French Cozy Cottage bedroom makeover - week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the One Room Challenge where I am sharing my rental friendly French Cozy Cottage Bedroom Makeover.

My goal was to add renter friendly charm and color to my boring beige bedroom to create a dreamy bedroom sanctuary.

Things are really starting to come together with my first project.

This pair of antique windows found me, by way of a favorite customer at my shop Loverly Cottage.

They were replacing windows at their home, so I ended up buying almost all of their old ones.

These were side lights, the windows that flank a front door.

Which means they are tall.

Well as tall as a front door!

side light window reclaimed antique glass

I love that they have the original perfectly imperfect glass on the top half.

and solid wood panels on the bottom half of the window

These antique sidelight window will be perfect for the focal point on the wall opposite my bed.

An old, white, wooden door with chipped and peeling paint is propped up against a wall in a French cozy cottage bedroom. Two panels are visible on the door, which is partially wrapped in a crumpled white cloth or sheet lying on the ground.

First things first, I need to clean off any loose paint from the window.

I used my 5 in 1 tool to scrape, and scrape

A hand holding a paint scraper is removing peeling white paint from a wooden surface in what appears to be a French cozy cottage bedroom. The tool and the scraped paint reveal the wood beneath, indicating a restoration or repainting project. The background shows a partially blurred mirror.

and scrape some more…

These windows were old, but I loved the character of them.

A hand holding a paint scraper is seen peeling off old, flaking white and beige paint from a wooden surface. The tool is removing layers of chipped paint, revealing uneven patches underneath. The scene suggests a renovation or repainting project, likely in a charming French cozy cottage bedroom.

There were a few places where the wood was rotten

Close-up of a weathered wooden frame with peeling paint and cracks, evoking the charm of a French cozy cottage bedroom. The frame rests on a crumpled brown paper surface, with rough, splintered edges and nails protruding from the wood, indicative of age and wear.

so I filled in any major gaps with wood putty.

It only took a few hours for the wood putty to dry, then I sanded it smooth.

A close-up of a wooden corner with a weathered, peeling white paint layer evokes the charm of a French cozy cottage bedroom. A hand holds the piece of wood, worn and chipped at the edges, revealing a mix of exposed wood and remnants of paint. The background is a paper surface.

The paint color was a bit dingy after all the years of wear.

My goal was to brighten my room, so it was time to break out the paint!

I chose a soft white paint that I had left over from another project.

A person's hand is seen painting the trim of an old wooden window frame with white paint, reminiscent of a French cozy cottage bedroom. The window frame has visible wear and chipped paint. The hand holds a paintbrush applying fresh paint along the edge, giving the frame a renewed look.

Action shot!

I must have been painting really fast during this picture

French Cozy Cottage Bedroom One Room Challenge Spring 2022

Can you see how much brighter the window looks with a fresh coat of paint?

I mean, look at the before and after.

Isn’t it amazing what a little left over paint can do?

Now, let’s bring back a bit of cottagey character by sanding with a bit of fine grit sandpaper.

The chippy paint that remained created some loverly dips, that will be highlighted when lightly sanded.

and VOILA, we added back some cottagey character!

Oh, but we aren’t done adding character, because I have been saving these sconces just for a project like this.

I painted them in a soft green and sanded them lightly.

These sconces will perfectly hold a pillar candle

or a jar candle

Oh, I can’t wait to light some lavender scented candles in my bedroom!

I secured them to the window with a screw, and washer, centered on the second cross bar

Or is that a cross brace, or cross wood?

I don’t even know what to call it!

How about “just above the second window pane”

Now that the sconce is secured to the window, they are ready to be installed.

Since I live in a rental house, I want to make sure that I don’t damage the walls.

Let me introduce you to my little friend, the 3M Command brand strips.

I used the velcro to securely attach the windows to the wall.

I added one pair to either side of the top of the window.

then added a pair midway down

I found the right placement against the wall and then slid my sideboard up against it for additional security.

Thankfully the windows aren’t heavy.

Does the sideboard look familiar?
It was one of the projects I worked on last year.

Remember what it looked like?

a diamond in the rough

If you want to see the process it took to unpaint it – you can check it out here.

I used it in my living room

As I started working on my mood board for my French Cozy Cottage bedroom, I searched thrift store and shopped on line, but just couldn’t find anything.

Probably because I already had the perfect piece.

One of the best decorating tips that I can share is to shop your house.

You will be amazed at what you can find!

I bet you thought we were done adding character?

Nope!

Check out this incredible vintage frame that I found.

I mean just look at that gold and green patina.

You’ll never guess where I found this beauty.

I found it on the side of the road!

It was attached to a medicine cabinet.

I know, I should have taken a picture.

But I was too excited with my find.