the cottage bed craigslist score

by | Mar 23, 2017 | All Things Home, Antiques, Favorite Finds | 97 comments

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Last fall, Marshall got a new mattress for his bed, so we had an extra twin mattress.  I’ve been hanging onto it in the hopes that I could find a great twin bed frame to match, so I can set up a comfy, fluffy bed at Lucketts.  I had one last year and it was such a nice touch of softness in the booth and a great place to display linens and pillows.  (And it was a pretty nice place to crash at the end of the first day!)

I’ve been looking for a few months and I finally hit the craigslist jackpot with this beautiful, antique cottage-style bed…

I mean, it’s pretty great, right?!

Of course, I’m going to paint it a different color.  This one isn’t terrible in the pictures, but it looks a little “fleshy” in person.

When I saw the listing, it only mentioned the headboard and footboard, so I figured I would have to fashion side rails, but it was such a bargain that it would be worth the effort.  Well, it not only came with side rails, but just about the best side rails ever in the world!

That may be an exaggeration, but I am so in love with the cutout detail where it connects with the headboard and footboard.  It’s a very German touch, in my opinion, which is completely my thing.

For colors, I’m thinking French Enamel, Mustard Seed Yellow, Kitchen Scale or Boxwood.  Maybe even Farmhouse White or Linen, though…

I’m still waiting for it to speak to me.

What color would you paint it?

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    97 Comments

    1. Laura

      Something’s other than Farmhouse White or Linen! I love those colours but I am really feeling color right now! (the latest issue of Country Living that was all about color — so can’t just be me!). I vote mustard seed yellow, kitchen scale, arabesque or the orange petticoat one! Can’t wait to see it!

    2. Diane

      A deep blue? Not quite navy, but on that end of blue.

    3. Kimberly

      That bed was once a beautiful pink color, isn’t it interesting how red-toned paints age over the years? It appears on-screen as a lovely faded ballet-slipper shade, but I can imagine in person it is a more “flesh” toned, which is not horrible, just not something a person would seek out as a color choice! It is a really beautiful cottage-style bed with wonderful details and charm, and those side rails are like icing on the cupcake. My OCD, however, would have me gently prying off that center carving and reattaching it true and plumb right smack in the middle of the headboard. That it’s slightly off-kilter would literally keep me up at night. It’s hard to live with OCD like this! <– the reason I can't have nice things …

      Anyhow, my color choice would be Eulalie's Sky, all the way. Of course, a shade of white would be expected because of the cottage element, and one of your whites – Linen – in particular would be gorgeous on this bed. I'd avoid Boxwood for this project, the bed is more whimsical and Boxwood to me is more 'serious' a color. Mora or Bergere would also be gorgeous. Even Arabesque if you were going to go back toward a gorgeous pink tone. But yes, Eulalie's Sky is my choice!

      • Lee

        I’m not OCD but I noticed that crooked center decoration immediately and it bothers me, too! It’s hard to believe no one has ever fixed it. Aside from that, it’s a lovely bed!

        • Julie

          I feel the same way about the headboard detail. OCD kicked in immediately and wanted to adjust it. 🙂

      • ALICE A. CRAWFORD

        Well, I always thought there must be something wrong with me, it’s OCD, that carving would drive me nuts. I had to scroll back up to get a real look at it and that’s when I said, “Oh, yeah, that’s got to go!”
        So now I know why I get out the W-D 40 to get all the glue off of a jar that’s going into the trash. Hmm?
        No wonder it takes so long to get anything accomplished, I’m futzing around with this kind of stuff!

      • Monique DEnoncin

        Funny, I saw the center carved piece right away..maybe I too suffer from OCD. If someone has a picture on the wall 1mm off, I must discreetly set it straight. So far I called that obsession: perfectionism, now Kimberly makes
        me wonder. Can’t wait to see what color will cover the pretty bed .

        • Cindy

          One day my daughter straightened the pictures on the wall in her doctor’s office. He went behind her and pushed them crooked just to drive her nuts. She is big time OCD.

      • SusanB

        I’m only obsessive about some things, but yep, I’m the one who straightens pictures in the doctor’s office … and that center thing has to get straightened. Too many of us won’t sleep otherwise …

    4. Lisa

      I’m liking the green idea!!

    5. Brenda

      What about a landscape painting?

    6. B. Folk

      I’d paint it French Enamel, Kitchen scale, Trophy, or Schloss:-) Or, whatever, you think would bring out the lovely details!

    7. Teresa

      Shutter Gray! I’m in love with grey right now.

    8. Kim

      Artissimo! I love that shade of blue with light linens.

