Saving the Antique Iron Bed

Hi everyone! I shared on my facebook page a few weeks ago a photo of the antique iron bed I had found here on the property. I have been wanting to restore it forever it seems, but didn’t get to it until last week.

Here is what it looked like. There were several iron beds here that my grandmother had painted white, however, everyone thought this was a 3/4 bed, so it escaped the white paint, thankfully. My plan was to just use it as a headboard, then when I measured it, I found it was indeed a full size.

I scrubbed with a mixture of vinegar/water and steel wool. It was a really messy job, but worth it. It had never been painted and looked like it was originally black with the top scrolls brass. I then sprayed the whole thing with Rustoleum metal primer, and this is what it looked like.

I finished it with Rustoleum “Oil Rubbed Bronze” after several coats of .97 flat black paint. I don’t recommend the cheap spray paint. Just go ahead and buy the Rustoleum, because it will go much farther and is so much easier to spray. I used one can of primer and one can of oil rubbed bronze, where I used 7 cans of the cheap paint to cover the primer. That was all I had here, though, or I would never have used the cheap paint.

After the bronze, I dry-brushed gold over the medallions, then lightly here and there.

I was so excited to set it up!

I tried a couple different combinations with linens and pillows…

Then fell in love with the vintage chenille spread with the down comforter at the foot. The antique heirloom wool rug brings all the colors I am loving so much into this room and ties in the the pink and blue of the spread with the green on the walls.

I used two layers of eyelet lace dust ruffles my mother had given me.

This morning I made two denim ticking pillow shams with mismatched eyelet trim and that really tied it all together. I added the outdoor pillows I had gotten on clearance last summer at Kmart and a pink pillow I borrowed from the living room.

Changing the bed necessitated a few more changes in here I will share later…all involving vintage family heirlooms. I did not spend one cent on my little makeover.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I appreciate each and every one of you who follow along so much. I hope I can inspire you to take something ordinary around you and make it special.Please join me on facebook for more interaction and sharing ideas.