Moroccan Boudoir

Luscious reds from Para Paints and a combination of tactile textures from the bed's velvet and silk fabrics to the layered paint finished on the furniture saturate this bedroom with exotic excitement.

Armoire

Give an inexpensive, flat-faced armoire the look of a hand-crafted antique. Decide on a design and choose a complementary mix of panels and moldings to decorate the doors. Use a miter box for professional corner cuts, and attach the pieces with glue and finishing nails. Apply an oil-based primer to the surface of the armoire including all the add-ons. To create the faux wood finish, start with a pale orange base coat (see resources). When the base is dry, apply burnt umber glaze with a hard-bristle brush, and while the glaze is still wet, use a wood-graining tool called a rocker to make the realistic wood pattern. Finish with a raw umber glaze coat.

Bed

An exotic canopy bed was constructed by adding MDF panels to an inexpensive single bed. For the top, use 2" x 3" wood slats for the frame, covered on both sides with 3/4" MDF. Cut out a shapely window in the end panels; use a jigsaw and a router to cut out the rounded shapes for the front of the bed. For the fantasy faux wood finish apply a pale lilac base coat (see resources). Mix a coloured glaze, 1 part pale eggplant paint to 2 parts glazing liquid. Apply the coloured glaze with a hard bristle paint brush, pushing through the glaze to make wood grain lines. Use an artist's brush to apply more grain lines, being sure to have them run in the same direction as you would see in real wood.

Dresser

We used a Venetian plaster base to add centuries of character to a dull dresser. Begin with a good quality primer designed for slippery surfaces to prepare your old piece for a new finish, and let it dry and cure overnight. Use a wide brush to apply the plaster. The slightly uneven texture will give the appearance of age. Stencil a raised motif onto the drawers by applying plaster over the stencil with a spatula. Let the plaster dry. Apply a rust red base coat (see resources). To make the old lacquered effect, first apply a coat of amber shellac and then a high gloss varnish that has been tinted with dark red. Dab a little gold craft paint onto the stenciled motifs with your finger to give the illusion of metal.

The leather look tabletop is an easy project. We took vinyl flooring in a faux leather pattern from Mannington (see resources) and glued it on with vinyl floor adhesive. Add upholstery tacks to complete the image.

Whimsical Dreamland

There's a lounge-like feeling produced by applying glossy reflective surfaces, silver accents, and a light, white palette from Para Paints (see resources) that beckons you into this lovely bedroom. A giant, painted flower accentuates the hip, modern theme; crisp white bed linens and clean lined furnishings are simple and sophisticated.

Flower Mural

You don't need to be an artist to produce stunning murals like this. Draw your chosen pattern onto a piece of acetate with a magic marker. Use a projector to project the outline onto the wall and trace along the lines with chalk. The outline was painted a medium rose shade (see resources), pale rose was applied for shading and the remaining petals painted white. Use artist's brushes to add details.

Mirrored Wall

Rather than real mirror, which is heavy and fragile to work with, we chose plexiglass mirror to panel one wall. Measure and cut the panels to size and mark any cutouts for light switches. To cut the plexiglass, score deeply with an Xacto knife, line up on the edge of a table and snap off along the score line. For inside cuts, drill a hole so that you can insert a jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade. Use silicone glue to stick the panels to the wall and finish with a decorative strip of molding.

Storage Wall

We used Imma's old cabinets and dresser to produce a large storage unit on one wall, We built the top boxes and nailed them into place over the cabinets. You can paint over a shiny veneer or laminate surface, but proper preparation is key. First sand to rough up the surface, and then roll on a high quality oil-based primer. You can now use latex paint; we chose high gloss white. To unify the pieces, old hardware was replaced with modern pulls from Umbra (see resources).