E is for Experiment
It all started with a post from Holly Becker of Decor8. She featured Niki Jones, a creative interior and furnishings designer based in the U.K. I fell in love with this bed:208_Standard.jpgbut at ₤1299 ($2,100USD), it was a little out of my price range.
I was inspired, I wanted a black bed! So I decided to experiment. How hard could it be to re-finish my own bed? Ignorance really is bliss. I took my bed apart and carried the pieces downstairs to the garage. 
Leaving my mattresses on the floor of my room. It’ll take maybe 2 weeks… I rather naively thought.
It was the end of October, just as the temperatures outside dropped to below a balmy 50 degrees. I stripped the old finish off, scrubbed off the stripper with denatured alcohol, sanded and sanded some more, painted on primer, all this was in between the regular events of life, fighting a cold, and working in an office for a week. 
It did take a few weeks, I borrowed two space heaters from friends, made the trip across town to the Lowe’s for supplies and advice, and finally I was ready to paint it all black! The biggest challenge was sealing it once I had painted the black, the directions recommended a “well-ventilated area, between 55-75 degrees, without any pilot lights/flammables present.” I ended up outside in my driveway in 41 degree weather… 
spraying quickly and then bringing the various pieces into the garage to warm up and dry…
And the project was only half over. Next I had to decide what designs to paint! I cut out the shape of my head and foot board in brown craft paper, and went to work, sketching out ideas. 
I studied the initial design from Niki Jones, tweaking a few details here and there,but in the end, decide to keep it less busy than the first inspiration.
Fortunately, for this stage, I was able to paint the detail work inside on the dining room table, it was much warmer, and the light was better too. 
And finally my experimenting was finished! The paint had cured for the recommended time, and I was more than ready to get my mattresses off the floor. 
From start to finish, it was a 5 week project. I’m quite pleased with the results. I would try my hand at other re-finishing projects, next time, however, I would pick a warmer month to start the project. Now, all I need are the fantastic linens… I’m not ambitious enough to experiment with crochet or lace-making for the linens-details…
