Homefront: Vintage Linens in a Playful Boys Bedroom

One thing I love about vintage linens, is that they are fun to mix and match, for a warm and eclectic feeling. Many, many I have found have stains... and a lot of little cigarrette burn holes. Different time, I guess.

But, kids vintage linens are my favorite. I even found an old care Bears pillow case the other day. Now send me a My Little Pony one and I will be in sugar heaven.

When decorating for my boy's room, it is all about what I can find at a garage sale. I had it all red and blue, but tired of the boxed in feeling of two colors that called for themes such as cars or cowboys.

The great thing about boys, is they don't care what matches... they just like colors and fun. My oldest wanted to have his wooden cargo bed painted yellow, and his comfortor painted green. (I must have been doing a lot of painting around the time I asked him what colors he liked.)

Well, with some addition of vintage Sonic, Scooby Doo, Superman and Battlestar Gallactica linens, the boys pretty much love their furniture free (aka safe) bedroom.

 

And that's coming a lot from a kid whose nickname is "Sonic Boy", thinks all athletic shoes are called "Sonic Shoes" and dressed as Sonic(and Knuckles) for Halloween.

Homefront: Our Vintage Linen Interchangable Bedroom

 

A while back I talked about some vintage linens I have been collecting and promised a bedroom update with them. (I don't usually have this many pillows on the bed, it's just for the pictures. I think losing the blue one in the back would look so much better.)

So, while the room isn't done, I pulled out the pillowcases out to show you. I have a few sheets, but I mostly collect pillowcases since they bring the maximum change. By having neutral curtains, a white down comforter and a white bed skirt and headboard, I can change the pillow styles however I wish, swap out a few accessories to match and have a new bedroom feel in minutes.

Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns. Geometric, florals, polka dots, paisley, plaid, ethnic, lace prints... so long as you have a similar color scheme or mood you are trying to achieve, and  simple non pattern thrown in (like the plain comforter) pattern groupings don't matter. That is the appeal of a shabby chic room. I made a few grouping as example of how they can look together.

 The top pillow case is the same as a set I had as a little girl that is long gone. I was thrilled when I found this at the thrift shop, but sad because it has stains all over it. Maybe I will turn it into a garland or something.

Our room is usually in more modern blues as seen here at our old place when I painted the headboard, so this orange/yellow mash up is cheerful for now.

Because our bed is positioned in front of half a very large window, it created some challenges. I nailed up some old curtains to cover that wall for a little bit of balance. They weren't long enough, nor lined enough to make it seem like a seamless wall, but being unemployed means making do, so I just pinned a pillow sham on the bottom corner. It's not very noticeable once the table is put there anyways.

And by the way, isn't this vintage metal enameled daisy chandelier adorable? I found it at an antique mall for an incredible price ($11.50). I would rather not have in in the bedroom, but it was the best place for it, and the main reason our pillows are orange/yellow today. I've thought about painting it white, because it would make redecorating so much better, but am conflicted on keeping the vintage charm. What would you do?

I found a white one for sale here at Retro Daisy Girl so you can take a gander. If you are looking for a similar lamp to purchase, I see them fairly often at antique malls and online. Just search for "vintage daisy chandelier" or "vintage enamel chandelier". Here's some on Etsy and some on Ebay using those search terms.

*included in these link ups: Kimba's DIY Day linky, Room to Inspire, A Silly Little Sparrow, My Backyard Eden, not at Bewteen Naps on the Porch, or Keeping it Simple, but lots of other great projects are.