How to create a chalk paint navy and copper metallic bed for under £50

Having my usual morning Twitter design browse this morning and nearly choked on my Frosties when I clicked the link to the Telegraph’s interior design page and saw the bed above. I ADORE copper and have been using it in schemes for years, so the recent explosion in its use throughout the design world hasn’t surprised me. Great minds think alike, obv 😉
With emerging economic powers like China using all the world’s resources, copper prices have rocketed but even so £5117 is eye wateringly high for the admittedly amazing bed showcased, by Cantori at Heal’s.
Not got £5k but fancy a cool metallic sleep station? No problem, just follow the Moregeous lead and upcycle for under £50! Here’s one we just finished below in a very cool, industrial apartment which I call Project Rivet and was commissioned in Autumn 2012 to redesign & refurbish for corporate let:

In Project Rivet, there were several pieces of furniture bought over a decade ago which were all a bit Millenium, like the chrome tubular bed below.

Very expensive complete with a superb memory mattress, however a little passé and certainly wouldn’t fit with our new deep blue, cream and copper scheme. But I HATE throwing things away or not getting the best value from something. So, as well as painting the maple veneer of the bed in deep chalk paint Aubusson blue, I transformed the chrome sections by spraying them deep antiqued copper. I did consider making it bright gloss copper like the Telegraph bed but had already upcycled the spectacular bedroom pendants in that metallic shade and wanted to mix up different metal finishes, shades and styles.

Make sure you get a good scratch key on any metal work by lightly sanding with wire wool, and essential to protect the room in & floor on which you’re spraying with dust sheets. Far better to spray outside on a non-windy day but this wasn’t an option for this second floor apartment. There’s me busy painting 🙂

The below is the stage at which the chalk paint is on, but before waxing and polishing. The chrome tubes had three light coats of copper spray.

So you see, you don’t have to break the bank to get the look: find an old metal frame bed on eBay, PreLoved or in a local chazza shop, get some metal spray from B&Q and create your own copper dreamland!
The side tables are from Ikea and yup, I sprayed the criss cross metal sections of those too, in bright copper spray. If it doesn’t move, I spray it….. keeps Mr M on his toes 😉