For those of you not on social media (applause!), a little backstory of this Jane Austen inspired room design! I wanted my daughter Veronica to have a peaceful and happy escape from all the hard days she has experienced medically recently. I also really wanted her to have a space to create in. I consulted her on the bigger pieces, and the colors, so this was the first room we designed together! She chose the paint color, wallpaper, and the bedding. I helped with the finishing details. It was a dream project to bring to life with her and for her, and surprising her with the outcome was one of the happiest days of the year.
This is the first bedroom we have ever designed from a completely blank slate. We started with just drywall, and slowly finished it over the last few months. The first step was adding flooring. We chose to use DuraDecor flooring in our addition bedrooms since we used this product prior in our old home, and was really happy with it. It is easy to install, waterproof, and scratch resistant so it is a great option for high traffic areas, kids, and pets! This is the Polished Pro style in golden glow.
We knew the first order of business was selecting the right paint color for this room. Veronica knew she wanted yellow as well as some floral patterns. We tested several options and just couldn’t get over Dorset Cream by Farrow and Ball (from their Dead Flat line)- the perfect buttercream yellow. It shifts colors throughout the day, but it is never to bright or overwhelming.
After priming and painting the walls (we also used Farrow and Ball primers), Gabe added all of the baseboards, chair railing, crown molding, window molding, and doors – most of which we found at a local lumber mill. This kind of work takes a lot of diligence and patience at a level I do not possess. Thankfully Gabe excels in these arenas, but I am sure he would be the first to admit he doesn’t neccesarily enjoy all of the math and cuts required. Crown molding isn’t for the faint of heart. He did an incredible job however, and I love seeing his craftsmanship in action.
Wallpaper installation was next! I absolutely love Rifle Paper Co.’s patterns, and this Hawthorne wallpaper was no exception. We had ordered several samples we thought would pair well with the paint color, and V chose this one immediately. It is such a beautiful pattern, and the quality of the paper made the installation process much easier as the pattern aligns really well. After several rooms of practice, I am finally comfortable applying wallpaper, but I would say it isn’t without it’s battles! All in all I was able to get it done with pockets of time fairly quickly.
Once flooring, molding, painting, and wallpaper were finished it felt like the home stretch! I searched for months for a french provincial style furniture set like this one on facebook marketplace, and finally found one at the last hour! It needed some rub n’ buff in Grecian Gold to restore some of the beauty, but it fit this room so well.
Since this is a smaller room, I didn’t want too many curtains to cover all of the beautiful molding. We have plans to add a canopy portion to the bed area. Instead of going too fabric heavy, we went with these scallop edged roman shades from etsy and I love the way they turned out!
Veronica chose her bedding as well, and I love the way the colors and patterns work together. This room really feels nostalgic and familiar in all the good ways. A mix of Anne of Green Gables and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility which are a few of her favorite stories. I hope it is a room she always feels like she can create in, as well as a place that feels like home.
Additional sources:
Doorknobs
Mini Gold framed art (sold out so linked the similar one)
Light switch plate
Lamp (Borrowed from our living room)
Roman shades
Quilted bedding
Scalloped sheets
Rose Garden Wool Hooked Rug
Cherry blossom florals
A big thank you to Rifle Paper Co, Shades of Light, and Dura Decor for partnering with us to creat this room for Veronica. It allowed us to bring the full dream to life!
