love the look of natural wood and agree completely with Janice. (We are probably of the same vintage.) I could never paint over beautiful wooden furniture if it is in good condition as the beds definitely are. You did the right thing by letting the natural beauty of the wooden head and footboards shine through. I’ll be glad when the trend to paint wood is over, but then maybe I won’t be here to see it. Until then I will live in my out-of-date home with the beautiful oak furniture, baseboards, and window trim. It will be back in fashion some day, right?
I love the contrast between the beds and the walls. I’m glad you left them unpainted.
The contrast is what makes everything else so beautiful! Glad you left them unpainted!
If the wood was ugly, then I would have painted it but the beds look to be in great condition….you can always paint later if you tire of it but I think the wood is lovely. What a wonderful find for you (and a steal)! Kudos on the room makeover, it is beautiful!
They are so beautiful. I would leave them as they are. Very pretty room!
Oh sweet dreams–just LOVELY! What fun!
No! Don’t paint them. Love it all!
Being of ‘a certain age’ I am constantly shocked and many times very upset with the new “trend” to paint over the beautiful wood of vintage pieces. In my or any other age grpups’ lifetime will we ever see the quality furniture that was manufactured in the past 50-100 years ago. IMHO, it will only be a few years before many will regret covering these beautiful woods and fine finishes with paint. I personally have done my fair share of chalk, shabby finishes and enjoy the mix in my home. That being said, I feel we in the decorating business and diy’ers need to value original natural beauty. If a woman has natural beautiful jet black hair, it would seem counterproductive for her to apply a cheap, heavy, deadening hair color. Natural beauty will never go out of style. Imitations and new fads will come and go, but why change something truly fine just because a fad is passing through. To answer your question…. YES, you made the perfect decision to retain the natural wood finish. Your girls’ room is beautiful. I did get a great laugh about the $ 1.00 dolls! This is what our children keep.us honest and grounded. God bless them!
Incidentally. I look forward to each of your Tidbits! Keep up.the great work and entertaining dialogue ❤️?
Janice! Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! I loved it! My husband gripes about the quality of new pieces all the time, so finding old, well built pieces makes both of us happy. Your words were so thought provoking to me. Why do we try to change and hide what God made us to be??? And yes, my kids always remind me of what is most important. It’s one of the things I treasure most about being a mother. So grateful you take time to read my TIDBITS. I just couldn’t keep going on this gig without readers like you! Hugs!
Cami, fabulous job on this beautiful room for your girls! While I have not hesitated in the past to paint antique furniture, most of the time it was when the piece was very flawed so painting was a means of giving it new life. Now, however, I try not to paint these beautiful pieces, especially if they are in really good condition with a nice warm wood tone. I think it preserves their “story” so to speak and those beds look amazing in contrast to the light walls & décor. They really stand out as the stars of the room & give it that needed warmth. =)
Michelle, I’m really leaning more towards the woods too, especially if they are a raw natural wood. Be still my heart! I do love thinking about a pieces story too! You just don’t get that buying new. Thanks for your kind words and for coming by!
What blessed little girls you have!! The bedroom is beautiful! I think you chose correctly on not painting the beds. The whole room is just adorable! ❤️
Glad you agree with the wood tones. They do look nice with the whites. Sure appreciate your comment!
Wow! What a dreamy room for your girls! This is the type of room I dreamed of as a young girl and would be perfectly content to sleep in as an adult. Just lovely!
I agree Karen! I wouldn’t mind sleeping in a room like this too! The florals might be a bit too much for the hubs . . . but I have made him do worse things 😉 . Glad you stopped by again! Have a beautiful day!
🙂
Hello!
With so much white and light in the room, I am glad you chose to leave the bed frames alone. The wood tone up against the white warms up the space. Lovely! Xo
I’m so glad you like the beds as they are! I agree, the wood looks very pretty with all that white. Fast becoming one of my favorite combos. Thanks so much for coming by!
I was looking forward to your signature peaceful palette in the after picture. I had this image in my head that I was expecting to see. I quickly scrolled to the after picture and was hit with the unexpected. My jaw dropped and it immediately turned into a warm smile of the perfection I saw. Don’t change a thing.
Haha! I kinda love that I was a bit unexpected. No one likes to be too predictable 😉 . Your comment just made me smile so much and I’m so grateful you took the time to share it with me. Thank you!
Hi,
I definitely think leaving the beds unpainted was the right thing to do! While I love painted furniture and I have a lot, the lovely wood does stand out against the white of the walls.
The room is fantastic!
Yes, I love painted furniture too, but some pieces just don’t seem to want to be painted! Glad you liked the beds! Thanks for visiting.
Where did you get the bed frames? The headboards are key to the look.
They really are. I snagged them on Facebook marketplace.