Anyone ever tried painting upholstery? Color suggestions for bedding

11 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Hello, I've always loved the look of French inspired upholstered headboards and was able to get this one for a steal; however, I'm really not loving the black wood and purple fabric, feels too heavy for the room. We are thinking of painting the fabric and wood a charcoal color; has anyone tried this before, tips, best techniques, suggested paint brands and color choices? Our preferred style is eclectic, and modern mixed with traditional pieces. I'm thinking of grey and yellow, or mint and grey for color choices and plan to keep the walls white. We live in a tropical climate and our room gets a loads of sunlight, would love the room to feel fresh, light and relaxing. Thanks!!

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Susanna

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

I opened my earlier post to edit the paint name in case you ever want to paint non-tufted, no-nap fabric. Unfortunately, my cat Linguine loves the binging and bonging sounds of the computer when he stands on the keyboard. Not helpful. It disappeared so... here is the name: Simply Spray Fabric Paint for Upholstery. (They have your charcoal gray) It did not make the fabric crunchy, stiff or weird. Nobody wants crunchy, stiff, or weird :-)

Again, I would not paint the fabric on your gorgeous bed but I would change the wood color. The black edge and empty white room are the reasons it looks heavy. If you paint the black, I would suggest using an artist brush on the edge that meets the fabric even with fabric covered. House or painter's brushes are too wide for good control in that tight space. They are not as flexible as artists brushes nor as small.

The Paris bed I mentioned was gray velvet and soft matte metallic gold wood. Soft, romantic, dreamy and transporting to a world of Princesses and Kings. If you keep the purple, I vote for gold or silver wood but NOT high gloss.

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Comments (11)

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Ironwood Builders
11 years ago
Try pairing the eggplant and black with a sage green...the contrast with the white is too stark...Tie it together with a gold toned rug on those sweet parquet floors.
lefty47
11 years ago
HI --Please don't do what your thinking of doing . The reason it feels heavy for the room is because the room is too light and has nothing around the bed .I think you should decorate the room so the bed will fit in , and look like it belongs there . Paint the room a soft grey that has a hint of lavender in it and add some dark wood side tables or some tables in a painted cream or light grey. Add some elegant vase base table lamps and some Art Also a rug ,-something in a wool in a cream color that has a texture and a bordered or bound edge. Anyway - I think you should work with the bed - it's beautiful . Painting it is going to ruin it's elegance and I think it is a silly idea .
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Kevin Twitty Interiors
11 years ago
That bed is fantastic! As far as painting. I would NOT paint the fabric. Most of the time fabric paints leave the fabric ruined and stiff. Your best bet to to reupholster. If you are unhappy and want a change, my suggestion is to sand the bed frame to give the wood some teeth and paint over it with a nice white painted look.

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gillianlf
11 years ago
Have you considered just reupholstering the headboard, It probably wouldn't be hugely expensive and you could even try it yourself; I'm sure there are tutorials online. Once the current fabric is off it would be a lot easier to paint the frame.

The fabric on yours looks silky do you know what it is. I've painted cottons like canvas with painters acrylics, but that could be expensive and time consuming. You could probably use latex since it is essentially a watered down version, but I don't think it would look very good and it would definitely be stiff. There is also fabric paint you can get at craft stores, but it would also take a lot and you should be careful that you weren't getting a product that creates a puffy look.
msasia
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you for all the comments, very helpful! I might just see the light (or dark) and keep the bed as is. On that note, any suggestions on bedding or curtains that could work? Feeling actually excited about trying to work with the purple ;)
Patricia Pelgrims
11 years ago
I find the black woodwork too harsh, but it won't be easy to paint that without touching the fabric.
If you do paint the wood white/off white, the beautiful purple fabric would look much fresher than it does now and it will geive it a lovely elegant and relaxing feel.
PRO
Cheery Curtains
11 years ago
Curtains for bedrooms are suggested to have a nice blackout, especially you mentioned your room is exposed to lots of sunlight.

Cheery Curtains has lots of nice curtains you may like and the blockout lining is available for each and every curtain design. Here attached are some curtain photos you may like (Mouse over the photos for a better view). For more designs, welcome to my Houzz page or contact me directly.
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Cheery Curtains
11 years ago
Follow my last post and some other curtain designs you may like
Aja Mazin
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Homemade chalk paint for the wood.

Requires no sanding or prep.
michigammemom
11 years ago
I don't think you would be satisfied with painting the upholstery due to the deep tufting of the headboard.
Embrace your unique bed and dress it up with a wallpapered accent wall and eclectic linens.
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