    9. Heidi

      Boxwood, have a green thing going on ever since I redid the study which I painted an eau de nil to blend with all the blue in the house. Added a dresser in the kitchen just before Christmas painted a mint green x works great even with all the blue and now I have somewhere to display all my majloica green leaf plates and pepped it up with pops of pink

    10. Fiona Lilyfield Life

      Gorgeous piece! American has such great furniture

    11. Jen R

      I love Eulalie’s Sky. I think that would be a great color… or what about Trophy?

    12. Rick S

      I think it should bring out the colors of a quilt you put on the bed and also stand out from the other colors in your booth. A lighter shade of Boxwood could be nice and still give you room to accent the wonderful side rails with touches of Ironstone or Linen.
      rick

    13. Sue Pagels

      Anything but Mustard Seed Yellow – I love yellow, but a softer paler one. I agree about the center medallion too – how odd that it is crooked?!? All in all, it’s a gorgeous bed which I would have snatched up in a heartbeat! Can’t wait to see what you do with it!

    14. Janet

      I don’t have an opinion on color, all I want to know is, will it be for sale???!!!

    15. deb

      Beautiful, this will most likely go in a little girls room, so I would go with arabesque. With farmhouse white accents on the carvings. Whatever you decide will be beautiful. I do wish you would do more furniture in your brighter colors! 🙂

    16. beverlee

      I like the flesh color. Pink with is brown undertone is my favorite pink. I know it will be beautiful however you do it.

    17. Jessica | Petal + Ply

      Wow. What a pretty piece! I actually love the blush pink color that it appears in the photos. I’m sure it will look pretty in just about any color but I vote for keeping it pink and just freshening it up with Arabesque. Plus, pink plays neutral. It pairs well with greens, blues, and grays and is very popular for girls room and interiors in general these days.

    18. anne anzil

      A sage green would be pretty. Im sure any color you choose will look great! How are you so lucky to find all these great pieces?!!

    19. Nancy from Slightly Coastal

      I think you should paint it boxwood and then do a white wax over the whole thing. That’s why I did on my French Hutch and I love it. The white wax would bring out all of the details while giving it some depth.

      Love!
      Nancy

    20. Karen

      Please not cream or white! French Enamel would be lovely and yellow would be zingy!

    21. gayle

      How about typewriter and then use the white wax on it.

    22. SueSchneid22

      I didn’t even notice the tilted carved piece. I’m pretty used to old stuff, tho, and I think details like that make it more appealing. Machines make perfect, people don’t always! Regarding color, “I got nuttin!” If it was mine, it would totally depend on the rest of the room, blah, blah. I know it would look lovely in any of your white tones and you don’t need me to tell you that a neutral would sell better and reflect your design palette, too. It’s really a beautiful piece. Good get!!

    23. sandi

      I have 2 similar (but w/out the craving & shaped just a bit different on the headboard) beds from Germany. We call them Farmer Beds. I have them in the garage at the moment as I have no place in our home for them anymore. I do love the style! I am not sure if I painted mine what color I would choose—but since I love green in all shades maybe sage? I can’t wait to see the finished product.

    24. Elizabeth

      You have acquired just the right bed for Luckets. What a great find. Your design instincts serve you well. I can picture that bed it at the show now. I like the idea of the homey context it’ll create.

      For a color, I’m feeling linen. It would emphasize the vintage nature of the piece and keep the focus on the relief ornamentation and shaped sideboards, rather than the color of the bed,

      But that’s me.

    25. Betsy

      Love the cottage-style bed and curved rails! Knowing that this will be part of your display at Lucketts, I like the idea of using the bed as an anchor in a vignette. If it were up to me, I would use trophy and follow it with white wax to soften the finish and bring out the beautiful details of the carvings. Because trophy is a lovely medium neutral grey, you can use the bed to showcase larger coverlets and bed linens that you have for sale, and as they sell (and your worker bees replace them), you don’t have to concern yourself with trying to match a particular coverlet to the bed – most anything will work. This also gives you more flexibility in terms of changing around your tent area as items sell – not that you would necessarily move the bed, but you wouldn’t have to think about how smaller painted accent pieces would look near it – especially if you have items painted in deeper, bolder colors like curio, typewriter, artissimo, outback petticoat and tricycle. Can’t wait to see what you do!

    26. Judi

      Beautiful bed. Wouldn’t it look pretty in yellow and place in a blue room !!! ???

    27. Diane

      My vote French enamel with maybe linen on the detail pieces ? Can’t wait to see how you transform it! Super find!

