I can almost declare this room finished. I still have to take out the screen and scrub it and clean the window inside and out. This is not easy. It is not a tilt window and I have to get out a ladder to do the outside. I have virtually torn this room apart, bit by bit. I got a new mattress for my bedroom months ago and took off my old Tempurpedic mattress. The foam mattress on my antique rope bed in my dressing room/guest room was rock hard and I had been wanting to replace it for ages but it was a custom size. It was a full size in width but 4" shorter in length. I knew the Tempurpedic could be cut down but I didn't have an electric knife. This week I decided to search Youtube for instructions and I found you could use a regular knife. The old mattress had been stored under this antique bed and the room was a mess. SO I decided to switch the mattresses. I easily cut down the one on the floor, took off the rock hard mattress and switched them. After I put on the mattress pad and fitted sheet, it was perfect and ever so much more comfortable. Success! Now I have a mattress that is virtually brand new standing up in my kitchen. Will I ever get the whole house together at the same time? I doubt it. Anyway, back to the photo above. I have cupboards under my built in bookcase and I could never open the door on the left side and was missing out on some excellent storage for pajamas and such. I had an armless leather chair there before with a small stack of leather suitcases on it. It was too bothersome to move to get in the cupboard so it was virtually empty inside.
I decided to move the chair to the other side of the bed and arrange some artwork on the wall for interest. I like it. Here is another view of this room featuring the draperies I remade for the two front windows. LOOK HERE. Will I ever finish getting things just the way I want them?
See you later. xo
23 comments:
Love it. I am pondering buying a Casper bed for the guest room.
donna baker -- Thank you. I got a bed in a box too but it wasn't a Casper. I have heard they are great. I hated my Tempurpedic because I am a hot sleeper and it is known to be a poor choice for those of us who are always searching for cool spots. I got an old fashioned 8" mattress with springs and padding on the top. I have an all cotton mattress pad and I sleep on percale sheet that are known to be the coolest sheets in the land. My back doesn't hurt any more so I am quite happy.
There is a mall near me that has a Casper store. Maybe you can find one near you so you can test before buying. Good luck.
xo, Rosemary
If you ever have to buy another mattress for a short bed you might want to check out RV mattresses. They often have a short queen or a short king to fit in smaller spaces.
Linda Sand -- Linda, What a great idea. I never would have thought of that. Thank you. I don't see any more beds in odd sizes coming my way but I love to pass on great ideas to friends.
xo, Rosemary
I understand Temperpedic has a mattress out now for people who sleep hot. I believe it's called a Temperpedic Breeze. In my humble opinion, Aireloom mattresses/beds are the best, but it's really such an individual thing. So many choices out there.
Your bedroom looks terrific - very inviting.
You've been so busy, but it must feel good to look around and see the fruits of your labor. Love the way you displayed art below the window. So interesting how it draws the eye downward, then around to your bookcase.
As always, I am impressed by your industriousness!! You must have the cleanest and most put together house in the nation!
Now it is beyond brilliant. The dog on the sill is the icing!
Please get a live one. I am a terrible nag. Just dreadful.
Rosemary, I always look forward to seeing your lovely cottage. I am weary of the trendy decorating ideas. Your home is classic and timeless. Always. Surely I am not the only one tired of all the white, chippy, farmhouse named "stuff" in blogland and in homes for sale that have been "staged" ugh! When we traveled to England it was such a treat to see classic and enduring decor and that is what I am reminded of when I view your home. Many thanks for the gift of your blog to us.
Rosemary, this is so lovely! I always feel like we could be neighbors and share lunch and scintillating conversations any day of the week! What a comfortable room! Also, I love what Penelope B. said....rescue a little bit older dog for companionship for you...you won't be sorry and it will be an enormous blessing to save a life. So many seniors are turned into the shelters and then euthanized. Just my two cents...when you are good and ready....Enjoy a glorious weekend!
lisa -- I have never heard of an Aireloom mattress. I looked it up and YES I would love it if I couldn't have the blue and white checked Hästens mattress of my dreams. I am actually quite happy with what I am sleeping on now and I am sleeping so much cooler now plus it was very inexpensive. Thank you for the recommendation. I have heard Tempurpedic is trying to address the smothering effect of their mattresses by putting out a cooler one. Too late for me. I would never buy another. When I took mine apart to cut it down, I felt very ripped off when I saw the construction inside. I paid a fortune for it. Never again. I am older and smarter now. xo, Rosemary
Pam -- Yes, I have been busy but I still have a mess all around me in every room but my dressing room (spare bedroom). I am starting to get busy with real estate and I simply have to get my life organized again today and this weekend so I can concentrate. Thank you for your kind compliment about my gallery wall. I put it together in about 5 minutes with things I had at hand and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. I still need something big and spectacular to hang over the bed. Hopefully, I'll find something in the near future. I have a hanging shelf that might work if I can't find anything else.
xo, Rosemary
SALY -- If only! I have cleaned my attic and the spare room. My living room always looks neat but I wouldn't call it clean and as I mentioned, I have a mattress in my kitchen. I will get it all together soon. I always do this. I tear up the whole house and put it back together one room at a time. My bedroom is arranged but is due for a deep cleaning. I think I shall do that next now that the heatwave has broken and it's cool enough to have the windows open again.
xo, Rosemary
Penelope Bianchi -- Penny, I adore your nagging. Maybe one day I'll get another pet but not now.
