It's a cover-up

Design-it-yourself: Budget beautiful bedrooms

Decorating your bedroom with treasures that you find, make or design can be both fun and satisfying. Here are some creative DIY projects that will bring a chic designer look to your bedroom without the designer price tag.

Bemz cover for Florö bed frame cover in Soft White Belgian Linen Blend

Headboards can make a big statement piece in your bedroom, but they usually set you back a small fortune.

So, don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to headboards: Old doors, windows and other unexpected items can all make fantastic backdrops for your bed.

Another thrifty and effective design tweak is to upcycle a less expensive bed frame or headboard with a new slipcover, for example the Vanvik bed frame or the Albevär and Bådalen headboards from Ikea, creating a designer piece without breaking your budget.

The Vanvik bed frame cover from Bemz is available in three sizes, 140 cm, 160 cm and 180 cm and with or without a bed skirt


Bemz cover for Abelvär headboard in Blue & White Kokeshi topped off with a selection of Bemz Artist Series cushion covers

Bemz cover for Florö bed frame in Dusty Rose Hounds Tooth

Yet, another absolutely key aspect of a bedroom is lighting. Creating different moods in the space makes for a calming and relaxing atmosphere.

There's no denying our love for string lights. They radiate warmth and sparkle day or night, adding a romantic touch. Use them above the bed, decorate the ceiling and mirrors.

Still on lighting, you can create some budget friendly pendants from stuff you just have laying around your home: terracotta pots, cardboard, wire baskets, hanging planters, pretty paper.

This clever DIY idea by Robin Horton of Urban gardens brings the outside in to your bedroom

Follow the tutorial for this fabulous egg carton light pendant at Addicted to Decorating

Get the low down on how to make this exquisite piece at 3R's blog, Reduce, Reuse, Redecorate


Bemz cover for Grimen bed frame in Grey Frescati Plaid

Rugs are always a welcome accent in any bedroom, adding softness, warmth and texture. In fact, nothing cosies up a room like a rug. Don't want to fork out for a new one? Then make your own.

This unique DIY rug from Free People will add colour and comfort to any home and making it is relatively straightforward. Just follow the artist's tutorial

Typography authority Jessica Hische played around with this digital doodle and then applied the image to some FLOR tiles with a utility knife. And hey, presto a unique rug for your bedroom

This recycled sweater rug from Home Workshop is pure genius

Bemz Artist Series cushion covers in Brown Kvarter, Silver Grey Vallsta, Orange Fiskis, Pink Fiskis, Orange Kvarter

Another way to give an instant lift to any bedroom is to add a pile of decorative pillows, a bed skirt or curl up into new bedding.

Bemz Bed skirt with frills in Rosendal Pure Washed Soft White, cushions in Pale Turquoise New Baroque and Gustavian Flowers by Katarina Wiklund from the Bemz Designer Collection

Bemz daybed cover in Soft White, with Bemz cushion covers in Deep Navy Blue Stockholm Stripe, Dark Denim Blue Piper Twill, Soft White Panama Cotton and more

Nothing says crisp and clean like fresh new bedding and sheets. Check out Bemz's new bedroom range as well as bed skirts in new heights and lengths for those extra long beds.

Bemz bedspread. Loose Fit, in Medium Grey Rosendal Pure Washed Linen

Bemz bedspread, Regular fit, in Unbleached Belgian Linen Blend

If you would like to see more ideas along this vein, visit Apartment Therapy.

Credit: Apartment Therapy.
All non-Bemz photos via Apartment Therapy and Design Kastle

Design-it-yourself: A blackboard wall

A blackboard wall is fun, striking and handy - whether as a practical noticeboard in the kitchen or common areas, or a more creative statement in other parts of your home. It’s also very easy to make – just buy a pot of blackboard paint and choose an appropriate wall or surface. Here are masses of photos to inspire you on how to introduce a blackboard wall into your home.

Trendy in matt black, a splash back is easy to keep clean and simple to update.

Think big - paint a whole wall including the door, creating a moodboard for the entire family.

A blackboard wall is a low maintenance update to a child's or teenager's room - or any room for that matter, which can be modified constantly, keeping kids of all ages creative.

Isn't this a fabulous idea for a closet door?

Not willing to commit to a whole wall? Make a stand-alone structure or paint part of a piece of furniture.

Let the kids doodle while you cook. The perfect height for toddlers!

Create a blackboard at the back of your desk. Rather than the oodles of post it notes and to do lists littering your desk this is a simple and highly organised way to keep track of your to-dos.