    28. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!)

      Marian, what a gorgeous antique bed you have found! Since I love all things blue and white, this would be my choice — I think! Just know you will do a fabulous job of this as you always do! Oh, how I do wish I could go to Lucketts! If only it wasn’t so far from us! And, I just know my husband would need a trailer to bring home everything!

      I sure wish we could find some lovely antiques up here in Canada. Unfortunately, unless you go to an Estate Sale in an old home where the family members just want to get rid of the old furniture , etc., the antique shops here are way too expensive. We have picked up more antiques in the U.S. than here — even with our horrible Canadian dollar at the moment!

      Enjoy your day! Blessings!

    29. Erin Rizzo

      Blue or blue gray would be stunning.

    30. Jelena

      What a great find! I am seeing this bed in either a shade of white or of grayish-blue.

    31. Patty Soriano

      This time of year (Spring) I’m thinking Green!

    32. Julie

      Love the bed!! I’m leaning towards the Boxwood with crisp white linens accented with different colors for different seasons. 🙂

    33. Mary

      A cool French blue with white bedding. A feather bed, crochet trimmed and embroidered pillow cases and plenty of down pillows to invite you to have a summer afternoon nap.

    34. Melissa

      Arabesque would be just beautiful

    35. Michelle

      Must be Mustard Yellow with antiquing….

    36. JeanFB

      Oh it’s so pretty! Ya know, this bed just screams “Artissimo” to me! It would look so gorgeous with all of your blue and white linens on it – a beautiful contrast! And very cozy.

    37. Gilda

      French enamel or lucketts green

    38. Stephanie

      I agree! I like the white for some things, but I really want to see how she uses the other colors in the line- mainly boxwood, mora and kitchen scale.

    39. Lori

      Mora with Eulalies accents!
      It would look good enough to eat!

    40. Marlene Stephenson

      I don’t usually reply but, when i saw this bed it brought back wonderful memories. After we kids married and left home my mom and dad bought a bed like this at an auction. They put it in the spare room it was a little short, but perfect for grandkids. Anxious to see what color you do paint it. Thanks Marian.

    41. BeverlyO

      Flow Blue with Bergere over it and a wax

    42. Rebecca

      A pale pink or a pale blue with white accents for that pretty detailing. Pale all the way.

    43. Kathryn

      Whatever will sell

    44. Julie

      I think it would look grand in Boxwood. Offset from other items in your booth. Also I bet a lot of the linens you have are also more neutral, so it would look cool being green. I am partial I like green.

    45. Dianne

      Great find! I hope it works out for you. I was so excited to find a similar vintage twin bed frame, but when I got it all cleaned up and put together, the box spring and mattress didn’t quite fit. I was so disappointed. I’ve made it work so that I can use at least the headboard, and it looks good in the space; but I was sad not to be able to use it the way it was built.

    46. Julie B.

      I vote Miss Mustard Seed Yellow. Will look pretty with white and blue bedding… or pretty much anything. 🙂

    47. Sharon Hankins

      I’m thinking Luckett’s Green for Lucketts Spring Markets! Whatever you choose, it will look amazing. I do think white wax in those details would be adorable.

    48. Cindy

      I really love it just as it is! The flesh tone is subtle and won’t over play your palette. It phographs well, why do anything to perfection?

    49. Pamela

      Yellow..this style was often painted medium yellow with scrolls of floral designs and “piping” hand decorated…and with those sideboards…very cottage that way!

    50. Vicki

      I’m an Arabesque girl myself!!

    51. Debra

      Score !!!!! Love the bed ! I’m sure whatever color it becomes, it will be a knock out. Can’t wait to see it.

    52. Sandi magle

      Wow, I would scrub the dickens out of that and wax it as is…forget the paint—that color may come alive with a bit of scrubbing. I’m sure what ever you do will be gorgeous.

      You could find a bare spring box spring and fill all the nitches with live plants. Just a thought, of course a mandatory chandelier above, with ivy dripping over. Grins, Sandi

    53. Terry

      What a sweet find! I have one with the same type of rails but I have never been able to use it as it is for a 3/4 mattress and I don’t know where to get one around here 😉 It is so easy to put together and can be done with one person. I can’t wait to see what you do with it! I hope you have a great weekend!
      Terry

    54. Eileen

      Eulalies sky or any of your pretty blues. I didn’t notice you the off center carving. Great score! Can’t wait to see what you do.

    55. Jane

      Ha, ha I didn’t even noticed the crooked detail and had to scroll up again. Then wondered why that would look out of place. I obviously like angles! A blue or pink I reckon.

