Bed Inspiration - plotting a bed hack!

When I wrote recently about my dislike for our current bed frame I was kind of resigned to just putting up with it until we had the budget to replace it. I would absolutely love a contemporary four poster bed one day, but as that day is nowhere in sight, and I'm incredibly impatient, I decided I needed to do something cheapish in the interim to change it.

And who knows, if my plan works, I may not want to replace it at all! Now that really would be a result.

So what on earth am I planning I hear you ask? Well, here's what it looks like at the moment...

Yep, that cream metal frame stands out like a sore thumb against the dark sooty walls, and I hate it.

I'm not going to paint it which was my original plan, I've decided to make some loose slipcovers from linen, lined with thick wadding in to cover it, giving it a modern, relaxed, deconstructed look. I'll do covers for both the head and foot of the frame, and along the sides I plan to Velcro panels to the frame, which will hide the inside of the covers and the metal legs of the bed, along with all the stuff we have stored underneath.

I know it's not good Feng Shiu to have anything under your bed, but you try telling the taxman that we threw away the last seven years of accounts because it was bad Feng Shui to keep it all. Exactly.

The fabric won't be attached to the wadding, it'll be a slip over a slip, so changing the colour if/when I get bored will be easy. In theory. And if I have the money to buy 6 metres of fabric. 

Here's my inspiration. Do click through to the article to see this absolutely stunning apartment in Lyon, France. It's what dreams are made of. And the wall mouldings have reignited my desire to add some moulding to the wall behind our bed and the wardrobe doors on the opposite wall, so that's back on the list! Sorry Ed.

Felix Forest for Vogue Living

But back to the job at hand. My sewing skills are basic, and although I've always wanted to learn upholstery, I am most definitely not skilled in that area, so I'll be keeping this design as simple as possible.

Hopefully it will have the desired effect of completely hiding what's underneath and looking like a soft upholstered bed like the one above, but not quite as padded.

Wish me luck and check back next week for the reveal! I've got a busy weekend ahead of me...