Ellie’s room got an update just before Christmas when we took apart her crib and set up a bed.

I had always envisioned this bed in the space. This was my bed when I was her age. Before that, it was my uncle’s bed when he was a child. It came from my grandmother’s family’s furniture store.
It is solid wood. Clean lines. Great quality. With super cute cubbies built into the headboard.

The finish was natural wood, but a little bit orange for my taste and also for her space. I didn’t want to change the other parts of her room. The turquoise paint on the walls, the grey wood toned dresser, the white bookcase. Those were all staying, so I needed the bed to work with those pieces.
I was a bit worried my Mom (the caretaker of the bed) wouldn’t like my plan to paint the bed, but she was all for it. A few coats of my go-to Cloud White by Benjamin Moore (in their Advance finish, which is good on furniture), and it was exactly what I had envisioned. And my Mom was thrilled, both that the bed was being used again and that it looked so fresh with its new white paint.
Ellie’s room is not large, so we could only fit a single bed. We rearranged some of her other furniture to make everything fit. It might be a wee bit tight, but everything fits (including her tractor) and the layout works for us.

And, best of all, the transition from crib to bed went pretty well too.
And are those quilts, on the bed and over the chair? They look lovely. What a pretty little girl’s room.
They are. They were both made by my Mom’s friend. It’s so special to have someone handmake something like a quilt for our girl.
It’s a very pretty bed. How fun to use your childhood bed! It falls in with all the pieces you have in your home that have history and meaning. I’m glad the transition went well. Any pangs for you, Mama?
No pangs at all. I love seeing her grow and learn, and I’m enjoying where we are, rather than yearning for where we’ve been. She was ready (some fussy nights from our rock solid sleeper told me so). I’m glad to have a return to good sleeps for her, and I’m giving myself a little pat on the back for knowing her well enough to figure out the solution.