Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Time For A Big Bed

Image above via House of Turquoise


On Saturday, we went hunting for a 'big girl's bed' for Grace. We feel that she will be ready soon for this change and then I won't have so much trouble lifting her into bed with my growing belly. I'd also like her out of her cot well before our next baby is due so she doesn't feel like she's been ousted from her cot.

We have a single bed in our spare room, but its ensemble base is far too high for our liking to be Grace's first time bed. We've been hunting for something lower, something not too imposing as her bedroom is quite small but something hopefully that will last her for some years to come. We looked at a few options from white wooden bed frames, to pretty wrought-iron look frames and lower ensemble bases. We saw a wooden one we like but it was still too high and the price was a bit steep.

So far, the main contender is a white wrought-iron style bed we've seen. I do like the look of these for a young girl's bedroom, especially when paired with other wooden furniture and room accessories as it helps avoid the 'matchy-matchy' look. Part of me also thinks that a closed in ensemble base might make the room appear smaller than a bed base where the carpet continuing underneath would be visible.

Any advice for choosing first-time beds or for decorating small bedrooms?

18 comments:

  1. I like the idea of a white painted wrought iron style bed, in fact, I'd be happy with that for my bed! I suppose the key to a small room is to keep it pretty simple to avoid a crowded in look. I'm sure whatever you choose will look wonderful!

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  2. Still hunting for a decent one for Jacq...was going to go with the Ikea Malm..but not really sure about it. Target also have a great toddlers bed for around $80..very cute..but well Jacq is almost 3 and too big for it I think.
    Never thought it would be so hard. Have seen some really pretty girly ones on ebay...you should take a squizz ; )

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  3. Anna - I've seen some gorgeous ones on ebay too but not in Perth :( There was one in the local classifieds I'm going to check out though.

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  4. http://www.domayneonline.com.au/morgan-single-bed-frame.html

    We got Abi a King Single in the above bed, which will last all the way through primary school. Alot of money upfront, but we searched high and low for a nice white bed and ended up just buying this.

    The Ikea Malm bed is great actually. I am going to buy one for our spare room.

    Good luck, I spent weeks searching!!

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  5. I love the iron bed for a little girls room, I would def go for that (because I don't have a girl and want to live vicariously through you). I don't know what we will do about a bed for Will but I should start thinking about it soonish as he is getting quite big now and there is not a huge amount of room left in the cot! I can't wait to see what you decide on, grown up Gracie Girl!!!!
    Jxx

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  6. Our daughter is actually sleeping in a bed that came with the house. It was mustard yellow and I painted it white. I would love her to be in a wrought iron style, they are so pretty. I think it should be good fun shopping for a bed and bedding.

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  7. Rosa went straight into a double ensemble when the boys got their bunks, she has never had any trouble with the height but I have always only seen it as temporary as I adore these iron antique style beds. I also love the white wooden sleigh beds. Have fun shopping.

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  8. Karlyn - I think it's just our Ikea ensemble base that is overly high - most in the shops were at a fine height for Grace. Maybe because it has drawers at the bottom?

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  9. Byron (at almost 4) is still in his ikea toddler bed, and probably will be until Harper needs it. It's low to the ground, has a rail and is that little bit smaller then a single bed. The only downfall is they have a foam mattress (you can choose different ones), which isnt as good as an inner spring but makes it easy for cleaning and putting out in the sun to kill the germs!

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  10. we have a vintage daybed too -- do it!!! They are a little higher than the normal beds but you can add a bedrail so Grace can't fall out (I still use one for Fern) AND they are dissuaded from climbing out themselves! Fern's been in hers for months, and still calls out to me to get her up! Love the bed in that image....

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  11. What a lovely relaxing room that photo looks. Good luck with your search, I hope you find something soon. It is indeed a very time consuming journey to find just the right bed!

    xxMB

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  12. This little room is the sweetest! There is so much that can be done in a small space... built in shelves... (think Ikea lack), neat storage in baskets, wall decor (think mae stickers). Fun!

    p.s Happy Mother's day for Sunday!

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  13. The white wrought iron bed looks lovely! The photo is darling. I think it's a very good thinking that you plan on moving Grace from her cot to a big girl bed much before the baby's arrival. It might also give her a better sense of being a big sister. I cannot wait to see how you will arrange Grace's room!!

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  14. I think the white wrought iron ones are so stylish... Good choice x

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  15. For my girls, I went with standard size/height single beds. Theirs are white iron. If you're worried about Grace falling out, the makers of Grobag sell a special bedding set that zips the child in like a sleeping bag. I used them for both girls and they were fantastic. Bambini Pronto sell them in Australia. Now that they're bigger, I just tuck the sides in to keep them safe. I think once they're awake, they can climb down quite well from a standard height bed. Good luck, love the picture you've posted. Rachaelxx

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  16. I love the look of a wrought iron bed, they are just beautiful and so pretty for a little girl. Both of the girls have single beds and to keep them safe we used a bed rail and sometimes for my big girl who seemed to spin around her bed we would put a mattress on the floor just in case. Enjoy your bed hunt. xo

    I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. xo

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  17. Hi Amanda, Kath here (MC's friend). We also went shopping for a bed for Jacob on the weekend. Like you, I need to have it sorted before the next bub arrives in October. We found that Snooze seemed to be the best quality and variety, and they discounted everything quite a bit. Forty Winks was ok but Snooze was a bit more modern. I'll email you a photo of Jacob's new room once it's finished, and I'd love to see one of Grace's. I love the wrought iron look, so feminine and can look so pretty with the other features of a girl's room. Have fun decorating!

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  18. Hi Kath - thanks for taking the time to comment :) If I had a boy, I would have probably gone for a wooden bed base but having Grace, my heart is set on a wrought iron look bed. That's great that Snooze discounted items you bought, I'd love to see a photo of Jacobs's room. We bought Grace a bed from Harvey Norman on Saturday and I love it, will post some photos when we set it up and change her room a bit. Hope all is well with you xx

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