I feel like we’re those people who were obsessed with their dog so much that after it died, they immediately adopted the same-looking dog, and named it something similar in hopes of recreating what must have been a really well-fitting relationship or perhaps filling a loss… Everyone around them is like “wait, isn’t that…?” and they (we) are like, “oh no, this isn’t Lucky, this is our new dog Lucy, she’s totally different”. That’s us with our mountain house bedroom (previous dog) and our new farmhouse bedroom (new dog). We’ve been sleeping in this room for 10 days now and I’m so loving it, and that’s saying a lot since there is nothing in here (there’s more now, but you get it – it’s very unfinished). I’m just so happy to be here now and yes, it reminds me (intentionally) of my former favorite bedroom – at the mountain house (below).
When you walk into our new bedroom, it’s like the same room…The same layout, similar windows, vaulted ceiling, skylights… And if you think it’s weird that I want to copy a former room of my own, I don’t disagree. But it’s what we want – airy, simple, minimal, warm, with a fireplace, skylights, and a lot of wood. We want a low cozy unfussy bed, and big plush bedding – no dresser, no clothes, no mess but this time with a TV. Add some cool/quiet art, lighting, a reading corner, and that’s kinda it. It may not be the most exciting bedroom you’ve ever seen, but I’m pretty excited about it thus far. Think “Japandi Farmhouse in Oregon”… because that’s a thing. Also in a year from now, we can always paint, wallpaper, or add a mural if we feel it needs something more, but for now, we are loving the natural light simplicity.
Move-In Day – 10 Days Ago
Exterior Door | Window Treatments | Floors | Skylights | Sconces | Push Button Switchplate | Single Switchplate
As you can see it’s super blank, with just our pretty Zena Forest Products wood flooring, some micro sconces, our skylights, and white oak windows and doors. The bed will go in between the sconces.
Wall Color | Fireplace Paint Color
Before you get too far into judging this room, we aren’t sure about the fireplace color which I’ll write all about. We love the color (and actually proceeded to use it on the stairs after seeing it here – Smoky Blue by SW), but we thought it was going to be darker. They have to do another coat anyway since they weren’t finished with the masonry (at the bottom) but we are giving ourselves some time to make sure we are even headed in the right direction. So stay tuned on the color of the fireplace (wired for a Frame TV obviously).
Down the hall, you can see the bathroom and to the right of the fireplace, there is a big enough space for a chair/ottoman or my chaise lounge (which currently occupies that area). But this post is about the bed.
What Type Of Bed Do We Want And Why?
This bedroom is tall and could hold a big four-poster bed or a canopy but Brian and I have specifics likes and dislikes when it comes to beds:
- Brian doesn’t like sleeping in a canopy or four poster beds, for whatever reason. Something about feeling claustrophobic but I wonder if it’s stylistically a bit feminine for him. I could sleep in one because I want to not-so-secretly transport myself into one of my Victorian novels, but he’s not quite there yet in his “literature journey”, and I must be patient with My Lord.
- We like low beds and actually kinda hate high beds – I’m talking about the mattress height, not the headboard height. We like to be able to easily plop and land, not have to lift to get up. It’s a personal preference, but it just makes us feel safe and comfortable.
- Therefore, we don’t need a bed that needs a box spring and opt for platform beds. So all the beds you’ll see here are platform beds, which means it’s just a mattress on a frame.
- I went round and round about customizing a statement bed (remember this bed from our Glendale house??). But the more I remember that bed, the more I wanted to do something more timeless. Every time I see that bed I wish I still had it somewhere in my life (I sold it to a reader for far less than I paid for it since it wouldn’t work in our next LA home in any room). But I also figure that if I get a really simple neutral bed, I can drape any number of vintage fabrics or quilts over it to change out the look frequently. And the possibility of that makes me happy. The only other thing I considered was taking all of the vintage plaids I’ve collected and quilting them together to do a full custom vintage plaid bed (which sounds incredible), but I suppose the fear of it looking dumb and the time/cost that would go into customizing it won me over. We just want something quieter that I can play with stylistically and not be quite a permanent statement. So here’s what I considered:
1. Tessu Bed | 2. Cayman Upholstered Bed | 3. Cove Bed
I thought seriously about just getting this Article bed again (we have it in our mountain house bedroom). It’s simple, solid, and well made in a good color. I guess I didn’t go for it because I didn’t want to 100% repeat our bedroom… 2. This Pottery Barn barn one has cute little legs and nice proportions (a little taller). And while this Jenni Kayne bed is more expensive, it’s pretty and I love a skirt (especially for more traditional spaces).
