DIYer Saves £100s Upgrading IKEA Bed With Genius Hack
- Nicole, 44, wanted to create a luxury bed frame on a budget
- She created a unique bedhead for just £103, saving £100s
- Bargains include a FREE foam mattress from Marketplace
Buying a new bed can easily get expensive, but one savvy DIYer has proven you can buy an IKEA frame and upgrade it by making your own luxury headboard for a fraction of the price.
Nicole Herrick, 44 from Melbourne who is a product photographer and YouTuber at Nicole Herrick DIY, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I bought the IKEA Tarva bed frame for £165, but I wanted to make it look more luxurious without spending too much additional money.
‘My logic is - why buy another bed when you can change it up with a new bedhead? I researched online for designs I liked, as I wanted to create a unique piece. I found a luxury bed that I really loved the design of, and I couldn’t find it anywhere else on the market. I used this image as inspiration when I went out to get supplies.
‘I went to Bunnings, which is basically the Aussie version of B&Q. I picked up Selleys spray adhesive for £13; it’s available on eBay or you can get the No Nonsense Spray Contact Adhesive for a similar price. I also spent £40 on MDF panels.
‘Next up was my local fabric suppliers where I spent £50 on upholstery fabric and wadding. I needed to pick a fabric my cats wouldn’t pull threads from and immediately destroy, so I went with micro suede. I was lucky enough to pick up a foam mattress for free from Facebook Marketplace.
‘At this point, I was ready to begin the project. First I cut the MDF panels with my circular saw for the backing board and rounded the top corners with my jigsaw. I sprayed the backing board and foam with spray adhesive, adhered them together and left them overnight.
‘The next day, I cut around all the edges with a blade. I then shaped the edges of the foam to be rounded. I added 2 layers of wadding to each piece, then wrapped it in upholstery fabric. I used a staple gun to staple the wadding and fabric to the back of the backing board.
‘At this point I sawed off the original IKEA bedhead and created a new leg support for the backing board before securing it to the bed frame. I then secured the two front bedhead panels to each other and drilled holes in the back of the front panels.
‘I used fishing line to thread through the holes, and I then pierced the fishing line all the way through the back bedhead panel before securing it with staples. Finally, I added a bed skirt by stapling on some of the upholstery fabric.
‘There were a few challenges along the way. It took some time to research a fabric that my cats wouldn’t be able to attack. I also needed to figure out how to attach the front two panels to the back panel as I had to somehow go through the fabric, foam and MDF without warping anything.
‘Now that the project is done my bed looks much more luxurious. The unique design of the bedhead makes it look like I have large backing pillows and it’s much more comfortable to lean against. Plus I can hide shoes and other storage under the bed discreetly thanks to the skirt. I have received plenty of positive feedback from friends and family.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Nicole has done a great job upgrading her bed for a fraction of the price. She has shown a lot of creativity in coming up with this method and the results look fab! Luxury bedheads can cost upwards of £500 so it’s impressive she has managed to get the job done for just £103.’
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