I meant to respond to a previous question you asked on another blog post. Yes, my cottage is a 20 minute drive away from Trump's Bedminster NJ home. Or 10 minutes by helicopter as he flies overhead from the Morristown Airport.
xo, Rosemary
Jacqueline -- I can't wait to tell my office associates about your staging comment. Right now the trend is to wipe away any personality of the current owners so future buyers can envision themselves in the home. People are filling their garages with the overflow and some have rented PODS too. We all have too much stuff and some of it is not easy to part with or hide when we put our homes on the market.
I adore touring homes in England that are decorated with what has worked in the past and never changed. I am wise to the "trends" that are designed to make us hate what we have and get new things. I have heard subway tile is on its way out along with stainless steel appliances. Sticking to classic decor is the best way to go as it never goes out of style.
Thank you for your kind words about my cottage decor and my blog.
xo, Rosemary
Sally -- sorry I misspelled your name in my comment above.
Vickie H. -- I would only consider an older dog that was housebroken and probably heartbroken too. I appreciate the nagging you and Penny give me but I have to be ready. It would be good to have a neighbor like you but for now we are virtual friends. Enjoy your weekend too.
xo, Rosemary
I love the positioning of your art work on the wall. It adds a lot of interest to what I'm sure is already a gorgeous, classic room. It is a treat to see pictures of your home. Thank you for sharing.
Pat -- Thank you for looking and liking my gallery wall. I have to stick my head in and peek inside every time I walk down the hall to my bedroom. It has given me the strength to tackle more rearranging and purging that will give me more pleasure.
xo, Rosemary
If the top and bottom sashes of your window both move up and down, you can clean the outside from inside. It takes a lot of maneuvering but it can be done with some patience. Think about it. If you want to wash the outside of the top panes, pull that window down, stand on a safe step ladder or stool and reach outside to wash and dry them. To do the lower panes of the top sash, push the bottom window the whole way up, and pull the top window down to where you can reach out and wash the bottom panes. This might require stooping depending on how high it is from the floor. You'll get a workout for sure! Then just do the reverse for the bottom sash. It's a lot safer than climbing up on a ladder outside, and safer than the way my mom did it, by sitting on the windowsill with her body outside.
Ruth....Thank you so much. I can do the outside of the window in my spare room and one window in my own bedroom on the outside on a 6 foot ladder which isn't too scary. My windows don't have panes on the outside, just one piece of glass for each section. My mullions snap in from inside.
I can use your instructions for two windows on the back side of my house that are up really high and I would be too scared on my extension ladder. One is in my bedroom and the other is in my bathroom. I have done the outsides of those windows in the past and you have to be somewhat of a contortionist. Therefore they don't get cleaned very often. I shall try to them next Saturday. It's raining today and the whole weeks looks very dreary until the weekend.
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me with your detailed instructions. I appreciate it so much!
xo, Rosemary
Rosemary,
I'm late to your cleaning and rearranging party as this past week was one of soaring highs and a difficult low for our family. We've experienced the cycle of life from birth, multiple birthdays and death all in one week. It's just how life goes for all of us.
I too sleep hot and cannot sleep on any foam like mattress without sweating up a storm. I can't wait for it to really get cooler as I know I will just sleep so much better.
I love, love LOVE your little gallery wall and that dog on the window sill is the crowning touch. I would totally feel at home in this room. I have a side table next to my bed that looks almost exactly like the one in your guest room. No, you will never get things done just the way you want them, part of the fun of creating an inviting home is the constant cleaning, moving around and rethinking of a space. I love it when you find some special thing whether on the street, at an estate sell or yard sell and then bring it home and find the perfect spot for it. I know you enjoy the process and the satisfaction of using what you have but in a different way. You are so kind to share these moments with us. My favorite posts are the ones about your cottage.
I say YES to traditional decorating, no to having my home look like everyone else's on Instagram.
Those drapes in your dressing room are still a favorite of mine, lovely to see that photo of them again.
I love the pictures on the wall. I love to look at houses, and when I do, so many have just blank walls. I love to do pictures everywhere. It makes a room.
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