Credit: Elle Decoration,October 2012.
Photos: Hover over each photo to see source.

 

DIY: interactive inspiration from the new Ikea catalogue

At Bemz, we’re all about personalisation and regularly feature fab Design-It-Yourself tips we come across for inspiration. This time around we’re featuring the new Ikea catalogue, chock full of super ideas. What’s more, this year’s catalogue is literally alive, with Ikea taking inspiration one interactive step further!

Us die-hard Ikea fans can now revel in additional features through an interactive “extra content” symbol  on many pages, which brings the page to life, unlocking films, interactive experiences, photo galleries and more.

One example is page 75 of the catalogue, featuring the Tarva chest draws. Clicking on the blue "extra content" button on the top right hand of the page takes to you a photo gallery of fun ways to tag up this this rather plain Jane piece of furniture into unique statement piece.

All you need is a bit of paint and your own special brand of creativity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have fun!

Design-It-Yourself: Under US$20

Do you sometimes have an idea in your head and can't quite find the right product within your budget? That's where our Design-It-Yourself series comes in! At Bemz, we're all about personalisation and often post DIY ideas we find in fave blogs or magazines. I came across these great DIY tips AGES ago and picked out my favourites. Each of them sure to cost you less than $20 and very little of your time.

From Dabble Magazine

The first is faux panelling from creative folks at Dabble Magazine. This is the perfect way to add glamour and architectural interest to an otherwise plain Jane room.

From Dabble Magazine

Start by making a simple box outline with some masking tape and change it up with an "X" detail using skinnier masking tape stretched from corner to corner. Imagine it behind a headboard. Keep lines crisp and neat with a metal ruler and a standard level. This is a non-permanent wall treatment so you can get imaginative!

From Dollar Store Crafts

The next one comes from Dollar Store Crafts. Armed with a little TLC and some blue paint, you can upcycle your boring old beige filing cabinet into a storage-savvy statement piece that feels like it walked right off an architect’s blueprint. Achieve the end result by using a paint pen to hand draw the white lines on the final piece.

Via Apartment Therapy

This fab DIY I picked up from Apartment Therapy. Using a pile of old leather belts they created a copy of designer Blake Sloane’s wonderful Belted Chair from The Haymaker Shop.

Via Apartment Therapy

A sturdy old wooden chair with a broken cane seat is ideal. Remove the cane and attach 12 belts of different widths using a screw and washer as shown in the image above. Seems easy enough right!

From Whatever

This wonderful happy idea comes from the adorable blog Whatever. It’s the perfect project in the run up to back to school. Take a box of 64 crayons and remove the blacks and browns. Glue the crayons to the top of a canvas, and blast them with a hair dryer. Watch as the colours bleed down the canvas, creating a beautiful, colourful mess. The result dries really quickly too. Hang it in your child's room - happiness guaranteed!

If you want to see more ideas along this vein, visit Apartment Therapy.

Credit: Apartment Therapy

Design-It-Yourself: 508 Chair Makeover

Today's post comes to you directly from the lovely and very talented Sarah of fave blog fiveoeight. I featured one of their previous creations back in March and their stunning reclaimed wood headboard ranks in the top 10 of most popular pins from our Pinterest page. I was thrilled when Sarah decided to include a Bemz fabric in one of her creations which she shares here, step-by-step - an exclusive to It's a Cover Up! You may not be surprised to find out that Sarah's genes are part Swedish. Oh the talent! Over to Sarah:

Hello...this is Sarah over at fiveoeight! I recently had the pleasure of using some of Bemz incredible fabrics to do a quick make-over on this chair. Chairs like this are super easy and are low-risk if you have never painted. I am sure a lot of these steps seem basic, but you never know how your process differs from others...these steps are specific to getting that chippy look with your paint. I snapped some shots along the way so you can do it too! Hope this inspires!

TOOLS:

• 150-220 grit flat sanding sheets, cut for whatever size you need* {508 uses: 3M Sandblaster or Norton 3X}
• electric sander (if you have it) & sanding sheets that fit
• fine grit sanding sponges, 220-320 {508 uses: 3M}
• furniture wax {508 uses: Fiddes}
• a few lint free rags
• paint, satin finish {508 uses: Benjamin Moore or Behr}
• paint brush {508 uses: 2.5” Angled Purdy Brush}
• flathead screwdriver
• wire cutters
• fabric of your choice {Bemz - Baronessa Pink by Lisa Bengtsson}
• staple gun & staples
• some type of backing or dustcover for the underside of your seat

 

1: DISASSEMBLE
Unscrew the seat. Loosen staples with flathead screwdriver & twist them out with wire cutters.

