JOIN USYou may have gotten your bedroom painted fancily, but may still be reluctant to give up on that old bed – either for sentimental or financial reasons. Rahul Gupta tells you how you can hang on to that piece of furniture and still make your room look fab.
While it is true that people who have a lot of money like to spend, few like to waste it. And those who like to spend money wisely will find many ways to cut corners. For instance, while doing their home, one may go for new bedroom interiors, but may retain their old bed.
Sometimes, it’s not just the wallet factor that prompts them to do it. Some people have a sentimental value attached to the piece of furniture, which is why they like to retain it. And for designers, it is always a big challenge to lend a new look to an old bed.
Anatomy wise
Let’s look at a bed, structurally and functionally. A bed comprises three parts - the header, footer and the box part (in the middle). While the main function of the box part is to serve as a sleeping platform, these days, it can double as a storage space.
Drawers are explicitly incorporated these days, unlike in older beds. In older beds there was no concept of drawers; one had to remove the mattress and open the box from top in order to use the box space.
But if you want to modify an old bed, it’s not a difficult task to add on drawers to the existing bed. A good carpenter, under professional supervision, can do that...and more!
Keeping up with times, if you would like to have a low-rise bed, you can do so simply by cutting the legs of the bed to reduce its height. But if there are no legs and the box is too deep, then it will be a cumbersome job for the carpenter to reduce the height.
The header and footer too can be replaced easily with the new ones. One can retain the old bed box and change the header and footer to new ones. If the shape of these items match with the current interiors, then they can be easily renewed just by changing their colour by using different types of paints and polishes. A good painter can just carefully scrap the old polish and give it a new colour. Go with white paint for a simple, classic look or black if you prefer a more modern style.
If you want a bold, colourful bedroom, however, try a bright shade like blue, red or yellow to spice up the look of the room. These colours can be put on the bed through High Gloss PU coatings available in the market.
You can also use faux-finish techniques to give your headboard an antique appearance. A crackle topcoat actually “cracks,” so the base colour beneath shows, to give the headboard a worn, weathered appearance.
Fabulous fabric
Another good option of changing the bed head is to put fabric cladding over it. A boring old wooden bed can be made interesting by cladding it with foam and fabric of one’s choice.
It can be cladded with leatherite, velvet, silk and numerous other options available. You can find fabric in a variety of colours, patterns and textures; so that you can create a one-of-a-kind look for your bedroom.
If you’re decorating a girl’s room, a pink and green floral fabric works well. In a boy’s room, try the denim material. For an elegant, grown-up bedroom, opt for a more sophisticated fabric like faux suede or moleskin.
So, the next time you plan to revamp your old bed, do use these tips. This way, not only do you preserve old memories, you also end up saving money. After all, a penny saved is a penny earned.
(The author is interior designer & promoter, 9th Corner)