I believe in leaving room in our homes for serendipity. With open eyes and an open heart, you can stumble onto pieces that bring more character and joy than anything you could have planned.
A home should tell your story, and those unexpected finds often become the most meaningful chapters. Today I’m sharing how a casual scroll on Facebook Marketplace—paired with a mood board exercise—led me to my dream bed.
Just days after I posted about refreshing our bedroom for spring, I unexpectedly found the perfect bed on Facebook Marketplace.
In that earlier post I mentioned I was hunting for a new light fixture and wasn’t planning any major changes. But inspiration and a bit of serendipity sent things in a delightful new direction: I found a light fixture I loved and, thanks to a mood board and a lucky Marketplace listing, I brought home a coastal-style bed that feels like it was meant to be for our little bedroom overlooking the Salish Sea.
Our Plan for Furniture
When we downsized and moved, we let go of a lot of furniture. This is a smaller house, and I didn’t want to rush decisions or fill the space with things that didn’t fit our new life. My approach has been slow and intentional: keep what works, add a few accent pieces, and stay open to “new-to-me” furniture that feels right.
I’ve shared this philosophy with my HomeBody Gathering Place community—cultivating a sense of serendipity and building a collected, cohesive style over time. There’s freedom in not forcing a timeline. If something we truly love appears and fits our budget, we’ll make the swap. That gentle pace makes the process joyful rather than stressful.
After our renovation wrapped up, I felt ready to browse more and simply enjoy the hunt. A few Marketplace searches led me to a marble-top console and a charming chair—small finds that sparked fresh creativity. Those will show up in a future post.
In short, my furnishing plan has been to remain open to unexpected discoveries. A home that tells its own story becomes a sanctuary, and often the best elements are the ones you didn’t plan for.
How Creating a Mood Board Led to My Dream Bed
Last week in HomeBody Gathering Place we talked about making mood boards—what they are and why they’re helpful. Beyond guiding purchases, mood boards help you clarify your aesthetic and visualize the kind of home you want to create.
Over the weekend I made a mood board for our bedroom just to explore our style. I wasn’t intending to buy anything; I wanted a visual of the room’s overall mood. Mood boards can be purely inspirational, or they can evolve into practical shopping lists, depending on what you need.
One principle I teach is to begin with a dream board, then create a reality board. The dream board frees you to imagine without limits and often reveals what you truly love—then you translate that into achievable choices.
On my board I included a few pieces I already own and an image of a bed I’ve admired for years. It’s classic with a whimsical touch—exactly the mix I’m drawn to. I loved the robin’s egg blue finish because it evokes waves and coastal calm, which suits our seaside view.
That bed on the mood board represented a small but meaningful element of my style: a touch of whimsy that makes a room feel unpretentious and inviting. Even including one unexpected piece can transform a space into something that feels uniquely yours.
The Serendipitous Discovery — in Another Country!
While the idea of finding this particular bed felt unlikely, I remind myself not to close off possibilities before they begin. If something resonates with you, remain open and see what shows up.
After adding the robin’s egg bed to my dream board, I typed its name into Facebook Marketplace on a whim. I didn’t expect to find it, especially locally—but there it was. My heart did a double take. The price was a fraction of new, so it felt like a gift. Then reality introduced obstacles: we don’t own a truck, the listing was in Canada, it was late Saturday night, and we had no Canadian cash on hand. Still, I messaged the seller.
I didn’t hear back that night and couldn’t sleep. If a piece makes your heart flutter like that, it’s worth pursuing. Early the next morning she replied asking when we could pick it up. By midmorning we’d rented a U-Haul utility truck and headed to the border.
The trip had hiccups—no ATMs open on Sunday, tools missing to disassemble the bed, phones losing service while across the border—but we persisted. It was an adventure worth having.
By 6 PM Sunday, the bed was home. I used funds I’d set aside for a living room piece, but I couldn’t imagine a living room item I’d love more than this bed. Before we found the bed I had already purchased the new light fixture, so now I’m turning my attention back to the bedroom. That’s how a collected home takes shape—over time and often in surprising ways.
I loved our previous cane bed, and the great news is my daughter Courtney and her husband wanted it, so it will have a new life with them. Win-win.
UPDATE: You can now see the bed in my room in THIS POST!