I have recently been sourcing French furniture for a girlfriend who is restyling her bedroom. At the top of her list is a sumptuous French bed,  some pretty white bed-linen  and an armoire for storage of her clothes and enviable shoe collection.

In August and September we spent several gorgeous summer days visiting brocantes around where I live in  Charente Maritime.

Quite by accident on our ‘brocante free beach day’ we happened to drive past a village brocante in an idyllic spot by a river which proved to be an absolute winner.  Not least because there happened to be a lovely little brasserie where we had a very delicious lunch but my girlfriend also saw two fabulous French beds.  One needed recovering – a demi-corbeille and a stunning French bed upholstered in a sunburst damask silk  with an unusual curved headboard and matching curved footboard.

Kate Forman Designs Ltd

Trish opted to recover the demi-corbeille and asked for my guidance on the fabric and finish. Undecided as to whether she should opt for a shabby chic, vintage or  glamour styled French bed I offered to have a look at some of the latest fabrics and trends.

I just love the linen upholstered beds (above). The top photo is a beautiful fabric ‘Blue Roses’ by Kate Forman. www.kateforman.co.uk  Kate has some simply wonderful textiles on her website.

Earlier in the year I bought this bed (below) from a private seller.  It was looking a bit tired and in need of some TLC. When my daughter  came in August for a holiday she fell in love with it and has since repainted and reupholstered it and I think she did a great job.

After looking at many different textiles she narrowed the choice down to two.  A favourite by Pierre Frey of Paris www.pierrefrey.com was  a semi-plain linen from the Lauer Collection – Beige-Blanc.

F2459003 – Camargue II –

However, she decided to use Dove Grey  – ‘Roma Linara’ linen which I think suits both contemporary and traditionally classic décor schemes.  Emma used Farrow & Ball ‘Wimborne White’ for the paintwork.  The throw is from Zara Home and the paisley cushion is a Schumacher fabric – ‘Cambay Paisley’. I’m now on the lookout for two more similar beds for Emma’s friends!

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