A beautiful bed frame can really set off a room. Filigree steel is a fantastic addition to a bedroom designed to be calm, relaxing and airy, Scandinavian-style bedrooms are perfectly set off by carved wooden bed frames and classic, solid brass and cast iron looks great nearly everywhere. If you're not so into the spartan look, however, some bedsteads--especially the less decorative ones--run the risk of looking a little bare. So what can you do to really set them off and transform your bedroom into the boudoir of your dreams?
If your bed frame is getting on a little and could do with some rejuvenation, why not give it a quick coat of paint? Most varnished wooden bed frames will need sanding down for this to work, though there are gloss paints that will go on over varnish. If you're sanding the varnish down anyway, using a wood stain rather than a paint is a great way to get the natural finish you want! For metal bed frames, find a metal paint you love and give it a quick coat. Of course, a flat colour is by no means the only way to use paint to decorate your bedstead. Stamps, stencils and freehand designs can all look amazing. If you have the artistic talent, a bed with a solid wood panel at the top or bottom is a wonderful place to create a mural of your own, too.
There's something magical about fairy lights, isn't there? Hanging strings of lights from the head of your bed is pretty common--but why not go one step further and twine the beautiful little bulbs all around the frame? This might take several strings, but that means you'll be able to mix and match the lights you're using. Make sure you go for static lights with a soft warm glow to create a truly relaxing atmosphere. Enough fairy lights can add a lot of light to a room, so why not use these instead of a bedside lamp? Plug them all into an extending plug-board and mount the board on the wall next to your bed so that you can reach it to switch them on or off without getting up.
Many people love the glamour and luxury of a real four-poster bed, not to mention the sense of creating a little private den for yourself behind the curtains. They can be expensive, though, and they tend to be very large to boot--meaning that they're often inaccessible to people with small bedrooms or small budgets. The good news is that there are a few ways to reap all the benefits of a real four-poster without needing to get a new room or break the bank! Get hold of a few lightweight hooks that can be screwed into your ceiling, and some rings that will hook over them. You've got two main options: you can either hang a fabric canopy above the head of the bed to drape like a fairytale turret, or you can hang columns of fabric from the ceiling at all four corners with vertical strips to go between them. Whatever you choose, it's best to use a light, airy, draping fabric for this--meshes work best, and mosquito nets are perfect as well as multi-purpose!