Using Ana's original plans, I made this farmhouse storage bed with almost no modifications. It was a Christmas gift to my fiancée. To give the board on top of the footboard/headboard just a little bit of an upgrade, I used my router with a cove bit along the edges. The drawers weren't that hard to make, they just took some time and ensuring that they were square. I used plywood and MDF for the drawers as opposed to solid wood planks to save money. There is one drawer that has trouble opening and closing. I think it might be just a hair too wide for the opening ... someday I'll fix it! I also added a few blocks (leftover from my 4x4 posts) underneath the bed to support it; otherwise, it was lifted only by screws. I tried using lag bolts to connect the boxes to the posts, but then realized the bolts would stick out and hit the drawers when I slid them back in, so I just used regular screws to attach. This thing is heavyyyyy, but solid as a rock! Love having additional storage in our 1930s house.
I primed and painted the entire bed first, then sanded by hand to get the distressed look. After that, I wiped the stain on the exposed wood to darken it, as well as over parts of the paint to darken parts of the white paint.
If I had to do it over again, I probably would have painted the wood a darker color first and then the white over that. I think it would have made the distressing process a little easier, and allowed the other color to show through better. All in all, I still like how it turned out!