I'm really proud of myself...I hacked the Kura bed from IKEA. Of course, I use the word "hack" loosely...I didn't do any reconstruction - all I really did was cover the horrible blue panels with fabric. The results of that one little change turned this:
Into this:
I glued the fabric to the blue side of the panels before we put the bed together. My heart belongs to Fabri-tac. Best. glue. ever. If you are going to cover the panels on this bed, you have to trim *right next* to the edge because if not, you'll be able to see the frayed edges on the inside (white side) of the panels. Guess who learned this the hard way?
(notice it's not a fort, or a hideaway...it's a "princess fort," and the bed has now been christened her "castle")
The curtains are made out of this shower curtain from Target (incidentally, this is the same curtain she has in her bathroom...where we actually use it as *ahem* a shower curtain.):
I have a ton of leftover fabric from the bottom half of this little sewing project...any suggestions for its use?
Can I admit that I'm a more than a little sad to say goodbye to Sadie's crib/toddler bed? {sniff, sniff} Alas, it's time...she's getting big, and we needed the extra floorspace. Hopefully we'll need the crib/toddler bed again one day!
I think you should use the remnants to make a lined basket for toys or a cute laundry hamper. Also, you could use it for bedding, etc for her new American Girl doll that surely must be on the horizon for her. -jen
ReplyDeleteoh and i forgot to mention. This project is SUPER cute! Well done, Mrs. Intihar. Well done. <3
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness, Kendra, i am IN LOVE with her bed!!!!!! seriously coveting thy work! :) lol
ReplyDeleteWOW! that turned out awesome (of course it did)! and you will use the crib again :) i love you! xo
ReplyDeleteThanks guys!! Jen - I love the ideas for the remnants! My mind wouldn't go beyond "skirt for Sadie"...now I'm going to think about it a little more :)
ReplyDeleteKendra, did you make the canopy over her bed? If so, can you tell me how? Want one for my new little girl's crib (she arrives in September) but the ones I've seen are super expensive. Would love it if you'd email me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteblacktating@gmail.com
how old was your daughter when she went into this bed?? I have an 18 month old, and her sister will be with us in August. I don't imagine she will need her big sisters current cot until late November..
ReplyDeleteMy concern is putting a two year old into this bed..
Kendra, did you make the canopy over her bed? If so, can you tell me how? Want one for my new little girl's crib (she arrives in September) but the ones I've seen are super expensive. Would love it if you'd email me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteblacktating@gmail.com
I saw your post on IKEA Hackers. This is so creative and cute! I would use the leftover shower curtain fabric to make either decorative pillows to go with the bedding, or floor pillows so she can have something comfy to sit on when she's in her Princess Fort.
ReplyDeleteHi Jez, Sadie just got this bed - we waited to put her in a bed this high until she was 4. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteJez, the bed can also be positioned so that it is lower to the floor (basically, you just flip it upside down) for younger toddlers. I have a just turned 3 and almost 2 year old, and we bought two of these beds but are keeping them in the lower position until they're a bit older. They love them.
ReplyDeleteKendra - beautiful hack. It's lovely!
Beautiful job. LOVE it!
ReplyDeletei would use the left over fabric for pockets on the end of the bed to store fun toys. i actually thought thats what the flags on the end of the bed were until i looked closer!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys - I love the idea about using the fabric for pockets! I also like the idea of using them as cushions...I'm feeling inspired now :) Jez - I completely forgot to mention what the person said above - the bed can be positioned in two ways - the way we have it is as a loft, but it can also be done with the bed on the bottom - a foot off the floor.
ReplyDeleteI will look at the kura bed with different eyes from now on.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you turned something blah into something adorable!!!
Thanks for sharing.
I love, love, love this! I would love to make this for my children!
ReplyDeletewww.dekotamaries.blogspot.com
it looks like you have storage in the steps...did you add that? or is there nothing behind it?
ReplyDelete@liketoshiba - there's actually no storage behind the ladder...I added a toybox inside just so that we could get it out of another area of her room, but it didn't come with the bed :)
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome. Looking to do a "boy" version. Can you tell me where you got the small slotted bookshelf inside?
ReplyDeleteThx!
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ReplyDeleteKendra said...
@OWW - Thank you! The bookshelves are Kidkraft - I got Sadie's here:
http://www.toy4education.com/product/KK14221
Good luck with the boy version - I'd love to see the finished product!
How old was Sadie when you put her to sleep in the top bunk? We are thinking of getting this bed for our little guy who will be 3 in May, but are thinking of having him sleep on the bottom for a year or so...
ReplyDeleteWe got this bed for Sadie just before her 4th birthday last year (also in May). I don't think she could have handled the top part of the bed much prior to that. The bottom is also really cozy, though :)
DeleteI have a Kura bed and it took forever to put together!I really want to redo the panels but can I without taking the entire bed apart?
ReplyDeleteHello all, I was wondering if anyone could help me by measuring the thickness of the wood beams of the structure as well as the height of the blue panels. We loved this bed and would like to have it for our children. The downside is that my hubby's job brought us to Brazil and the closest IKEA is maybe 10,000 miles away. I have a good carpenter though.. can you help? Please reply to ivane2@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThank you! Ivanna
Hi Kendra! Your idea is amazing and inspiring. I had to do this for my daughter. I follwed some of your suggestions and she really enjoys it. Thank you so much!http://instagr.am/p/Pu3ASbnl-O/?fb_source=og_big_photo_nf_tail_url&fb_action_ids=10152100328040461&fb_action_types=instapp%3Atake&fb_ref=ogexp&action_object_map=%7B%2210152100328040461%22%3A464518170265724%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210152100328040461%22%3A%22instapp%3Atake%22%7D&action_ref_map=%7B%2210152100328040461%22%3A%22ogexp%22%7D
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteWe just got a second hand kura bed and started covering the panels with fabric. But once the fabric is on the boards it's hard to get the board to fit in the slots. We had to hammer the board in. Is this what you did? I'm worried about what will happen when we need to take the bed apart...
I'd love to hear from you how you did it.
thanks!
Hi Rebecca,
DeleteOur fabric was pretty thin, but it was still a tight-ish fit. We had to put a little elbow grease into getting them in, but I can't remember using a hammer...I'll have to ask the hubs. :) We have taken the bed apart once for our move, and we just left the slats in - it comes apart no sweat with the slats intact. Less work when you put it back together too! I hope that helps! :)