Everyone loves a good IKEA hack, like my last leather woven chair hack that you can find here. This one is much simpler. The prices of the beds at IKEA can’t be beat. This bed was $359 + tax and delivery and can be found here. For this project, I am only 1) painting and 2) tweaking the design a bit by leaving off the top cross beam. Easy!
The bed that I selected was the Gjora bed because it has a nice height off the ground (more traditional) and it is simple. It also doesn’t hurt that it ” doesn’t look like Ikea”.
The bed came in 5 thin and tall boxes that were relatively easy to wrangle into the elevator. I laid out the primary wooden pieces and immediately started to paint the exterior of the platform support and the bedposts Wimborne White from Farrow & Ball (leftover wall paint) to match our guest room trim. I quickly ran a clean towel down each piece to pick up any dust (there didn’t appear to be any).
I did not prime the pieces or do any prep work and used a brush to apply the paint. I applied the paint only to the outer surface of the support boards and painted the top edge AFTER the bed was assembled. This was easier than having to hold each board on its side. It also helped to conserve paint as no edges that do not show were inadvertently painted white.
I debated setting up the bed directly onto the hardwood, but decided to lay down a basic rug to give some texture to the room and a soft place for feet to land. This rug was from Houzz and was not expensive. It can easily be changed out in the future.
After I painted the bed, I left off the top cross-bar that the Gjora features because I felt like it appeared too high and a bit strange. It also gave me less to paint! I will add finials to these posts once I identify which finials are best.
I will add additional pillows once they arrive, finials on the bed posts and a quilt to the foot of the bed. Will post additional pictures once it is complete.
The total cost of this bed was ~$980 start to finish, including the mattress from Tuft & Needle and the frame from Ikea.
MY CHICAGO HOUSE. 
Is the bed pictured just the slatted gjora bed and mattress. Did you any mattress support to get that height? Thank you!!
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Hello – The bed pictured is just the gjora frame with a Tuft & Needle mattress. We used the more expensive slats that Ikea offers (wood / plastic), but no additional support to get the height.
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Hi, were you able to find finials that fit the spot where the bar would normally go? If so, how did you secure them to the bed?
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Yes – The best way to secure the finials is to use a bit of wood glue inside the hole on the finial then tap them down onto the post with a rubber Mallet – wipe excess glue that squeezes out with a damp cloth.
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