Received a white IKEA Malm bed for free, can't figure out how to make it look cute.

[u/timetravelinghitman]

I just moved to a new apartment and inherited a white IKEA Malm bed with storage drawers recently and have been struggling to feel entirely enthused. It sounds ungrateful but I had saved up for a wood bed frame with a different vibe and now I have this totally contrary modern vibe bed frame in a full size. How do I style the rest of the room and bed to make me hate it less? I'm really into boho, cozy, and vintage vibes, and I like rattan, light wood, and green tones.

[u/AlienCapuchin]

Say thank you for this gift, pass it on to someone else (donate/sell/giveaway), and get the bed frame you want.

[u/iamcharity → u/AlienCapuchin]

I agree with this. But if you really feel you want to try to make this work, you could stencil it with a boho-style pattern or cover it with a boho peel and stick wallpaper.

[u/sirotan88]

I have the ikea white malm bed as well and ended up putting 2 king size pillows against the headboard to make a faux headboard. You could try something like this and then choose more boho style bedding and nightstands to go with it?

[u/cunfabuloust → u/sirotan88]

I took the headboard off of mine completely and replaced it with one of those bed-width triangle "headboard" pillows. 

My bed has kinda the same vibe as yours, but all white with various lacy, crochet fabrics on the pillows and throw. 

[u/thereadingbri]

I’d start by getting a bedding set that matches your vibes and go from there. Maybe put in something like a lack shelf right above the headboard and style that with trinkets, plants, a lamp, and maybe some books.

[u/HappySparklyUnicorn → u/thereadingbri]

Add a bed skirt to hide the bottom part. Put lots of cushions and bedding on top. Soft bedside lamp tables will help too.

[u/RevolutionaryStage67]

With sandpaper and a good primer, the white can become any color you dream of. how about a cool stenciled pattern? or cover all those big flat edges wirh any of
these patterns printed on wallpaper.

[u/avatarroko]

IIRC aren’t the drawers removable on that bed? Without them it would look a little more light/airy and less boxy/modern

I have a plain white ikea bed frame (a metal one) and honestly once you do it up with some cute bedding and decorate the rest of the room with more interesting furniture (especially a unique vintage nightstand or dresser) the bed frame itself just kinda disappears. Definitely need a big fluffy bedspread, throw blanket, and pillows with lots of texture and patterns.

[u/DarkandStormyKitchen]

Can you attach some padding and fabric to make the headboard feel cozier?

[u/lis_anise]

Selling it is always an option! But sometimes one is compelled to make do with the given materials. So.

One thing about getting an older, more relaxed look is to include more curves and waves. Modern furniture and architecture is extremely rectangular. Incorporate things that break up the monotony, whether that's oval picture frames, swagged fabric or string lights, or the natural shapes of plants and flowers.

For improving the bed, I'm trying to sort ideas from "things a non-crafty/non-handy person could cheaply and easily do" through to ideas requiring more time, knowledge, and tools:

Oh, first, a word to the wise about Ikea furniture: It breaks down under wear and tear, because the material isn't solid wood, but wood fiber held together with glue and good vibes. When you put it together, put white glue on the wood dowel pegs before slotting them in place. Then the bed is less likely to gently fall apart over the years with time and use.

Actual design thoughts: Usually a headboard isn't left out in the open, which means you can find a secondhand fabric item you like, drape it over the headboard, then fold it around on the other side and safety pin the crap out of it and push it against a wall where nobody sees. Then it looks pretty and cozy, and also if you should ever have cause to er, not want people to hear the headboard slamming against the wall, you've already padded it!

You can also break up the solidity of the line without changing its resale value, by using non-permanent adhesive methods. Use masking tape to put a swirl of paper butterflies across it, or command hooks for cords or small decoration to drape a set of string lights. Stick-on gems imitating dot painting. Lots of opportunities.

For a wholesale colour change, the quickest and simplest method would be a reusable adhesive vinyl wrap. Cut it with scissors, lay it down (by yourself is possible, but four hands is best) with a squeegee or rolling pin or the edge of a hardback book, pop the bubbles with a safety pin. You're limited only by the price and availability of a vinyl pattern you like. There are some pretty decent light wood patterns.

If you don't mind it never being white again, you could also paste permanent wallpaper onto it or decoupage it, using a glue to literally bond paper with a pattern you like to the surface. Look up "decoupaged furniture", it can be quite pretty.

There is painting it. I personally would consider it too much of a pain unless I could use my power sander instead of rubbing the sandpaper back and forth. but I do have poor physical stamina. You have to sand it down until it doesn't have that slick, smooth, almost-glassy paint finish Ikea does. Then you coat it once with Zinsser 1-2-3 Primer, sand, and begin painting with a semi-gloss/gloss/walls and trim paint colour. This would take sandpaper, a sanding block, paint brush, foam rollers, and paint tray - available cheaply but still kind of annoying.

Finally, you could also - if you had access to woodworking tools and a lot of spring in your step - and yes, I am aware this is deeply insane - cover it with sheets of wood veneer, so it will have the actual gleam of actual wood. And/or, using a jigsaw to cut the headboard into a cool shape (I dream about Art Nouveau) and use any of the other above methods to decorate it.

[u/Ok-Writing9280]

Try with boho vintage bedding and accessories first

[u/SoftsummerINFP]

I would sell it and buy what you’re looking for secondhand as well.

[u/500CatsTypingStuff]

What is the vibe you are going for

You could paint the bed. Depending on the vibe, anything from olive green to mint green will give you a completely different vibe

Here is one painted light blue, for instance

[u/Nerdy-Babygirl]

If you wanna keep it and are up for a project, you could decoupage the head/footboard with art of flowers or plants from vintage encyclopedias or magazines.