Our Bedroom Tour

I shared a tour of our bedroom a couple of years ago after our renovation and addition were complete.  It is a study in ivory, white and cream with classic wood furniture and brass fixtures.  Totally neutral like the rest of our house, which gives me the opportunity to add touches of color and accents each season.

This season I added Cottage Stripe Pillows (Large 22" Square, $46) + Whale Prints from my store.

Our brass lantern is The Concord Lantern from Cape Code Lantern Co. finished in Antique Brass.  This is the Large size, but we have two of the smaller size hanging above our kitchen island.   We also have the wall mounted Concord Lantern on the exterior by the front door. We purchased this fixture almost 6 years ago when we moved back from Massachusetts.  It used to hang above our dining table!  When we bought it I knew it was a piece that I would take with us wherever we go.

Our nighstands were custom made by D.R. Dimes.  More information about them below in the original post!

These Cottage Stripe Pillows are part of my Summer Nautical Collection, but I could definitely keep them here all year.

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Fall 2016

It occurred to me that have never shared a proper tour of our bedroom since we've moved into the house.  It took me a while to gather the furniture and hang some things on the walls.  I like to keep our bedroom really clutter free and very simple.  I like a lot of cream (obviously...) and turned to our favorite boutique hotels and inns for inspiration.

The biggest challenge for me was to find a chest of drawers and coordinating night stands that weren't too new and weren't too matchy-matchy.   (I can provide information for the night stands if you are interested.)

We have white hotel bedding with white embroidery (Pottery Barn) and a pick-stitch quilt.  We don't keep too many pillows on the bed because I always want it to be soft and ready for lounging at all times. We use standard pillows (behind), Euros in front (with an H, from Pottery Barn), then the Rectangle Acorn Block Print Pillow, $28.  I change the accent pillow seasonally to set the tone for the room.  Because our room is so neutral, that little pillow change with a small vase of a seasonal flowers on the bedside really does make our entire room feel fresh for each time of year.

This is Mike's side, so the English Game Fowl Prints are a good fit.  These are 8x10 prints framed in the 11x14" frames (that will be restocked soon).

Game Fowl Prints, $4-6

I'm so obsessed with this gold laurel wreath... I bought it at a small antique home decor store in Rochport.  I've searched high and low for it online to no avail.  I will keep trying to get my hands on some for the store. 

The Rectangle Acorn Block Print Pillow, $28.



This luxe Baby Alpaca throw (in Cocoa) is our newest cozy addition to the room.  It is such a treat.

The night stands are from D.R. Dimes, custom made in New Hampshire.  I looked everywhere for a barley twist side table that was the perfect finish and size.  I finally found this design at D.R.Dimes.  They were investment pieces to be sure, but they are the real deal.  They will never go out of style, the cherry finish will develop a beautiful aged patina over time... and they will be our bedside tables for the rest of our lives ; )

The most pleasant surprise in our room was finding these custom Roman Shades from Home Depot.  They were an incredible price at around $125 for each (compared to $400 at other sources I checked!).  I am super impressed with the quality and the linen fabric.  We selected Milan Feather, it is a perfect match to our Benjamin Moore Navajo White (different from Sherwin Williams).  I added black-out liners to these in our room to help with keeping the room cool from the afternoon sun and, of course, to keep it very dark at night.  I may add a grosgrain border accent to them at some point... what do you think?

One of the design decisions that I stuck by was using a french door for the entrance for our room.  It is just a standard 30" door opening, but it really does make a huge impact of the feel of the room - much more special and elegant.

 I framed this photo of us from our wedding that is printed on canvas fabric and hangs in our little foyer area of the room.

Finding room for adequate closet space was definitely a struggle when we were drawing up the plans for the addition.  We traded a larger walk-in closet for a 2nd floor laundry room.  Instead we designed these french door his and hers closets.  I have to say I LOVE this design.  Not only do the doors give our room more architectural interest, it is so nice to open the doors and be able to see and access everything easily.  Also, it is not another room to keep clean.  I used to feel like our old walk-in closet was a recipe for a mess and dust.  At some point I'll open these up and show you the design.

Another set of french doors leads to our bathroom.  Here is a post dedicated to the details of our master bathroom.

See more tours of our home, here, on my House Tour page.

Our Guest Room | Tour

Since I've posted this tour, we've updated the guest room a bit.  The original post follows below.

New Photos : 

I swapped the original botanicals for these new full sizes prints.  Love how they turned out!  These are the my favorite 11x14" gold leaf frames, but the 8x10" frames and prints would give a similar look in a smaller space.

The Green Fleur Block Print Pillows are a wonderful compliment to our "blue room."  It is such a soft green that it feels almost like a neutral.

It can be fun to see how rooms evolve with little changes over time, so I've kept this original post and keep adding to it as we make small changes.

Original (revised!) :

Remember a couple of months ago when I gave you a tour of our Guest Room?  Well, it is different now.  Not completely different, but I've made some improvements.

Paint : Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments, Satin on Trim, Flat on Walls

These Baskets from the Bunny Williams collection at Ballard Designs have been haunting me since I saw them in Tessa's office.  I wanted to add some charm to this bedroom and give it more of a country in feel.

So, I added some scallops : )   How could I pass up the "Emma" Scallop bedskirt and duvet, too?  I also purchased the shams, but they are in my bedroom.

