Hollywood has never been a “one size fits all” town, so what you crave in a bed canopy may not be what Jessica Alba or Tim Gunn selects. Barney’s Creative Director Simon Doonan commissioned a giant chrome cube canopy that morphed his bed into a geometric cage while Ralph Lauren’s bedroom canopy is a froth of diaphanous white curtains. Art Deco, Rococo and over-the-top canopy designs aren’t restricted to the homes of fashion icons or Hollywood stars, so give them all a run for the money by creating your own stylish nest.
1. Do your homework. Peruse bedroom decorating books and websites to decide on the shape, material, construction and design of the canopy you plan to fashion. Go the extra mile and research historical beds to gather ideas from noblemen and royalty who commissioned eclectic textiles, colors and hardware for their canopy beds.
2. Measure your bed – particularly if you own a special-order bed size that doesn’t fit the dimensions of traditional singles, queens and kings. As a rule, estimate singles at 36 x 75 inches, doubles at 54 x 75 inches and queens at 60 x 80 inches. Transfer the dimensions of your bed to your ceiling using a pencil or chalk. Add 6-inches to each side so the draped portion of your canopy falls outside the dimensions of your bed.
3. Construct the frame. Choose any material that suits your aesthetic to make your canopy frame: lumber, ornate curtain rods, copper pipes, found objects like lengths of steel or metal decorative art – anything that can be cut to the dimensions of your ceiling mount parameters and mounted using brackets. Refinish the frame components if necessary before fastening them to the ceiling using heavy-duty anchors and screws for a tight mount.
4. Choose a fabric to add drama. Twelve yards of textile in the widest width available should do the trick. Use bolts of black and white silk to drape the frame for 1940s Hollywood Art Deco splendor. Follow Ralph Lauren’s lead by attaching lengths of gossamer fabric to the frame, billowing the cloth on the floor. Fashion a medieval tapestry canopy that falls no more than 24 inches from the frame on all sides by cutting, hemming and then attaching the regal canopy sections with brass hardware that complements the cloth.
5. Add embellishments to complete your canopy. Mimic any of the trims you found when undertaking your research or come up with your own unique trim. Add rope, fringe, ornate tiebacks, garlands of silk greenery or flowers – or just let the canopy fabric fall gently to the floor. Pink and hand hem raw edges so nothing unravels and don’t forget to bundle your canopy fabric when you vacuum. All it takes is one pull from a vacuum motor and you could wind up starring in your own Hollywood farce.