Take Your Bed Outside!

I was getting a little envious of your summertime in the Northern Hemisphere and thought to create a daybed one day in the great outdoors.  Honestly, winter in Sydney is never *that* bad…we get beautiful sunshiny days most of the season, it’s just a bit crisp outside.  I thought with this being a long weekend in North America that often signals the dawning of the chillier months, it was the perfect time to share this bed project.

This started out as a little DIY bedhead project and then kind of grew into something more conceptual.  I had this beautiful birch bedhead by Greg Hatton on loan from a friend and I decided to personalise it.  I embellished it by wrapping wool around two of the branches in a graduated colour scheme; blue for the sky and green for the grass.  I also added pom-poms, because why wouldn’t I??!

Then, we set up shop in a wide open park (where lots of people walk their dogs during the day actually) under a lovely archy tree, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You would not believe the amount of awed-onlookers…asking about ‘free naps’, kind of like the ‘free hugs’ thing.  I loved it.  Could be a cool social project?!

I draped the bed in beautiful Moroccan wedding blankets and kantha quilts made from vintage saris and silk.

Camelias were in full bloom; the outdoor atmosphere could not have been more serene.  I fully encourage you all to step out of your everyday and spend some extra time in nature this weekend.  You don’t have to go as far as bringing your bed outside, but maybe a picnic or find a shady spot to read a book?

To set the scene to be as dreamy as possible, I added cotton clouds and a bright yellow lantern from Hong Kong as a pseudo sun.  Sometimes isn’t it fun to do something just for the sake of it, or for a little fun…like when was the last time you built a fort in your living room like Justina?! Do it!

{Project by Nicole Valentine Don for Justina Blakeney est. 1979.}
For more Nicole,  visit her blog and follow her on instagram.
Photos by: Fiona Galbraith