I replaced the very dark, mission style hand-me-down dresser with this pine chest.  I found this at Everything But The House.  It was my first time bidding and I am so pleased with it.  I paid more for the shipping than the actual piece, but it was still more affordable than anything I could find locally.

I also brought in this artichoke lamp I purchased from Barbara Cosgrove lamps a few years ago.  I love how the green looks with the blue room.  It is one of a pair... I just need to superglue it's mate back together.

Gold Frames, here >

The Original Post : 

Today, I'm taking you on a little tour of our Guest Room.  I've given little looks in the past, but some of you reminded me that I haven't taken you through the entire room.  I hadn't completed the room until this week (after living here for 2 years).  I had been waiting on the new Light Blue Leaf Bock Print Pillows that were designed specifically for this room.*

*Today is the beginning of the Pillow Sale in the store.  The sale will last Today thru Friday.  Shop all Pillows, here >

I should just start with, I LOVE this room.  This is one of my favorite spaces in our entire home.  In fact, I might be known to retreat to this room to do some work (or take a nap!) when all of the other rooms in our home are not as tidy : ).  

It is my favorite shade of blue - everything, the walls, the trim, the doors, all tone-on-tone light blue.  I think the blue works so well because the bedding and upholstery is all cream, light oatmeal linen or white.  

Here is the formula for this room : 

Light Blue : Walls, Accent Block Print Pillows
White/Cream : Botanicals/Mats, Upholstered Chair, Upholstered Headboard, Bedding
Oatmeal Linen : Shams, Roman Shades, Upholstered Bench
Gold : Botanical Frames, Frames on Dresser, Dresser Pulls, Framed Painting

Paint : Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments, Satin on Trim, Flat on Walls

The Botanicals were the first things I added for this room two years ago, since this is the view that I see from the hallway on the way to our room.   These are the 14x11" frames with 8x10 prints.  I love them so much and they make me happy every time I walk by this room.

The Gold Leaf Frames, Prints and Mats are all available in the store >

 

I think the tone-on-tone paint works so well in this room because of the charming dormers and painted wood windows.  The way that the paint subtly highlights the millwork is my idea of elegance.

The Light Blue Leaf Block Pillows are everything I hoped they would be for this room.

I've recently added the Rectangle Down Inserts $14 that perfectly fit the Rectangle Block Print Pillows.

Shop the Block Print Pillow Collection here (on sale thru Friday).

Over the bed, I added a painting I created last week while on "spring break" at my parents' house with Emma, my sister and her kiddos.  The girls and I sat under the big tree in the back and painted.  I painted the view out to the barn and field beyond.  You can see the view and the painting together, here when I shared it on Instagram.

I'm not sure this is the right frame - I used one I already had.  I think it needs to be a little bit less chunky, and maybe with a mat added.  What do you think?



I used my favorite roman shades in this room - the same as Emma's room.

They are from Home Depot in the Oxford Jute linen and about $125 each.  We have them in almost every room in our house.  I love how the natural linen color looks with the light blue.  Find them here >

As you can see, I repeated the natural linen color on the pillows, too.  I always use an element 2-3 times in each room to help the room feel cohesive.

The natural linen is also repeated in the bench under the botanicals.  

Since most of the guests in this room are from my family, I keep photos of them here - these from my brother's wedding this summer, complete with the flower crowns the girls were wearing in the photo as bridesmaids.  The painting is one I did when we were on vacation in Seaside 4 years ago, and the sketch is a page from an old copy of Winnie the Pooh.  The pitcher with hydrangeas is from Farmhouse Pottery in Vermont.

Mr. Darcy's favorite friend is his Pooh bear, so this sketch reminded me of him and Emma... even though I bought it when she was a baby at the Brimfield Antique Festival in Mass.

The Guest Bathroom was squeezed in in what was formerly the closet in our old master bedroom.

This room still needs a little fluffing before our Easter guests arrive.  I usually put Emma in charge of fluffing the guest bathroom - she will select multiple (like 6-7) tiny soaps and little flowers... and other various trinkets she thinks they might need.  She also loves a chocolate on the pillow for her guests.

Moving into our room for a little spring fluffing.  The last time I shared this room was in the Fall (see full tour here including bathroom).  It had more of a muted feel with greens and browns, since I used the Acorn Block Print Pillow.  I've freshened it up for Spring with the Privet Berry Blue Block Print Rectangle Pillow.

I love this little small print, especially in classic navy.

 I added some fresh hyacinth and blooming cherry branches.

I put the cherry branches in a Small Watering Pitcher ($14), which brings a little charm and casual character to the bedside (or wherever it is).

I've swapped out some photos for these 5x7" botanicals framed in 8x10" gold leaf frames.

I picked the Blue Berry Print to coordinate with the navy berry pillows. 

The bathroom doesn't change much from season to season (thankfully!).

I have filled all of our Shower Bottles as part of my spring cleaning tasks.

I found a new favorite Body Wash that I have here.  I've always been obsessed with the L'Occitane  Lemon Verbena Body Wash, but at $20 a bottle, I only indulged occasionally.  I recently found a "Raw Sugar" Lemon body wash at Target for about $6!  It is every bit of delicious smelling.  Also, a lemon scent is a scent that Mike and I can share.  The pink shampoo, he just has to deal with : )

Happy Spring, Friends!

Shop the Pillow Sale, here >