Recycled Decor - Cottage Bedroom

How I turned THAT to THIS!

I was aiming for a "shabby cottage" look when I started redecorating this room. First, I painted the paneled walls a color called White Chocolate...yum! I got a real bargain on a scalloped floral wallpaper border at a local store for only $3 a roll in the clearance bin and it was perfect for the look I wanted to achieve. With that done, I began looking for curtains, and came up with a pair of matching embroidered sheer white floor-length panels and topped them with a pair of lace valances also in white....these were yard sale and thrift store finds. The off-white crochet-edged comforter and matching bed skirt were also thrift store finds, although I bought the bed skirt several years before I bought the comforter. I think I paid about $15 for both pieces. The vintage patchwork quilt on the end of the bed came from the antique shop my husband used to own so it was a freebie. I found the crochet throw at a thrift store for a couple of dollars. I think the bed itself was the hardest item to find because I wanted just the "right" bed for this room. I finally found it sitting outside a fleamarket in a neighboring town. It had been white but was weathered and chippy when I found it.....and best of all, I only paid $10 for it!


Above the bed is an old window frame that I hung another thrift store lace curtain behind and used as wall decor. The nightstand came from a local second-hand store, and the lamp was actually two purchases. The lamp base was a $3 yardsale find and the shade came from the clearance aisle at a discount store. On the side of the room you can't see in the pictures, is a beautiful old 1930s era dresser that I painted white (as I recall, I paid about $25 for it at an auction). I decided to enhance the "shabbiness" of the decor with the two old mirrors, that I only paid a few dollars for, and left them chippy like they were when I got them. Since these photos were taken I have also added a 1930's overstuffed armchair upholstered in rose pink satin that I bought from a friend for $25. So for only a few dollars I think I achieved the shabby cottage style I was trying for in this bedroom. What do you think?