Home >> Do-It-Yourself >> How to Dress a Bed

How to Dress a Bed

If your budget were unlimited, youcould change your bed linen to suityour mood, the way we change ourclothes. What a luxury to slide betweenluxurious silk sheets one night andcrisp white cotton the next, followedby country florals, fleecy tartans, fadedstripes and fresh, bright ginghams oneach succeeding day. However,practicality rules, and generally wedress our beds to match the room decor and can sometimes end up withthe same designs for years on end.

Layering many different prints andtextures is a style of bed dressing that ispopular and it is both sophisticated andrelaxed. The different fabrics can becombined successfully despite, orperhaps because of, their diversity.Frilled prairie prints can be teamedwith cotton lace. Cosy tartans andfaded patchworks create an attractiveand comfortable style.

Use bed linen to set a mood ofcreate an atmosphere. If you want theroom to look light and airy, go for white cotton sheets, pillow cases andduvet covers. Dress up the look withhand-crocheted lace borders andcushion covers, mixing old and newtogether. Or for a touch of countryfreshness, add a gingham or floralbedcover or a patchwork quilt, or forsomething more Victorian, use a satineiderdown. A mixture of plain sheets,duvet cover and pillow cases indifferent colours creates a moderniststyle that looks stunning with a black-framed bed.

You can also choose from the hugearray of imported textiles now on themarket. Layer and drape hot-colouredsilks, batiks, ikats and hand-blockedprints to re-create the atmosphere ofanother continent. Cover pillows withsilk scarves and drape saris from a four-poster, then dye your sheets strongearthy yellows, red and browns for arich layered look.

it is important to consider the feel offabrics as well as the look. There isnothing to compare with the luxury ofEgyptian cotton sheeting, especiallyafter years of laundering, so never sayno to hand-me-down pure cottons —even though they need ironing, unlikemixed polycotton sheets. Woollenblankets are wonderfully warm, butvery itchy against the skin, so turnback a wide border of top sheet tocover the blanket. Velvet bed throwsfeel very luxurious and can be madefrom old velvet curtains. Edge and joinpanels with a rich-coloured velvetbraid for a medieval look.

If you have a four-poster bed, drapeit with anything from chintz curtains tostrings of heads, or perhaps floaty layersof net and muslin. But you don't need afour-poster to have drapes, and thereare all sorts of ways in which fabric canbe gathered or hung to give a variety ofdifferent effects.

This stylish Japanese-inspired bed useswooden pallets for the bed base and a creamdecorator's dustsheet for the cotton bedcover wooden box that is wall-mounted the bed, with the fabric hungfrom the inside in two sections, todrape on either side of the bed. Theeffect can be solid and grand, or lightand romantic, depending on the fabricsused. Alternatively, fit a simple semi-circular shelf to the wall the bedfrom which to drape a length of muslin.A staple gun is the ideal tool for thistype of draping because it allows you topleat the fabric as you attach it to theshelf. Another advantage is that it isvery quick — you can drape a bed inthis way in just an hour or two.

A mosquito net is a ready-made beddrape that simply needs a ceiling hookfor installation. For a fun look, evokethe African savannah by adding a fewpotted palms and fake animal-printrugs, or create an air of mystery with adeep colour on the walls to highlightthe light drifts of net.

The most important thing toremember when draping a bed is thatyou will always need more fabric thanyou imagine. The success of the drapedeffect relies upon a generous amount offabric to spill out on to the flooraround the bed to add to the sense ofluxurious splendour.

Basic tools

The three most invaluable tools fordressing beds are a cordless (hand-held)electric drill; a glue gun and a staplegun. Staples are used for mostupholstery work these days and amedium-sized staple gun is ideal fordrapes, pleats and upholstery. Acordless drill allows you the freedom ofdashing up and down ladders anddrilling in awkward places where thereis no plug socket available. If you havenever used a glue gun before, you willbe delighted — they can be used forgluing almost any two surfaces togetherand provide an instant bond thatmakes life a lot easier.

BEDHEADS

Beds without headboards create a veryutilitarian and temporary impression.A headboard can make the simplest ofbeds into an item of furniture withdefinite style, and the possibilitiesreally are endless.

Revamp existing headboards togive a totally different character usingpaint, rope, upholstery, drapes orfabric wraps. An old paddedheadboard, for instance, may be verycomfortable but quite unpleasant tolook at. All you need is a length offabric and a staple gun to give it acompletely new appearance, such as the padded headboard made fromchintz curtains, . A leopard-skin-printed velvet; a rich chocolatebrocaded stain; a woven Mexicanstriped blanket or a black and white hounds-tooth check allhave strong designs to give instantattitude to a padded headboard.

You may prefer something a littlemore subtle. Rub down a new turned-pine bedhead with sandpaper, andthen paint it with two coats of mattpaint. The first should be a brightcolour and the second a lot darker.When the paint has dried, rub it backwith fine-grade sandpaper or wire(steel) wool to reveal flashes of thebrighter colour beneath. Paint initialsor a marriage date along the top railto transform a mass-produced bed intoa family heirloom.