I kept pinning and found myself still drawn to more contemporary beds and liked these two a lot. Fun fact – The Medley bed is made in Portland. Let’s give them some love!
1. Lafayette Natural Upholstered Tall King Bed | 2. Serina Bed | 3. Kipp Platform Bed
These three just felt a little special and I fantasized about them a bit.
1. Ava Stone Blue King Bed | 2. Solene Platform Bed
I wanted to go for a blue bed (shocking) but at the time we were seriously concerned that we had a “50 shades of blue” house… Brian especially was like, “No blue. Let’s do neutral”. And I was in this phase of “ok, whatever you think” due to decision exhaustion.
1. The Wythe Bed | 2. Modern Cushion Bed
The Winning Bed
I have had my eye on Maiden Home for a while – they are really killing it in the “American-made-women-owned-beautifully-crafted-contemporary-yet-timeless-furniture” department. Check them out and you’ll see that every single one of their pieces is so pretty (and man, their branding and marketing team really knows what they are doing – I want to live in their catalog).
Any of the above beds could work, and this bed isn’t a big loud statement and yet we really liked the knife edge simplicity, and Brian specifically loved how low to the ground it is. I realized recently that it’s too low for our leather nightstands, which will work great in the guest room, but now I’m on the hunt for low nightstands… and a tall piece of art 🙂 What I see is a really nice surface to hang different quilts or fabrics (hopefully this works as planned). Plus, supporting an up-and-coming women-owned brand is important to us. Full disclosure, we did a product trade for PR, social production, and photography assets, but that’s not the reason we chose it. We are very lucky that a lot of brands reached out about working in this room, but I’m really wanting to work with and showcase furniture and brands in a more intentional way.
Such a pretty profile. But what fabric????? They have like 75 fabrics to choose from (including this sustainably sourced gorgeous mohair and leather as well as performance fabrics, tweeds, linens, velvet, etc). I really really hope we didn’t go too safe, but we ordered it months ago and it’s getting here soon sooooo… Ok, to find out what color/fabric you’ll have to wait… As you know it’s not a crazy bright saturated color, but it’s not a white linen either. This bed just looks cozy and simple and while it’s not a big statement piece on its own I think you get that we are opting for simpler, more timeless main pieces of furniture because I like to have more fun in the art and textile world. And if you have “too much fun” in your furniture, art, and accessories then it can easily go very wild (which is awesome, but not the look we are going for in here).
Stay tuned…
*Bedroom Resources Thus Far:
White Oak Windows and Doors – Sierra Pacific (Aspen casements)
Window Treatments – Decorview
Flooring – Zena Forest Products(Oregon grown and milled)
Sconces, Switches, and Outlets – Rejuvenation
Fireplace Color – Sherwin Williams, “Smoky Blue” (might darken, but love the color)
Wall Color – Sherwin Williams, “Extra White” (which is a cool white, FYI).
Skylights – Velux (with room darkening shades, of course).
**Photos by Kaitlin Green
Love all of these beds! I’m sure the winner will look fabulous. Can we please have a post about bedside tables for platform beds? This is an ongoing issue for us in two bedrooms. Bedside tables all seem to be made for traditional box spring/mattress set ups. Would love to see a low bedside table round up once you’ve done your search! 🙂
What I can’t wait to see is how you style this bed. Are you going to have to tuck in the bedding as shown? I guess it depends on the bedding but it will be fun to see the finished product!
That’s a BIG choice to make! I love sleeping down low… but I’m not in love with the look of a low bed, spesh in an old, craftsman-ish house like mine. Your farmhouse is perfect for more modern foundational pieces of furniture. The whole Japandi-farmhouse thing is a ‘thing’, for sure! Calm, restful and zen. I’m excited to learn about your quilt-hanging ideas…..sounds interesting!🤩 I like the fireplace colour!!! My bed is the ONLY custom thing I’ve ever bought! (Probs the only one I’ll ever afford now). It’s made out of 150+ year old, ex-ship timber from a shipyard on the other side of Australia (I’m on the west coast). It’s VERY high – think grandma’s old, high bed, on steroids! I actually have to hoik myself up! 🧗♀️ The head and foot both have hand-carved, swirly curls to finish off each post (not high posts, sort of headboard height). It has a schmear of antiquey-cream paint on those curls. It also has a zig-zag overlay pattern down each side. It’s a bed where the mattress sits on slats. Nothing underneath, except my lovely Santa Fe rug. It’s solid, wood with a story, hand-made and sustainably made with recycled, up-cycled… Read more »
That bed sounds dreamy! I love hoisting myself up into a tall bed.
