Elise Tyler scoured for a Hamptons-style four-poster bed for her daughter, only to find that everything in store was out of her budget. That’s how she inspired her to upcycle a run-down used bed on her Facebook Marketplace, making her dream come true for under $400.
“My first inspiration was the beautiful, almost beach lounge bed that was used to display the linens at Meyer,” she said. I found them, but they were all between $1,500 and $2,000 or more, and I just built a house and I couldn’t have come up with 100 better things to do with that kind of money!”
At first, I was thinking of having my carpenter-husband make a similar bed from scratch. However, after looking at the costs, especially the price of lumber, she soon realized that the project was not viable. “So the marketplace her hunt has begun!”
She bought the bed frame on Facebook Marketplace and scoured the local hardware store for the rest of the materials. “For the end panels of the bed, I used Bunnings standard VJ panels. It was the basic sheer packet I found.It was 3 meters wide, so I bought 3 packets and my husband cut very carefully down the middle to make 6 curtains of 1.5 meters.” she explained. Total cost was about $380.
Sanding and painting the bed frame took about 6 hours, including drying time. Most of the painting was done in full sun on the driveway on a 30 degree day. When her family finally moved into their new home, she added her VJ panels, curtains and another coat of paint to finish, plus she added five hours of work. All in all, it took Elise and her husband about 12 hours to complete the entire project. The end result was better than she could have imagined, with her friends and family calling it a “dream bed.”
Elise used to do a lot of basic upcycling, like chalk painting old pieces to suit her style. “This project was the biggest and most successful upcycle I have ever done. I had already learned a lot from previous upcycles and renovations, so I felt more confident than ever before. She’s already started another project, buying a beautiful mid-century 12-drawer dresser for the master bedroom.
“It can be hard at times, but nothing is more satisfying than looking back and looking back at the finished piece. If so, prepare to fail!”
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