    56. phyllis

      Marian- I’m actually smiling that you are asking us what color to paint this little beauty. Not because I don’t believe you were serious. Not even because I don’t think you’d like us to sway your opinion. My smile comes from the fact that I truly believe that hidden in those fabric stashes that you hoard so wonderfully is the voice that will be the deciding one on color choice. You are a master at marrying fabrics to each other as well as to the furniture pieces, so it makes the most sense to me that you look to your fabric collection to select one or more that inspires the bedding, and then I know the furniture color choice will be obvious and it will be perfect. I know you won’t choose a paint for the bed without having a very good idea about the finished look overall, so start with your fabric and let it be your inspiration. Regardless, please share how it all comes together. I am holding my breath.

    57. Eunice

      The palest loveliest Arabesque would do it for me….slightly smudgy with white showing thru. Every colour of quilt or pillow would look gorgeous on there. We wait with bated breath!

    58. Kathy

      Lucketts green and farmhouse white. Would look lovely with some potted topiaries or other greenery.

    59. Krista

      I think Bergere would be lovely – a sweet soft pop of color and perfect for a springtime market.

    60. Paula Elliott

      You were going to let us know what you thought of that Saatva mattress. What do you all think?

    61. Margie

      This “flesh” pink is the hottest color in fashion and home furnishings now! Such a pretty piece.

    62. Crystal Brown

      I love all the color options and any would be great but I’m a linen kind of woman. Not only do I find peace in neutrals, I like keeping my case goods neutral so that when the “add some color” mood strikes I can add glorious linens, pillows in any shade I desire at the moment. I love color, in other people’s homes. But I tire of color quickly, and found out long ago that for me it’s far easier to add color with accessories than end up with a lovely blue bed that I now must repaint because….well.. I’m over blue. That said, since you are going to be staging this for sale……go with a spring color that’s almost in my wheelhouse of go to colors, green. I say almost in my wheelhouse because I’m over green at the moment. I’m a bit color ADHD. Ha! Have fun with it, I know that it will be glorious. But that bed is singing a fresh cottage vibe to me. So yeah, linen.

    63. Naomi S.

      Sweet find! I can’t think of all the MMS paint colors right now, but I think something a little unusual, like a pale, pale rose color. Something other than green, blue or yellow. I think it should be something a little girly because of the decorative detail. I’ll be anxious to see what you decide, Marian.

    64. MaryLisa Noyes

      I’m going against the grain and saying “white”. Distressed in the right places! However I like it just the way it is. Something about that faded patina that speaks to me very loudly!!! I could care less that the embellishment is off center. If people want perfect go to Pottery Barn. I think the linens on it will speak nicely and you will appeal to a broader range of clients. I hope you think about it before doing a thing to it.

    65. Suzette

      Beautiful! Something Bright!
      Not that you will need to draw attention to your booth!

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    67. Christine

      You got it from me 🙂 I cannot wait to see what you do with it!!!

    68. mj

      So many color suggestions!
      I have different angle.
      Have you figured out how high the top of the mattress will be when it’s all put together?
      I have a friend who got a bed a lot like this one and she needs a stool to climb up and down. Took her dog awhile to get comfortable w/ the height, and perish the thought that pooch should fall offf in the night…..ouch!!!

    69. Monica

      Oh my gosh, I LOVE this bed — just like it is. If you need to paint it, how about arabesque, to keep it with the same vibe it’s already got going on. The blues and greens you mentioned would be nice, but they’d completely change the feel, and I don’t think it would be quite as good. The yellow would be nice too. I’m not feeling the whites on this bed, although I usually love white furniture. This bed just needs something more. Anyway, I’m sure whatever you choose is going to be great, I’d just really love to see it in arabesque… wish I had a little daughter who could have this bed in her room. 🙂

      • Monica

        I just saw someone suggested bergere, and I agree that if you just have to go with a blue or green, bergere would be best. It’s a really sweet color.

    70. Marti Sather

      I actually like the faded pinkish hue. Several years ago I had a bed very similar to yours and painted it in kitchen scale. I really loved the Finish. I’ll try to attach a picture.

    71. Hannah Whalley

      This is a really cool find! I would definitely suggest something different to white. Maybe light grey or a blush pink?

      Can’t wait to see your choice!

      Hannah x

    72. Karen L Chaudoin

      I believe a linen or a cocoa color would be pretty since it has a European type wooden railing. However I know that European’s love color too so I am seeing a blue or a red.

    73. Kim

      I think pink is a pretty sweet color. Maybe it just needs to be freshened up a little!!

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