Your custom bed sounds lovely, Rusty. I like a high bed, too.
I really appreciate that your architect/contractor was supportive of adding the fireplace. When I proposed that for our renovation I was laughed out of the room. They didn’t even want to add the one to the living room that I fought for and loved. It can be hard to get them to listen and install your dreams (at least I fought for and got my stand alone tub and crown molding and wood floors throughout – apparently when I kept saying throughout they somehow only heard “first floor” – contractor hearing is weird that way but in the end I got what I wanted. Except for that bedroom fireplace). I like the look you are going for, though it isn’t my style at all. I’m actually prepping to make some sort of Kit Kemp inspired headboard (or I may use the screen I just picked up from FBMP – so excited about it, but it’s about a foot taller than it probably should be – on the other hand, much much cheaper than custom, pic is attached). I also (and maybe it’s because I’m in my early 50s) also like my bed up higher – I can lean against it… Read more »
That screen is amazing! It can totally work as a statement headboard. You might even get a little wild with it and maybe hang a piece of art from it almost as if it’s a wallpapered wall?
Thank you! When I saw it I may have screamed a little. Brunschwig & Fils Bird and Thistle fabric is $150 a yard and this is a well made huge screen for $240? Sold! And I was thinking the same thing about a small painting hanging from a ribbon in the middle – it’s nice to know someone else had the same thought.
Love it!
I’ll admit to feeling a little strange about the new-dog metaphor—I don’t know that I would go so far as to say it’s crude, but perhaps a bit indelicate—however that’s not what I came here to say! I strongly disliked many of the choices in the mountain house and in particular the bedroom, BUT the magic of EHD is that I love reading this kind of thing anyway! It reminds me of the Amy Poehler quote “Good for her! Not for me.” I also know that design has a funny way of infiltrating those initial feelings; sometimes I’ll see something in AD and think “oof, pass,” but then a few years later, find that thing sneaking into my life somehow. I suppose that’s exactly the point! Anyway, love to the EHD team and community as always. 🙂
Hi Terra, genuinely curious what made you feel strange about that metaphor?
Gorgeous bed! Great choice. Question about the sconces: are they sufficient for reading? Does one person’s light bug the other person who is trying to sleep? Or do they specifically spotlight the reader? I’m intrigued by micro sconces but I get confused by the difference between watts/lumens/etc.
I gasped in delight when I saw the fireplace. It’s a showstopper, but not in a jarring or discordant way. I hope you keep it, but mostly for my own selfish reasons: I want to see in its full resplendence, styled out in a finished room. Anyway, I love the bed you chose, but am a little sorry (for similarly selfish reasons) that we won’t get to see the custom vintage plaid upholstery you might have designed.
Dooooooo the plaaaaaiiiiidddd! Maybe not as upholstery but as a quilt or coverlet maybe?
“I must be patient with My Lord.” lmao i laughed out loud!
I have been looking to the answer to this question for over a year and cannot find a satisfactory answer–maybe here is the place to ask! Can you, are you, putting an inner-spring traditional coil mattress on a platform?? And Emily, if you’re not, is anyone else? We have an inner spring and all I want is a platform bed for our tiny, low-ceilinged bedroom, but I don’t know if it will work? Or do we actually need a box spring and a big ugly bed?
You can use for mattress on a platform bed!
Yes! You can.👍
All I can think of is how much dog hair is going to stick to that bed frame. We have 3 pugs and a high bed so I can vacuum underneath. But is IS easier for them to get up on, right? 🙂
I’m just here to say that I lol’d at the pile of dirt you can see out your door- a reminder that there’s still a ways to go! I think the fireplace blue is really pretty- I’m curious to know what it does in dim light- if you go too dark you’d lose the opportunity for it to read as blue when you have the lights down and the fire going- it would create a pretty contrast against the flame color if it’s still decidedly blue.
