How to Make a Draped Encasement Behind Your Bed
Styrofoam sheets are the key to making this project a real beauty. It’s a little difficult to find huge sheets of Styrofoam locally but you can order it online. You’ll need the sheets to come in lengths that will not only fit your window but will also accommodate the width of the bed and the length of the encasement, from top to floor.
The first order of business is to picture how you want the encasement and window to look. Think of a cornice over a living room window. The bedroom ensemble will be similar to that, but will have panels that come down from the cornice to the floor, on each side of the bed. It’s up to you to decide how far you want the panels to come out from the wall. Measure how far you want the ensemble to come out from the wall, and write down that measurement. From there, write down the measurement of how tall you want the side panels to be – basically, how high up you want the top cornice piece to be. Write this height measurement down as well.
If there’s already a window behind the bed, and it’s wider than the bed, you’ll need Styrofoam sheets that are a couple of inches longer than the width of the window. If there’s no window there, the Styrofoam sheets need to be as long as the width of the bed, plus eight inches. The amount of Styrofoam sheets needed will depend upon the width the sheets come in, at the place of purchase.
After you have the width, height and depth measurements, you’ll choose the Styrofoam and cut it to size. You’ll need one piece that will become the top shelf of the cornice. It should be cut to the width measurement you have written. Cut this first piece to the desired depth of the encasement. Cut a second piece to the same length, but don’t cut it as wide, since it will become the front of the cornice. Cut two side pieces. Each should reach from the floor to the cornice side. These pieces will fit between the shelf of the cornice and the front of the cornice, and will run down the side of the bed, on each side of the headboard. No headboard is no problem.
Before putting the ensemble together you’ll need to upholster each individual piece. It’s much easier to do it this way than to try and upholster after assembly and it’s much easier to do than it sounds. Spray adhesive will help a lot.
Cut fabric pieces to completely cover the front area, then wrap around to the back. Use spray adhesive to hold them into place. Then cut a rectangular piece, slightly smaller than the Styrofoam, that can be glued to the back of each Styrofoam piece, to hide the raw edges. Fold the edges of the rectangular piece under, about an inch, all the way around, then glue the rectangular piece to the back of each cornice piece.
Use toothpicks, dipped in white glue, to connect the cornice pieces together. Spray each adjoining section with spray adhesive, then dip toothpicks in glue, push them through the fabric and into the Styrofoam, then wipe excess glue off of the fabric with a damp washcloth. The side pieces should be cut accurately enough to where there is no space between them and the floor, upon connecting them to the cornice. To secure the side pieces at the bottom, use two-sided carpet tape, tap in some small nails, or just cut the piece to where it wedges between the floor and top cornice piece.
If you want, you can purchase molding pieces to go around the ensemble. Use contact cement to attach the pieces across the bottom edge of the front cornice panel, and down the front corner edges of the long side pieces. Hang curtains, where there is no window, by just installing the hardware and hanging the drapes. Make sure that the rod is placed high enough that the cornice will hide it. Pull the curtains to each side of the bed to complete the look. You can do something similar for a window box area. The arrangement looks striking and adds depth and appeal to the room.
