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How to make a chic bedhead with nothing but paint

A DIY home project that costs less than $100! - by Laura Barry
  • 01 Apr 2020

WATCH: Thinking of painting your walls a darker colour? Watch Home Beautiful's guide to getting it right before you start 

Geneva Vanderzeil is a photographer and stylist who loves transforming trash into treasure and houses into homes, and she was recently approached by Bunnings to work together on a painting project using Porter’s Paints, which are now stocked at Bunnings.

Geneva created a statement painted bedhead in her home that is quick and easy to do, but has a huge impact in a room. The best part? it costs less than $100!

painted bedhead

What you’ll need:

  • Geneva used ‘Timberline’ from Porter’s Paint range, for a king size bed headboard you need around 1L of paint.
  • Paint brushes, Geneva used Monarch Precision Cutting-In brush
  • Paint roller and paint tray
  • Nail and hammer
  • String
  • Pencil

Choose your paint 

“Choosing paint is as much part of this project as the actual painting is! I suggest you grab a few tester pots first and paint them on a small section of wall in the middle of the bedhead to see what they will look like in situ,” says Geneva. “Once I had decided, I bought around 1L of paint for this project.”

Deciding on a shape

“In keeping with the theme of arches in our house, I decided to do a rounded headboard. This also fit best between the windows in the bedroom. You can think about a few different shapes before you decide - a square or rectangular shape would look really great, and a larger circle would also be amazing,” says Geneva.

How to do it

Step #1

“First, you need to trace out the shape of your headboard. Because of the rounded shape, it's easier to do this one by hand, rather than tape it off. I started by measuring the width of the wall. My wall space was 1.8m wide. I then calculated halfway, which was around 90cm.”

“This is the point at which I nailed in my centre point. I then tied the pencil to a piece of string, and tied that string to the nail, making sure the distance of the string was around 90cm. This was to ensure an even shape. Making sure to hold the pencil firmly, I drew the arc. Once the arc was done, I got started on painting!”

painting arch on wall

Step #2

“Using a cutting-in brush, I drew the outline of the arc first. I did this by loading the paint brush up, and then carefully drawing along the arc. This part takes some time and it's best not to rush it,” says Geneva.

painting wall with green paint

Step #3

“Because we have VJ cladding, I then cut in each of those joints so that the paint was well applied and there were no gaps. I used a normal paintbrush to paint the rest of the first coat.”

green painted bedhead

Step #4

“I let it dry for two hours, and then used a roller to apply the next coat, doing the edges again with the cutting in brush. The roller gave a really nice texture and finish. Finally, I let it dry overnight!”

See more of Geneva’s work by following her on Instagram at @genevavanderzeil and @collective.gen

You might also like:

DIY Painting ideas and Painting Guides 

Laura Barry
Laura Barry
Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

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