English Countryside Bedroom Refresh

This room feels right at home in our 120-year-old farmhouse, even if it’s inspired by somewhere thousands of miles away. Here’s a little look at what I did for this English countryside bedroom refresh in our home.

I love the charming character of all three of the little country-house bedrooms up on the second floor in the original part of our house, but this one is extra special. This is the first room you come to at the tippy-top of the steep old stairs, and it’s just filled with glorious light from the two big windows at the front of the house. This has always been Kennedy’s room, and when she went away to University last year, I wanted to refresh this neglected space a bit for her so she’d have a calm, refreshing space to come home to when she came to visit. My goal was to create a space that felt very much like you had left the city and arrived at home in the country to our quintessential rural farmhouse. We all have such a love for Toronto, and spend as much time there as possible, but I remember how much I craved the natural beauty of peaceful, wide open spaces every so often when we lived there. With all that in mind, here’s a little tour of the newly-refreshed English countryside bedroom.

The Inspiration Behind the English Countryside Bedroom

Linen blend curtains (color is light taupe) | Black lampshade | Classic white pitcher | Faux leather tissue box cover | Affordable solid wood coat rack | Similar French market basket

This year, during the chilly late-winter and early-spring months, I spent quite a bit of time thrifting and exploring antique shops to give myself a chance to get out of the house and walk around while it still felt too blustery most days to get out and do anything in the garden. I found myself drawn to finds with a distinctly English-country vibe to them: vintage bicycle baskets, aged brass details, antique family photos, wall art featuring idyllic, picturesque landscapes, and old books with plenty of texture and character. My finds needed a home, so I decided to go with it.

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When Kennedy came home the first time after I started playing around in the room she said it was very “Elevated Peasant”, so that’s what we’ve been calling the room in real life.

Although we don’t have a meadow with stately rollings hills just outside these windows like the real English countryside, our big old trees and path along the creek for quiet summer evening walks are almost as good, so this look felt natural and appropriate for our old house.

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Repurposed Furnishings and Vintage Finds

This room was decorated in the most timeless, sustainable way, which also happens to be the way that works out best to make a house feel like a home: by repurposing things that we already had and searching for well-loved character-filled pieces that were ready for a new home. I always lean into a soft, neutral palette whenever possible with understated, calming hues and traditional furnishings that won’t soon go out of style and won’t need to be tossed and replaced in a few years. While I love refreshing and readjusting spaces in our home, the idea of a room full of modern furnishings that are slowly starting to feel more and more outdated and that need to be tossed out for the next new thing when styles change makes me panic a little. So old, time-tested styles and high-quality pieces that have proven themselves over years and years are the way to go for me.

Linen blend curtains (color is light taupe) | Black lampshade | Classic white pitcher | Faux leather tissue box cover | Affordable solid wood coat rack | Similar French market basket

I started out by giving the walls a fresh coat of paint in Benjamin Moore Classic Grey. I also did the trim and the built-in desk/bookshelf area in Simply White at the same time. I love a clean slate. 🙂

We kept the existing bed, which was an affordable IKEA find about 18 years ago with the look of an old Victorian iron bed frame. Fresh plain white bedding linens and a neutral quilt bedspread were accented with just a few pillows in a chestnut tweed and neutral small-scale floral. I painted the bedside table and dresser in Benjamin Moore Onyx, which is the same black I always use. Both were secondhand finds from a few years ago that have served us well so far and will continue to do the same for years to come, I suspect.

The collection of vintage baskets that provide additional storage-space under the bed might be my favorite part of the room and really help to reduce unnecessary clutter.

The beautiful upholstered chair at the desk was a Habitat for Humanity ReStore find that really completed the side of the room with the built-in desk and bookshelves.

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A Few New Decorative Additions

While almost everything I added in to style this room was either antique, vintage, or repurposed, I did add just a few new items to round out the look.

The neutral linen-blend curtains were an affordable find. I love the way they filter the natural light without blocking it out completely to create a feeling of warmth in the room.

The pleated black lampshades for some brass lamps I pulled out of the basement were Amazon finds that were necessary to complete the decor in my opinion. Did you know that you can also paint a lampshade if you find one in the right shape and size, but not the right color? It’s one of my favorite decorating tricks.

The perfect, most classic white pitcher was also an absolute necessity so I could set out casual flower arrangements from the garden or seasonal greenery for Kennedy when she’s home.

A cute coat rack was a functional and charming addition to the room as well and I’m happy to report that it is actually useful in real life and not always perfectly styled with various woven neutrals, summer hats, and French market baskets.

I’m open to adding a rug in this room at some point if I come across the perfect one, but I love the pine flooring in here, so I really don’t mind the space without a rug for now. It’s fun to leave space for a room to evolve over time. What is it they say? A room should feel collected, not decorated. 🙂

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