How to Decorate a Primitive Style Bedroom

Bring the comfort of the old into your bedroom.

Bring a touch of nostalgic comfort into your bedroom with primitive style decorating. Execute this style in older homes with period or reproduction items from the era that the house was built; newer homes can showcase furnishings from any primitive era that you choose. Americana, Rustic, Shaker and Colonial represent a few of the decor options that fall under this type of interior design scheme. Choose an antique bedroom set, or one that appears so, and use it as an inspiration to capture an Old World feel.

Things You'll Need

• Wood flooring
• Paint
• Stencils
• Quilts
• Samplers
• Wooden game boards
• Baskets
• Floor cloth

Instructions

1. Lay down wood flooring in the room. Alternatively, rip out any existing carpet to expose any floorboards that may lie underneath.

2. Paint the floor in a barn red, bright blue or other favorite bold color. Use stencils to create a colorfully designed border, such as stars or flowers.

3. Paint the walls in a complementary hue and, if desired, use a stencil pattern to add decoration. Alternatively, leave them white to showcase a colorful primitive-style decor collection.

4. Hang a quilt on the wall, or cover the bed with one, and use it to inspire the rest of your decor choices for the space in terms of design and color. Bring a few quilts into the bedroom for additional color and texture.

5. Use old-fashioned stitching samplers and wooden game boards as artwork. Frame family photographs in the same frames as the samplers to create a cohesive collection.

6. Bring in different sizes, shapes and colors of baskets as storage containers. For example, place remotes and magazines in a small basket on your nightstand and beauty products in another on your vanity.

7. Anchor the whole decorating scheme in your primitive style bedroom with a floor cloth. Made from materials such as canvas and often hand-painted to match the hues of the space, they were used during the 18th century more than traditional area rugs were, and continued to be popular until the 20th century.

References

• Prim Decor Tips: The Primitive Bedroom
• Country Living: American Antique
• "The Complete Book of Floorcloths: Designs & Techniques for Painting Great-looking Canvas Rugs;" Kathy Cooper, Jan Hersey; 2002

Resources

• Rugmaker's Homestead: Creating a Floor Cloth --- Four Ways
• Primitive Crossroads: Primitive, Americana, Rustic & Country Craft Sites Directory