Be My Guest

For the first time ever in the history of Living Well on the Cheap, check out our guest bedroom.

I’m a lucky lady to have this awesome vintage bedroom set. It was in the room my sister and I always slept in at my Nanny and PawPaw’s house when we were kids. Shannon inherited it (I got Nanny’s diamond engagement ring), but there’s no room for it at her place and I’m happy to give it a home for as long as she’ll let me.

My Nanny was a fan of the upgrade, and I remember sometime in my childhood she switched out the original hardware for these glamorous white pulls. I’m quite sure she had PawPaw do the actual chore of switching them. I don’t think Nanny ever wrapped her manicured fingers around a screwdriver. She was much fancier than me. I must’ve gotten my do it yourself attitude from my Grandma Sandy. I can totally picture her wielding a power tool.

But everything old is new again, and when I found the original knobs in a vanity drawer I decided to switch them back in.

Obviously the larger white pulls caused some uneven changes in the color of the wood. I’ve decided to wait and see if it evens itself out.

I only found nine of the old pulls, leaving me one short. I decided to use the opportunity to use a fancy Anthro knob on the armoire door. I could never stomach the cost of outfitting an entire set of drawers in Anthropologie’s eclectic goodness, but since I just needed one pull here I figured I could splurge. I stopped by Anthropologie after work yesterday and picked out four knobs to try.

I think that this green glass one was really meant to be a hook, but it looked like it could work as a door pull as well so I decided to give it a shot.

This pink knob was feminine and sweet.

I really liked how this one covered the discolored area from the old pulls.

The ceramic white flower was pretty.

So, which did I end up going with?

The one with the metal backplate! It relates well to the other pulls but still feels a little extra special. And, of course, the fact that it covers up the discolored area is a nice bonus.

I was so enamored with the green glass pull that I decided to use it as a hook on the back of the closet door. The other two knobs (the pink glass and the white flower) will go back to Anthro.

A few of the old/new knobs were missing bolts, so I need to pick up a few at the hardware store before I can switch out the ones on the vanity. I can’t wait. I’m really happy with the new look on the armoire. It’s a little more authentic vintage and a lot more my style.

Inherited furniture is the best. Funny fact about this set: the bed is not a standard size. It’s bigger than a full, smaller than a queen. I use queen-sized linens on it and they’re just a little big. One of these days I’ll invest in a fluffy featherbed to fill out the fitted sheet a little more, but it looks like I’m stuck with the original mattress and boxspring for life. They must not make ‘em like they used to because I can’t imagine a boxspring made today still being good 40 years from now.

Have you ever done something simple to update a piece of vintage furniture? Or restore it to its roots?

P.S. Those framed photos above the armoire are my Nanny and PawPaw. Nanny passed away in 2004 and PawPaw now lives in the Texas panhandle with his wife, Edith. I don’t get to see him much these days so it’s nice to have those photos up to remind me of them.

8 Responses to Be My Guest

  1. britt@knewlywifed

    Oh I love that furniture set, especially that dresser with the round mirror. Looks so antique! I restored an old table that we pulled from an abandoned house. I sanded it and painted it, and its now our kitchen table. I didn’t take any before pictures (Naturally!) or I’d post it on my blog! I need to remember to take before pics!

    • Charlotte | livingwellonthecheap

      Thanks, Britt! You should still post about it! Just show how it looks now and tell the story and how you did it.

  2. I bet you were surprised to find a cat pop out when you opened that bottom drawer

    • Charlotte | livingwellonthecheap

      Alex, she is always getting herself into the strangest of places. When she was smaller she used to be able to slip underneath the armoire upstairs and climb up the drawers from the inside. Nick would find her sleeping in his sock drawer in the morning.

  3. Janet (Country Mouse}

    I love your beautiful furniture. Antiques are so much more special if they have been handed down. I have a dresser that belonged to my Grandmother Anne, your Great Grandmother. It had been in my Dad and my Uncle Bob’s bedroom. I remember it from my childhood. It is a little large for my bedroom, but I don’t care. It will stay there. I agree with you, about your Grandmother Sandy’s “can do” spirit. She is a great lady that has a delicate feminine beauty but she could do anything from nurturing a child to helping with construction of a home.

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