2: SAND
Go with the grain! Start with a medium grit sandpaper {150} using an electric sander {if you have it} for flat areas & flat sheets or sanding sponges for edges & corners. Finish sanding with a fine grit {220-320}.

Don’t go crazy- you just want the bulk of that existing finish off or ruffed up. If the finish is really gummy, use a solvent/remover first.

3: PRE-WAX
To get the chippy look, apply furniture wax BEFORE you paint. Wipe on the areas that you want the paint to chip off during the distressing stage. I like this method because it gives a similar look to Milk Paint, but you have more control. For this chair, I applied the wax all over quickly- not really caring how thick or thin. This made most of the paint come off in the end, which was what I was going for. Be creative with your piece!

4: PAINT
I only needed one 7oz paint sample for this chair. Using a GOOD brush, apply one coat of paint. I only brushed one coat on this chair because I knew I was going to heavily distress. The 7oz paint samples are still plenty to do 2 coats on a chair if you prefer. Let dry overnight.

5. DISTRESS
Using your finer grit sanding sponge or sanding sheet, begin distressing. You will see how quickly the paint comes off in the areas you have applied wax underneath. Again, go with the grain and move quickly. If it is not chipping or pealing off, MOVE ON.  When you are pleased with your look, thoroughly clean entire piece with damp rag.

>> Note: After the chair was clean, I applied a top protective coat of clear furniture wax with a lint free rag, buffing it after 30 min. << 

There are plenty of “how-tos” on recovering your basic chair seat- it is pretty simple. But here is the basics of how I do it- quick and easy. Here are the steps {continued...}

6. CUT FABRIC
If the original fabric isn’t too torn up after you have taken it off, use it to trace your new fabric piece! This ensures that you don’t cut too much extra fabric- or worse, too little! Often, people cut cotton batting to put between the foam and the fabric…in this case, I didn’t want it to look over-stuffed so I left the batting out.

7.  STAPLE
I mostly use an Easyshot gun, which isn’t the most powerful out there, but with a heavier duty staple it does just fine for most jobs. If you are stapling into a denser wood, you may want a more powerful staple gun.

Basically, I just line up the fabric, staple one side and then continue pulling tight and stapling each flat side first. Then, I work on neatly folding or bunching each corner tightly, stapling the corners in place one by one.

8. BACKING/DUSTCOVER {optional}
Because I tend to “over staple”, I like to lightly staple a white backing/dustcover on the underside of the seat to clean it all up. Especially because in some cases, the seat overhangs from the chair, exposing all those ugly staples and could snag your fingers while moving it around.

 

Now all you need to do is reassemble your chair and enjoy!

Design-It-Yourself: Karlstad sofa goes box-chic

At Bemz, we're all about personalisation and transforming your Ikea drab into personalised fab. That's one of the reasons why we love the Ikea Hackers website. In fact, this Karlstad sofa revamp, recently featured there, is so smart and stylish that we simply had to share it with you.

A plain old Karlstad sofa from Ikea, scratched to bits by the owner's cats, was transformed into this edgy, super-modern take on the Box Sofa by Autobahn. This Design-It-Yourself idea ticks so many boxes: upcycled, personalised, inexpensive, contemporary and cat-proof! It's easy to do - no expert carpentry skills required - and I'm sure you'll agree, the results are stunning.

To achieve this look, all you need is some birch plywood, walnut stain, and wood edging, then gather up your saw, some glue, nails and a bit of elbow grease. For a more detailed list of instructions, visit the original post by Susannah.

Make a wooden box that fits snugly around your Karlstad sofa. Stain in walnut and finish the edges with 1/2 inch wood edging.

Up the wow-factor like Susannah did, by replacing telltale standard Ikea legs with new ones and a subtle yet stunning contemporary finishing detail: painting the underside in a bright contrasting colour such as red or orange.

The only thing missing now to complete this transformation from mass-produced to one-of-a-kind designer is a chic new cover from Bemz.

See a similar transformation with a Karlstad chaise longue or other low cost Ikea-gone-designer solutions from Bemz for armchairs and sofas.

