French Daybed Makeover

I still pinch myself with this find. It's something I have always admired in other people's homes but never thought in a million years I would have one! And then, one day while browsing facebook marketplace, there she was! It had been sitting unsold for many months and the price had recently been reduced! It was a 4 hour drive round trip so we packed George in with us and drove over early on a Saturday morning. We had to borrow our friends bigger SUV. It ended up taking up the entire back of the car so we had to put the mattress on top so George had somewhere comfy to lay. Let's just say he had the best seat in the house!

​ This is what it looked like all set up once we got it home. Not quite my style, but look at those curves! It sat like this for a few months while I decided on which of Peony and Sage's fabric prints  to use and what paint colors and technique I would use.











​I wanted something soft and feminine but not overly girly. I had recently found Peony and Sage fabric on Instagram and they have been my go to for fabric ever since! Remember the French bed makeover in the guest room? That was Peony and Sage fabric in their Georgian trellis, so pretty! Anyway, I had a few swatches in mind but none felt right. Then, while browsing Pinterest one day I came across their Millie print and I was like, YES! Thats the fabric! It is the prettiest fabric and goes beautifully with Annie Sloan's Paris grey. Since its a French antique and Paris Grey is modeled after French antiques I thought it would compliment the piece perfectly. 

​I decided to do an antiqued, layered, washed look. I had never done this technique before so it was a bit of trial and error. I am kind of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl so I just went for it and hoped it worked out!  I ​first painted the entire piece with Annie Sloan Old white chalk paint and let it dry. I then painted over it with Paris grey. I let it dry for a few minutes before wiping the excess off with a rag. Once all of the painting was done,  I distressed the whole piece with sandpaper and then waxed it with Miss Mustard Seed clear and antique wax. To make the details pop and add some gold accents, I added Annie Sloan gold guilding wax to all the detailed areas. 

 Once I finished painting this gorgeous piece, I went and grabbed my husband. He absolutely loved the finished look and was amazed at the transformation! Now, it was time to upholster! I decided not to upholster the mattress but just use a linen sheet that I could wash as needed since George loves to lay on it. I just wrapped the box spring sides and stapled into place. The curved ends were the hardest part to upholster. I had a few redo's but overall I'm so pleased with the outcome! 

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I added a down alternative mattress topper for added comfiness and 2 beautiful linen bolster pillows on each end. I did have enough left over Millie fabric to make a pillow cover.

To create a nice little sitting area, I used my Antique French bread safe as a little coffee table to display decor books, flowers and candles. My antique dress form adds a romantic nostalgic touch with her toile skirt and my Grandmothers tape measure around her neck. I made a chalkboard out of an antique gold frame and added 2 vintage sconces on either side that hubby rewired for me so we could plug them in. I will be adding a lovely antique crystal chandelier here soon, so keep a lookout for it on instagram! 

I hope you enjoyed reading about the makeover! 

xo Rene'