How to Make a Lighted Bed Canopy

Tameka Norris | Apr 01, 2008 | Comments 0

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make a beautiful bed canopy? Well now’s you’re chance. Below you’ll find directions on how to make a lighted bed canopy. Directions are courtesy of Autumn, a contestant who entered in the Best Small Bedroom Contest. To be exact, she’s contestant number eleven.

You can even see photos of the gorgeous canopy before you start building it yourself. Keep in mind that although she built this to work with her bedroom nook, it will work for any area.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

3 wooden dowels (preferably about 6 feet long and whatever width you’d like)
A small amount of paint for coloring the dowels (any color you like). It’s best if the color is coordinated with the lace curtain or your overall color scheme.
A small amount of paint that matches your wall color (not required).
A strand of icicle christmas lights (white wire with white bulb looks best) and aim for a strand that is similar to the length of your lace fabric. It can be tough to find christmas lights in times other than the holiday season – but you can always find them on ebay (keep in mind that sometimes they’re marketed as party or wedding lights).
A long lace curtain or pre-cut piece of fabric (preferably something light, airy and slightly translucent). Look for something at least 5 feet wide by 30 feet long (so you have ample fabric to drape and make it look elegant). You can also buy the type of curtain used to drape along the edges of a window – not necessarily a regular curtain.
3 double sided washers with wings – I’m not sure what they’re called exactly but you can find them at any hardware store (see photo in Step 3). They look like small round circles with a hole in the middle and two flaps on each side (each flap also has a hole). The middle round circle should generally match the diameter of your dowel rods.
9 screws (plus 6 plastic bracers if you want it to be super sturdy)
4 translucent 1/4 inch tiny butterfly hair clips (to keep the curtain in place and prevent it from sliding around). See step 8 for an illustration of the hair clips.
About 30 feet of fishing wire
6 small translucent plastic hooks with sticky tape – preferably smaller than 1/2 inch (made by 3M).
Drill
Screwdriver
Scissors
Paintbrush
Measuring Tape

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Paint the dowels first (whatever color you like). It’s best to use a color that matches the curtain and your overall decor.

Step 2

Measure and mark exactly where you want the dowels to extend from the wall above your bed. The best option is to have the right and left sides at exactly the same height and the middle one a few inches higher (to give it a graceful tent feeling). It’s up to you! (See diagram of step 2).

Step 3

For each dowel, place one of the round washers directly on the end so the circle matches the diameter of the dowel. Using a screwdriver, screw the washer directly on to the end of the dowel. This can be a bit tricky as it can sometimes cause the dowel to split. It’s best to buy one or two extra dowels to have on hand in case any of them do split. (See diagram of step 3).

Step 4

Once your dowel has the washer attached – you can now mount it to the wall by drilling holes into the wall and inserting screws through each side of the metal flaps. It’s up to you if you want to simply drill a hole or use plastic bracers for extra support (See diagram of step 4).

Step 5

Feel free to paint over the exposed edges of the metal washer once they are securely fastened to the wall (it’s best to paint them the same color as the wall so it will blend in perfectly).

Step 6

No matter how hard you try – once the dowels are attached to the wall they probably won’t hang straight (most likely they will droop or even slant sideways because of gravity). I’ve learned this the HARD way. The solution is to support the rods using fishing wire and attaching to the ceiling with plastic hooks. (See diagram of step 6).

Step 7

Tie fishing wire arond the end of each dowel and attach it to the ceiling with a small clear plasic hook (use the adhesive pads included in the package). This may take a bit of adjusting here and there just to get it completely even and symetrical. Don’t worry – once you add the lace curtain you won’t even see the fishing wire and hooks that help keep it all in place.

Step 8

Now you’re ready to hang the lace curtain and lights over your completed canopy. Take some time to drape the lace curtain and christmas lights so that they look elegant and whimsical (in whatever style you desire). If needed, use the tiny plastic butterfly hair clips to secure each corner of the curtain to the dowels (preventing it from sliding around). (See diagram of step 8).