Credit: Ikea Hackers

Design-It-Yourself: Side table

Having been invited to Pinterest (check us out!) not so long ago, my travels through cyberspace seem to be reaching far farther and wider than ever before. Over said travels, I came across a lovely blog called 508 Restoration and Design. I have pinned as well as shared some of their creations on Facebook and everything has been very well received. It's run by a creative couple out of Virginia and this is one of their creations.

They used up tiny bits of left over paper for the drawer and combined it with a lovely cottage blue paint. The interior shelves were painted cream and finished it off with a wax treatment which, and I quote, "ended up giv­ing it a lot of weird stripes, vari­a­tions and texture…and I like it". So do we!

And of course the knob makes it! 

What a tremendous transformation - and all that with scraps of paper, paste, paint and wax. Throw in some elbow grease and a whole lot of creativity and voila! Although the Design-It-Yourself series is really all about personalising things yourself, sometimes it's easier to just buy them - and this baby is for sale, if that's what you want to do.

Anyone else notice the typically Swedish Dalahäst on the wall and the trasmatta under the table? Some seriously sweet Scandi charm going on over there in Virginia! Like.

Books to Inspire: Make Hey While the Sun Shines

What does the expression make hey while the sun shines mean anyway? Originally its meaning was literal: farmers should cut and gather their hay while conditions were optimal. Nowadays, it is used in a more figurative context: to make the most of the time when the conditions are right. Unwinding on holiday by knocking up a new bicycle saddle cover perhaps? 

Make Hey While the Sun Shines by Pip Lincolne walks you step-by-step through 20 crafty projects with instructions and illustrations to guide you. The crafts start off with making an individual family flag (like!) and then range from painting ceramics to making party bunting to a patchwork pillow and finally a deer quilt. Pip allows for newbies to experienced crafters alike to benefit from her book.

Make Hey While the Sun Shines isn't only about crafting though. Pip also includes some pull-out recipes and even a playlist! That's the kind of individualisation we love.

If you like what you see, check out more from Pip on her blog, Meet me at Mikes.

Books to Inspire: Design*Sponge at Home

This book comes straight from the creator of fave blog Design*Sponge, Grace Bonney. With a foreword by design genius Jonathan Adler and the main focus on DIY:ing, what's not to love?

Design*Sponge at Home gets to the heart of what we at Bemz, love most: how to transform something everyday into something personal and unique. Grace features 50 DIY projects, 50 before-and-afters and over 65 home tours. What I really like about it, being full of ideas but not so gifted in the creativity department, is that there is some serious hand holding in this book. Grace walks you through the projects and provides some of the really basic skills needed for getting stuck in on the DIY journey. It's a veritable bible of personalisation.

All that, and beautiful photos to boot. What's not to love?

Two years in the making, Design*Sponge at Home was released in September and was followed up by a book tour. But why take my word for it? Check out the book trailer below!

You can also read an interview with Grace and see more beautiful photos chez Inhabitat. Design*Sponge at Home is available to buy here.

Photos c/o Inhabitat and Amazon

Design-It-Yourself: Wall Art

I came across this idea on Apartment Therapy and had to share. It is so easy and virtually free, and the results are impressive. In fact, it reminded me a little bit of crafty projects I've taken on with my children to complete school projects. Seriously - check out the list of materials needed!

This one comes via House of Fifty and literally calls for a Ribba frame from IKEA and a sheet of marbled paper, or any beautifully patterned paper in fact.

Would you believe that a piece of funky and contemporary wall art like this can be created by gluing tissue paper to a canvas frame using Modge Podge? It's true. Visit In My Own Style for helpful step-by-step photos and details. The wall art was beautifully finished with a matching ribbon pinned to the edges.

Compartment Life came up with this one using... wait for it... toilet paper and paper towel rolls! I'm not kidding! It obviously took quite a few but what impressive results! Visit the link for all the details. This one was a tad more challenging, if you scoffed at the ease of the previous two.

Again, a little more challenging but not impossible, this one comes via Design*Sponge. Brenna basically traced the outline of a beautiful illustration from a botanical calendar and cut it out of heavier weight paper and used kraft paper under to soften the silhouetted blooms. Stunning!

This clever, and very on-trend chevron wall art, was created using shoe box lids. Spunky Junky spray painted the lot in a glossy white, used tape to outline the chevron pattern and then finished the boxes off in the colours you see above. Clever!

If you like this idea and want to give designing your own wall art a go, check out this other post by guest blogger Sue, who made wall art out of Bemz fabrics. 

Credit and photos: as indicated above