Use a Fun and Stylish Bed Canopy to Enhance Your Decor

Creating this trendy look is easier than you think.

Yes, it's true. The bed canopy from your youth is making a comeback. But, thankfully, not as a frilly pink covering over a white four poster.

Today, a bed canopy means a charming swag of gauzy material hung from the ceiling at four or more points. It can also mean a colored sheer fabric or netting descending from a hoop. You can even create a tent-style bed canopy above your headboard.

Ceiling Bed Canopy

Kiss the four-poster goodbye. Now any room can enjoy the feeling and texture of a romantic bed canopy. Use gauze fabric, cotton batiste, or even a fabric of heavier weave, and serge the edges to create a clean look. Tie up the ends with string and connect them to your ceiling. You will have created an appealing visual that cozies up your room.

Hoop-Style Bed Canopy

To create the open-air look of the tropics in your bedroom, make or install a hoop-style bed canopy. Suspended from the ceiling, an 18-inch wooden embroidery hoop holds mosquito netting, bridal tulle, or colored gauze for a wonderful mysterious look. The "plein aire" atmosphere from this bed canopy is wonderfully romantic. This style also does not have to cover the whole bed, as the bed canopy works its magic right around your headrest and pillows.

Tent-Style Bed Canopy

Here is a definite departure from the ordinary. Installing this unique style of bed canopy gives you a bit of privacy around your headboard, and creates an appealing visual. To create this bed canopy follow these instructions:

• Use three lengths of thin plumbing with half-inch flanges and half-inch end caps.
• Insert the flanges into the wall at the chosen points (center flange being highest), then connect the pipes.
• From the ceiling, use picture hanging wire to help suspend the pipes.
• Measure how much fabric you will need to adequately cover the pipes and extend to the floor.
• After draping the fabric, secure it with needle and thread.