Other Do It Yourself Articles:

| Austrian Blind | Buffet Party | Buying Plants | Ceiling Decorating | Choose Paint Brush | Choosing Floor Coverings | Choosing Your Own Flower Arrangements | Choosing Landscaping Plants | Choosing Themes | Christmas Decoration Ideas | Cleaning Tip | Container Gardening Ideas | Cooking Methods and Choice of Nuts | Cooking Tip | Cornice Window Treatments | Covering Floors | Cusion Materials | Daily Household Chores | Decorating Rooms | Decorative Art Painting Technique | Decoupage Equipment | Decoupage Ideas | Dinner Table Etiquette | Display Lighting | Diy Soft Furnishing Hot Tips | Do It Yourself Wood Storage | Door Repair | Double Glazing Windows | Draught Proof Door | Dried Fruit Loaf | Dusting Tips | Easy Cushion Embellishments | Emergency and First Aid | Fabric Repair Holes | First Aid Survival Guide | Fish Varieties | Fitting Shelves in an Alcove | Fixing Electric Fan | Flooring Repair | Floral Displays For The Home | Flower Arrangement Center Piece | Flower Arranging | Flower Arranging Tips | Flower Bathroom Decor | Flower Decorating | Flower Drying | Flower Drying Equipment | Food Safety Guidelines | Free Standing Shelving | Fresh Flower Arrangement | Fruit Preparing | Garden Floor Plan Designs | Garden Gravel | Gardening Finishing Touches | Garden Lighting Ideas | Garden {aving | Gilding Equipment | Gilding Techniques | Grass Alternatives | Handsewing | Hanging Doors | Hanging Picture Frames | Picture Hanging | Healthy Diet Plan | Home Appliance Repair | Home Improvement Budget | Home Interior Decorating | Home Ligting | Homemade Christmas Decorations | Home Safety Awareness | Home Safety Checklist | Home Security | House Cleaning Tips | Household Tips for Laundry | Housekeeping Tips | How to Make Bed Linen | How to Make a Wreath | How to Make Icing | Herbs and Spices | How to Decorate a Table | Candle Decorating | Decorating Tip | House Plant Care | How Do I Pick A Good Vacuum Cleaner | How Do You Decorate a China | How to Increase Livable Space | How to Antique Furniture | How to Build a Pergola | How to Decorate Glass Ornaments | How to Decorate Lamp Shades | How to Decorate My Home | How to Dress a Bed | How to Build a Storage Box | How to Choose Ceramic Tile | Lawn and Garden Care | How to Build a Closet | How to Create a Beautiful Outdoor | How to Install Cabinet Hinge | Patio Ideas | Window Dressing | Dried Flower Arranging | Using Herbs | Kitchen Gardening | How to Install Vinyl Floor | Create More Space in the Home | Stain Removal | Home Insulation | How to Fit a Door | How to Fit Dado Rail Upstairs | How to Make Curtain Valences | How to Make Roman Blinds | How to Organize Space | How to Plan a Party | How to Prepare to Paint House | How to Prune Trees | How to Recycle | How to Sew a Box Cushion | How to Use a Paint Brush | How to Use Fresh Ingredient | Hydroculture | Ideas On How To Set Up Contract For Home Improvement | Illness and Child Care | Indoor Plant Display | Installing Crown Moulding | Home and Interior Garden | Ironing Tips | Kitchen Lighting | Kitchen Organize Tips | Landscape Garden Design | Last Day Before Holiday | Lawn Weed Control | Laying a Foam Backed Carpet | Laying a Woven Carpet | Laying Carpet on Stairs | Laying Floor Tiles | Laying Hardwood Flooring | Laying Vinyl Tile | Low Maintenance Plants | Hanging Mirror | How to Make Curtain | Textile Patching | Moving House | Napkin Folds | Outdoor Safety | Paint Effects | Painting Doors | Wallpapering Tips | Paperhanging Tools and Equipment | Party Planning Ideas | Pet Safety | Planning Your Garden | Plant Decoration | Plant Potting | Plaster Wall Repair | Preparing For Paperhanging | Preparing Garden Soil | Preparing Surfaces For Covering | Preparing Wood Floors | Proper Table Setting | Hanging Wallpaper Border | Removing Old Finishes | Repairing Furniture | Household Appliance Repair | Rose Center Piece Flower Arrangement | Save Energy at Home | Sesame Seed Bread | Soft Furnishing | Soft Furnishing Hot Tips | Soft Furnishing Sewing | Solid Wood Floor Installation | Stamping Equipment | Stamp Making | Stem Cutting | Stencilling Equipment | Storage Organize | Storage Shelving | Stripping Old Wall Coverings | Table Flower Decorations | Tiling a Wall | Tiling Tools | Tools and Equipment for Furnishings | Type of Houseplant | Using Colour Pattern and Texture | Using Cushions | Wall Decorating Ideas | Wallfixings | Wallpainting Ideas | Wallpapering Ceilings | Wallpapering Corners | Wallpapering Stairwells | Wall Repair | Watering Plants | Well Equipped Kitchen | Window Dressing Ideas | Window Repair | Wood Embellishment | How to Use a Sewing Machine | How to doWall Tiling | How to Install a Door | How to Fit a Curtain Pole | How to Fold a Napkin | How to Make A Round Bolster Cushion | How to Make A Stencil | How to Make Couch Cushion Covers | How to Make a Table Cloth