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Iron (Antique) Bed Love, Part 2

Well, I guess by the title you know which choice we made for our master bedroom!  Although we liked the quality of Charles Rogers’ beds, we didn’t really like any of their king size styles.  (Definitely have to give them props for making quality beds with iron & real brass versus aluminum and painted brass finish like the competition though!)  So that just left one last option — hunting for an antique bed frame that we could convert to a king size…and someone to do it.  After a lot of digging I discovered that there aren’t that many people who are willing to take on the trouble to convert an antique bed.  Who knew?!  My search only turned up just a couple of people across the nation!  The perfect choice for us was Hobnail Antique Beds in Pawling, NY.

Look at all those gorgeous antique beds!  I had a wonderful afternoon with the owner, Jerry.  In the two hours I was there chatting with him and choosing the perfect bed for us, I was extremely impressed with the quality of the finished product and thrilled to meet someone who took so much pride in his craftsmanship.  Jerry strips, cuts, welds, and paints the beds himself.  I got to look at some of the beds he was currently working on and as well as a few he’d just finished and his craftsmanship was beautiful.  You couldn’t even tell these beds hadn’t always been a queen/king size.  Also, he made some beds for a few famous folk, including Cyndi Lauper and Kevin Bacon.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the bed that we chose.  It’s actually two twin beds that are going to be put together to become a king! ( Sorry about the terrible quality of the photos.  I forgot my normal camera and was using the iphone.)

Here’s a closer up version of what the bed looks like.  There is a brass bar on the headboard and footboard.  One of the big reasons we liked it, was the simple style of the castings…and how close together the bars are — which is good for making sure your pillows don’t fall back behind the headboard!  (Some people like to read in bed, y’know!)

Jerry was kind enough to pose with my new beds…and in about a month they’ll be done!  I can’t wait!!!!

So if you’re looking for a quality iron bed that’s converted to your modern-day queen or king size, I can’t recommend Hobnail Antique Beds enough.  (Oh, and his prices are competitive with new beds…what more info do you need?!)

Iron Bed Love, Part 1

Okay…a little back story:  N’s family just gave us a set of king size mattresses.  Woohoo!  Big upgrade, right?!  We were certainly excited, and after years without an actual bed frame we decided this might be a good impetus to get us to focus our decorating attentions on the master bedroom.  (You’ve noticed I’ve never even hinted at it on this blog, right?  Well, there’s a reason for that.  Ha!)  So the hunt began for the perfect bed, and the thing is…I’m picky…

We looked at Restoration Hardware (too expensive), Pottery Barn (too bland), Ikea (too low-quality), “regular furniture store” (just plain yucky), Room and Board (not our style), and a host of other ones (all ruled out for various reasons).  The more we looked, the more we realized that I wasn’t going to be happy with anything that wasn’t a classically made iron bed.   This seemed to leave only two options:  1) Charles P. Rogers – still making beds the old fashioned way or 2) just buy an antique and have it converted to a king size.  Check back soon to see what we did!

I have to admit that Pottery Barn’s newest catalog sucked me in!

Ever since Country Home came to shoot at my house, I’ve been considering my style more closely.  Often I’m bad about lusting after something that I am bound to get sick of in a month’s time.  Usually I don’t buy these things, but occasionally I end up with random stuff that was “cheap and cheerful”…however they begin to slowly transform the overall look in my home in a way that I never intended.  Sample sales, flea markets and thrift shops will do that to you.

Meanwhile, I grew up in Georgia where decorating your house “country” still reigns supreme.  As a kid that meant duck figurines, cornflower blue, dried flower arrangements, and 1980′s Home Interior parties (remember those?).  Needless to say I wasn’t a fan.  But as I grew up, I began to learn the difference between good country and bad country.  I like to refer to good country as “Farmhouse Chic” now.  (Think painted pine floors, antique iron beds, pickstitched quilts.)  And although I’ve not been a fan of Pottery Barn for several years now because I felt like they lost any point of view and personality whatsoever, they have now captivated me with their newest catalog called “Farmhouse Style.” The mix of old and new looks reminds me of what’s good about “country.”  I love the homey-ness of it and the layering.  Of course, I always like mixing a little modern into it so that it’s not completely “one-note”, but overall I’m thrilled that PB has taken branched out into something interesting and it makes me go back to them to look for newness again…

Meanwhile, I’m on the search for a new bedframe for the master bedroom.  I’ll fill you in on that later in a separate post.  (Oh, and p.s. Sorry I’ve been gone so long.)  Head HERE to check out Pottery Barn’s newest look.