Colorful DIY Bedroom Projects

A color-wash technique adds subtle interest to a wall. To get the look in this bedroom, we used three damp lamb's wool cloths and light, medium, and dark shades of turquoise paint. Working from one side of the room to the other, dip one cloth in the light paint and drag it up and down the wall. To transition to the medium color, dip the cloth in both the light and medium colors and apply to the wall in the same way. Lightly blend the colors with a wet brush. Continue with the medium color, then repeat the blending technique to transition to the dark color. 

Cut a piece of plywood to desired size (ours fits a queen bed). Gently clean the boards with a damp cloth, but don’t scrub or sand away the weathered character. Cut boards as needed, and nail them to cover the plywood. For the whitewash finish, we diluted 1/3 cup white paint with 1/2 cup water and brushed on the mixture. When dry, we taped off boards and created color blocks using a blue spruce hue. The soothing shade works perfectly in a bedroom, and the color blocks add a modern touch to the piece. Screw the headboard into studs in your wall, or hang with wood cleats.

DIY Tip: Look for barn boards at architectural salvage shops, or ask around a rural community and you might get some for free.

This $50 duvet cover gains high-style thanks to an easy dip-dye technique. Start with a 100-percent-cotton white duvet cover. Prepare three large buckets of liquid dye (we used Rit brand). Mix equal parts Royal Blue and Navy Blue. Create three color intensities by diluting with water. Starting with the lightest tone, bunch up and dip about 30 inches of one short end of the duvet cover into the bucket about 10 times. (Dipping repeatedly, rather than soaking, results in a less crisp, more organic look.) While the fabric is still wet, dip 20 inches of it about five times into the midtone dye. Then dip 10 inches about three times into the darkest dye. Lay the cover flat on a protected surface to dry, then repeat the process with the other end of the cover.

Note: For all dye projects in this bedroom, follow manufacturer's instructions to set the dye.

Watch and learn the tips and tricks that will make you a fabric dyeing pro.

Subtle stitching makes all the difference on a plain pillowcase. With the deepest-intensity dye left over from our duvet project (project No. 3), we dyed two shams. When dry, we used embroidery floss in a simple split stitch to create a pattern that radiates like sun rays from one corner of the sham.

DIY Tip: Use all six strands of the floss for more visible stitching. 

Fan-fold a purchased white cotton pillowcase, then dip one edge into liquid dye. We used a mix of Rit's Royal Blue and Navy Blue to coordinate with our duvet. Let dry and heat-set according to manufacturer’s directions.

An onion cut in half and dipped in light coral fabric paint makes for an earthy stamp on a pillowcase. Experiment with other fun vegetable stamps, such as bok choy, celery, and cabbage, that offer pretty, organic shapes. 

Simple materials—paint and thread—update this thrift store lamp. We used spray primer and blue Rust Oleum spray paint to freshen the old brass base. Then we used embroidery floss in long stitches to create the vertical lines on the shade and to add V-shapes in two colors and hash marks underneath. 

This side table was a $35 Craigslist score. The legs and top are painted in two tones of the same color. A patterned paint roller from notwallpaper.etsy.com produced the charming botanical design in minutes. 

This previously plain white dresser now proudly wears an eye-catching geometric design. For either a new or an old dresser, remove drawers, then prime and paint the drawer fronts. Use a straightedge, a pencil, and painter's tape to block off a geometric pattern. Try alternating directions or flipping the pattern upside down on adjacent drawers, as we did here. We used three tones of the same color and applied them randomly inside the tape lines. When dry, reinstall the drawers.

This tone-on-tone paint treatment has the look of wallpaper but the painted-on hallmarks of a handmade piece. We dry-brushed a light peach shade of interior latex paint onto an artist's canvas. When dry, we used a patterned paint roller and paint one shade darker to roll on a pattern. 

We bought this petite ceramic bird for a song -- just 25 cents -- at a secondhand store, then pulled her into our playful palette with a coat of pretty peach-tone paint.