Simple Country Bedroom Ideas: Quilts, Samplers, and Warm Light

Inside: 14 real-life ways to add country charm and style to your bedroom.

It’s easy to neglect your bedroom and pour all your decorating energy into common spaces that your guests see.  But I hope you don’t.  Having a pretty bedroom that greets you every morning when you wake up and every day when you get home is such a treat. It doesn’t have to be expensive. These are all little things that are just additions or swaps to what you already have. Not a big remodel.

1. A quilt folded at the foot of the bed (or as the main bedspread)

Patchwork is always cute, but if you don’t want a quilt as your main cover because it’s not warm enough, use something soft and fluffy and then fold up a pretty quilt at the bottom. I love to fold things like this in a Z shape, so when you want to pull it up, it’s just one simple motion. True antique quilts are very expensive, but if you have an heirloom or you don’t mind a reproduction, look at Garnet Hill and Riley Blake for really pretty patterns.

2. Swap in cotton or linen sheets and curtains in white or cream

I find that adding lots of white fabric to anything always brightens up a room and gives it a fresher country feel. So whenever you have linens to add to your space besides your quilt, look for white and cream pillowcases, shams, little blankets, curtains, anything like that. Something bright and fresh is going to make a big difference.

3. Braided or rag rug beside the bed

Even if you have wall-to-wall carpeting, a rag rug by your bed adds lots of charm. I love braided rugs, but if you know someone who knows how to make rag rugs, all the better.

4. A wooden bench or trunk at the foot of the bed

I strongly prefer a trunk because a bench, in my experience, tends to be piled with half-worn clothes.  A trunk also gives you lots of practical storage right where you need it to store extra pillows and blankets. But either one of them is pretty and charming.

5. A ladder-back or spindle chair in the corner

Speaking of places to throw half-worn clothes, a chair in the corner is always cute, and sometimes you really do just need a place to put those.

Look for something wooden with a ladder back or spindles for just the right amount of country.

6. A washstand or dresser topped with a mirror

Mirrors are always useful in the bathroom because of course you get dressed and get ready in there but also because they add so much brightness and natural light if you can, put one opposite a window. If not, no big deal. Look for one with a wooden frame if you can.  So pretty!

Oh, and remember that it will duplicate in your room whatever it looks at, so if you have a cluttered dresser top in front of it, you’ll have double the cluttered dresser top. If you have a window opposite and a jar of wildflowers, you’ll have double that instead.

7. Wooden pegs or a Shaker peg rail for robes and hats

You can buy these so cheaply, and it’s just a few minutes of work to paint them and get them on the wall. Shaker pegs in particular are pretty and practical. If they look weird out in your bedroom, try them in your closet or master bath.

8. Swap lampshades for pleated, gingham, or burlap ones

Lampshades need replacing every so often, especially the liners that can get crocked and yellowed. When yours are due for a replacement, look for something pretty! Pleated floral is always nice, as is gingham and even burlap.

9. Warm bulbs (2700K)

This makes such a difference, and your bedroom is one place where you really only want warm bulbs. There’s no need for cool or daylight bulbs in here. You’re in here early in the morning and late in the evening, and you always want to feel warm and cozy.

Look for this specific color temperature and enjoy some nice old-fashioned light that won’t give you a headache.

10. Vintage botanical or livestock prints in simple wood frames

If you’re willing to look, you can find these all over any thrift store and at a lot of yard sales. If you don’t feel like hunting, I have lots available for free for you to print.

Just print them on photo paper, frame them in any old thrift store frame, and the more you have, the more collected it will look.

11. A quilt or coverlet hung on the wall as art

For family or heirloom quilts, this is the way to go rather than using them as an everyday blanket. They look pretty. They actually do help keep drafts out on an exterior wall, by the way. They add that little layer of insulation, and you can switch them out for the seasons.

12. Family photos in mismatched wood or brass frames

Just like botanical prints, the more variety you have going on here, the better it will look. This doesn’t mean you need to go hunting for the perfectly coordinating but not matching frame set. It means that if you just build it up over time, buying frames as you find them and hanging pictures up as you go, it will look organic and collected because it will be.

13. Embroidered or cross-stitch samplers

It’s so sad to see old samplers shoved in boxes or thrown away. If you can find one at a yard sale or, of course, even better if you have one in your family that nobody wants, frame it and put it on the wall. Someone worked really hard on that!

I know they’re out of style and seem old-fashioned and not in a good way, but they really are often very pretty and worth the wall space.

14. Fresh wildflowers or cuttings from the yard

I believe that a white petal filled with wildflowers can cure just about all the world’s problems. If you don’t have a great place to collect wildflowers, cut some green tree branches or some weeds or buy a bouquet every so often. Just something in a white picture where you can see it in your bedroom is guaranteed to make you smile.

If nothing else, I hope this makes you feel that making your bedroom pretty is worth the effort, whatever style you like.