how to make traditional /country bed more boho? (paint, ceiling, sand)

[cicada]

I have a honey-colored queen anne vintage/antique bed, with four short posts. It's very traditional, and depending on bedding, can look very "country". It reminds me of my grandmother's guest room (nothing against Grandma, but I am in my early thirties and my style is more eclectic / bohemian with some modern elements). I already have an Indian tapestry as a bedskirt which helps.

Any suggestions?

Things I have considered:

1. Staining the wood darker - This is out. I would have to sand the whole bed. Would rather just buy a different one.

2. Painting - not sure about this. I was raised to believe that painting wood is a sin, lol. And not sure about what color to choose.

3. Some sort of decoupage / wall decal / something - not sure. Might just look tacky and ruin the wood.

4. New bedding. Any suggestions for "boho" duvets? A quilt of any kind would just look country. Plain white would look traditional.

5. Buy a new bed?

(I found a very similiar looking bed on ebay to show as an example, but not sure if I am allowed to post a link....?)

Thanks!

[Cattknap]

I would paint that bed in a heartbeat. What colors do you see in your bedroom? How about painting it turquoise deep orange, raspberry or apple green? Your bedding could then be almost anything.

[hothulamaui]

painting wood is not a sin paint that sucker a cute color and go for it. it will truly change the whole look. scuff it up a bit with sand paper, use a primer and go for it.

[Niftybergin]

Originally Posted by hothulamaui

painting wood is not a sin paint that sucker a cute color and go for it. it will truly change the whole look. scuff it up a bit with sand paper, use a primer and go for it.

I agree! And when I think of "boho," I do think of bright, bold colors and an eclectic, somewhat thrift-store look. You can totally get that with your bed and some paint.

As hothulamaui says, scuff the bed up with sandpaper, and then use a primer. If you'e going to paint the bed a deep, saturated color, you can have the primer tinted. This will just ensure that you don't have to apply lots of topcoat.

Once you've primed, let it dry for a long time. With painting just about anything, patience is key. So prime it and give it about 3 days before you apply the top coats. (Since you're going for a boho look, you could possibly skip the long dry-time for the primer. In normal circumstances, the long dry time for the primer would ensure that you don't get chips in your paint. But a few chips in a boho look would not necessarily be a bad thing.)

You could probably buy or rent a sprayer and spray the bed with your top coats. That might be faster than painting with a brush.

You could also...just for some extra boho edge...apply gold or silver leaf judiciously to a few areas, just for some extra glimmer and shine. And maybe even rub some dark glaze into the nooks and crannies of the bed, which would give the finished product an aged look.

After you've applied your topcoat(s), let everything dry for a week or so before you use the bed.

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by cicada

3. Some sort of decoupage / wall decal / something - not sure. Might just look tacky and ruin the wood.

Decoupage (which was huge in the 70's) is a lost art IMO. Practice on something else (unless you've done it before) then go for it. I still have things I decoupaged in college and they look better with age.

[Niftybergin]

4. New bedding. Any suggestions for "boho" duvets? A quilt of any kind would just look country. Plain white would look traditional.

When I think "boho" I think of the store Anthropologie. Welcome to Anthropologie*-*Anthropologie.com If you're not familiar with them, they sell clothing, but also homegoods. For instance, this bedding is very boho-looking in my mind: http://images.anthropologie.com/is/image/Anthropologie/993026_ppm_b?$cat-b$
On the other hand, this fairly frilly/girly solid colored item also strikes me as being boho: http://images.anthropologie.com/is/i..._055_b?$cat-b$


But if you go with bedding that is very busy, you might want to do a treatment to the furniture that is LESS busy, just to maintain balance.

[cicada]

Thanks everyone!

Okay, starting to think that painting or bedding change might be the best idea...
DewDropInn, you're probably right about decoupage. I'm a newbie DIYer so it could be a huge disaster.

Niftybergin, thanks for the detailed painting instructions.

I love Anthropologie's stuff, but its a little out of my budget right now, unless I can find something on Ebay. I've been looking at Urban Outfitters as they have some similiar things but at more affordable prices.

And I like the quilt you linked to, however, I think that ANY quilt will look country on this bed. Unless its painted a non-traditional color. But then I don't want to go TOO crazy with it, as you pointed out.

So...either paint a fun color and go with a plain duvet, or get a boho-ish duvet (but not a quilt)? Either way, I'll have some eclectic, colorful pillows.

[kinkytoes]

I don't have any more rooms to decorate...not to mention the decorating budget has been spent! But I recently fell in love with Bohemian! I actually agree with you that painting wood is a sin. Having renovated a historic house and having to deal with paint removal...I say Nay to painting.

Painting - if you paint the wood, you'll have to do a good job to get a durable, professional finish. That may involve taking the bed apart and tons of messy priming and sanding. If you have a couple hundred, I would send it to a refinisher to have them take off the original finish and paint the bed.

Bohemian - Based on the images I see on Google...and they are so GORGEOUS...I need a rich husband and a bigger house LOL...you can get some Eastern European looking prints etc and create an awesome look. Personally, I would do a Bohemian look in a "daytime" room. though.

[OrangeCoriander]

Could you suspend fabric from the ceiling (i.e., a canopy) and let it fall over the posts? It won't hide it completely, but it could downplay the bed a bit. Maybe something like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o5qp6TE0gz...t-yourself.jpg