Shopping Auctions, A Bargain Bed Makeover & The Easiest Bedskirt Ever

After our last move, our oldest son was really in need a bedroom makeover. After all, at almost 12 he’s not “little” anymore, but his room hadn’t caught up with him. And, since his new room doubles as a guest room on the rare occasion when we have friends in town, I wanted the room to be a bit more polished {like in case Christy comes to town!}. So, in the midst of settling in, summer vacations, and trips to and fro, I have been scouting for things to make his new space suit him as well as our guests.

Earlier this year, I passed on a bed at the Luckett’s Fair and it haunted me for weeks! I knew I wanted a vintage iron bed for him, figuring it would have the cool/boy vibe, and had found one for $125 at Lucketts. For some reason, I left Lucketts without it and then of course kept wondering why I didn’t buy it in the weeks that followed! Luckily, this summer Terry and I discovered the fun of attending estate/furniture auctions and just recently I won this vintage brass bed for a mere $20, so I knew waiting had been the right thing.

This bed was originally brass, but it’s been painted cream. I love the chippy finish on it and how its not too formal. It’s a bit of a strange size–not quite as big as the full-size mattress–but it works fine for a preteen boy.

I paired it with an IKEA duvet cover and pillow shams and a monogrammed pillow from Ballard Designs. We’re still working on frames, pictures, etc. for his room.  The locker and vintage baskets I have picked up at thrift and antique stores here and there.

I was SO happy with my auction bargain–but once we set up the bed, my son informed me it looked like something out of an “asylum.” Hmmm, I had to admit it kind of did! So, I set about putting together a bedskirt for it, after all asylums didn’t put skirts on the bottoms of their beds, right? The skirt made all the difference. I completed this process in the easiest way possible– after all this is a preteen boys room– by just hanging burlap over the bottom bedframe. The weight of the mattress holds it in place, and it keeps the bed from looking too institutional 🙂 It helped pull the whole look of the bed together, can you say ‘quick and easy’ fix?

As I said, I got this bed at a furniture auction. Terry and I are lucky enough to have a great auctioneer right in our town. Just a few weekends ago we had the fun of seeing her sell off two local estates.  Terry will be sharing more of her “scores” from that sale soon. {If you follow us on Facebook, we typically rejoice about our wins there}. You can typically find local auctions through a local auctioneer, just find out when their estate/furniture auctions are and don’t be intimidated. We’ve found the auctions to be attended mostly by antique store owners who are shopping for different types of pieces to sell in their shops then what we tend to be interested in for our homes. And be sure to stick around, because by the end most of the crowds have cleared and you can get fabulous bargains. I scored an entire, beautiful, real-wood king-sized bedroom set for $100 at the last sale simply as it was up at the very end and nobody was left to buy it–but me! {More on that soon.} I have found auction prices can be better then Goodwill or Craigslist and they have a really unique selection of things, goods that have a history and even value, and who doesn’t like that? Anyone else had any luck at auctions?

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll hopefully be back to share the rest of his room soon.

Thanks for stopping by!