That was my favorite of all the beds! BTW, I am gleeful that you used SW Extra White all over the exterior and interior of your house. I was waffling on my exterior and made the mistake of asking the SW employee if he thought Extra White would be a good color. He said, “Sure, if you want a house with NO personality.” Ouch! I did it anyway and I LOVE IT!
I’m excited to see this bed in place and also must say I love the fireplace color. It feels unexpected but in a subtle way and I like the idea of it echoing the color of the stairs, which just helps the house feel cohesive and right.
I understand you like the look and closeness to the floor, at this stage my priority for a bed is comfort. I have not felt a single mattress that comes close to a mattress with ensemble base. Which is why I suspect the finest hotels in the world always seem to have ensembles…..hence amazing if you can do another post on ensemble beds….that also look great. I get these beds look sleek
An ensemble base is basically a wooden box, covered in fabric.
It supports the mattress on top, just the same as a slatted base or platfrom base does.
No different in function.
The comfort factor comes from the actual quality of the mattress.
I understand there are different quality bases, the ones I have experienced have an assembly to them, (IE in the old days box springs, more advanced now) with the function to enhance and support the mattress ability to feel “give” which also assists with less feeling to the other partner when one partner moves. It you like a hard or firm mattress perhaps better to go just with a mattress. From experience it is a distinctly different feeling having the additional support from a base, as I suspect sleeping on a 5 inch mattress on the floor compared to how a 10 inch mattress feels.
I’ve had both and there’s seriously no difference.
Fireplace colour is beautiful!
But understand needs to fit your own vision.
I find the terms primary bedroom and now primary bed hysterical!
I never used term ‘master’ not because was sexist but because always sounded idiotically hierarchical and pompous. And now the master bedroom (butler throws open grand double doors.)!
Primary not much better although removes any gender offence. I hope those other bedrooms know who’s king of the house!!!
I refer to my bedroom as my bedroom. Likewise my bathroom.
What happened to all the furniture from all the other houses out of interest?
The issue with “master” has to do with slavery.
In norwegian we use the term Hovedsoverom, witch translates to Main bedroom. Mostly because its usually the biggest of the bedrooms in the house 🙂
We tend to say MAIN bedroom in Australia too.
Years ago, when I purchased it, my house was described as having separate his & hers master suites, connected by an outdoor courtyard. I never know what to call them anymore. I mean, you can’t have 2 rooms be Main or Primary! And I shouldn’t say his & hers when it could be his and his or theirs and theirs. Dual bedroom suites?
I love love love the fireplace paint! And the bed! Really lovely!
Maiden Home is incredible! I’ve had my sofa from them for 2 years now and love it as much as ever.
I would love input from the readers, my husband and I are both firmly anti upholstered beds because of dirt and dust and how do you clean them!? Our couch cushions can be unzipped and thrown in the wash, but this doesnt seem possible with beds. The idea of sleeping with my head so close to a dust filled headboard gives me the shivers. How do you deal!?
Vacuum weekly? Like blinds or curtains I guess 🤷🏼♀️
Upholstery cleaners when doing major clean, like carpet 🤷🏼♀️
The burl wood side tables by Athena Calderone for Crate and Barrel would like great with the new bed and your floors. They’re only 12.5” high.
https://www.crateandbarrel.com/sassolino-burl-wood-side-table-by-athena-calderone/s606016
Wondering if you could share the height details of your sconces? Did you have them fitted prior to choosing the bed? Is there a general height “rule” for their position? Thank you!
Hi Emily!
This bed is lovely. We recently switched to a platform bed (the Diana Bed from CB2 – I am obsessed with the Boucle fabric!!) and now I am stumped on what mattress to go with. Last night we slept on our old mattress sans box spring and I can say that is not it! Just not sure what to look for… if you or any readers have recs I would love to hear them! Thanks!
Always a bit surprised that offerings from Room and Board aren’t in the mix more often. We’ve bought numerous items from the over the years (including two beds) and find the craftsmanship excellent, the price point to be fair, and some of the best delivery people around. Plus things are made in America. I find ghem vastly superior to Pottery Barn.
We believe the kitchen is the most important space in the house and is considered the heart of the home.