Operation: Rast is complete! Hurrah! So for those of you who had guessed when I bought my Ikea Rasts that I’d go for campaign style, you get a gold star and a cookie! ;)
I played with a few ideas – Dorothy Draper Espana Bunching and Overlays were two considerations in the running but in the end, the ease with which I could get materials for a Campaign Style won out in the end. I’m impatient, what can I say.
What I hadn’t fully decided on however, was the colour. My original plans were to go for white – versatile, timeless – it made complete sense. And yet, white seemed so SAFE. I was already compromising on my dreams of something fabulous and vintage in getting the IKEA Rast anyway – did I want to go the safe route again? Hell no.
So I decided on a whim to go with something a little more daring. And honestly, I couldn’t be more pleased how they came out.
Now, I know having bright blue dressers with a yellow headboard won’t be to everyone’s tastes. Serene, soft bedrooms seem to be the order of the day, everyone wanting a simple calming palette but ya know, I’m not one to go with the majority on anything that I do in my home and I’m the one who lives with it in the end so I threw caution to the wind and ordered a few cans of Montana White Monaco Blue glossy spray paint. I never spray-painted furniture before believe it or not but with a coat of Rustoleum spray primer in Grey, a couple of coats of this, the whole project was done over a single weekend.
(For those of you wondering why I did it myself when I have Wayne who is a professional car sprayer at my disposal, if I had asked him to do it, I would have been waiting months. The proverbial plumber’s wife with the leaky pipes, that’s me. Did I mention I’m impatient?)
I had spied a few campaign handles online and cringed at the thought of spending £10-£15 per handle – the chests themselves were only £20 each after all! So when I spied a deal on eBay for £10 for 6 of them, I jumped. These lovely vintage brass handles were in my hands within a few days. I think it’s worth noting that the handles I got were meant to be recessed so Wayne had to cut into the face of the drawers to fit them so that they worked properly (otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to pull the handles out to open them). Aside from that, it was just a matter of screwing the hardware on.
The corner braces were ordered online as well from Screwfit but when they came in, they weren’t really brass at all – well they were, but the colour was pretty awful. It was obvious these were really meant as something that was functional rather than beautiful so I just took my Montana Gold Gold Chrome to them and the job was done – bright and brassy and shiny – oh yes.
(I know I sound like a walking advertisement for Montana spray paints but this isn’t a sponsored post, I paid for the spray paints and my opinions are entirely based upon my experience but honestly, their products are fantastic. Highly recommend them. And Montana, if you are listening, you can totally send me free stuff, I wouldn’t mind. *wink wink nudge nudge*) (Only joking!) (Not joking.)
The whole room looks so much more cohesive as well. The artwork really pulls all the colours together (which is what I wanted from it) and the room looks bright and fresh even with the charcoal black walls.
The only thing I’d like to do really is replace the ‘London’ ‘New York’ canvases with something else. I’m thinking a small collection of prints or an oil painting or a big mirror somewhere in there. I haven’t decided nor found anything I’m in love with yet and the colours work perfectly so I’m leaving them as is for now until I come across something that will work for the space.
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| Yes, everything looks a little crooked – there is not one straight wall or floor in this whole house so it throws everything off! The price you pay for an older property. |
And you might have noticed I’ve incorporated some plant life in the room. I’m utterly obsessed with maidenhair ferns at the moment – I just love how soft and billowy they are. I think I must have about 4 of them at the moment throughout the house.
Styling the bedside tables was probably my favourite bit. My old ones were far too small to get anything on them except for a lamp so actually having the opportunity to put a little personality on each side was a challenge I was happy to take. Another Maidenhair fern and my walking foo dog…
You can pretty much guess which is my side and which is Wayne’s. To be fair, my side came together really quickly and I was immediately happy with the results. I framed a coaster I got whilst we were in Barcelona so it brings back memories of a lovely holiday.
Wayne’s side took more time only because I wanted it to reflect him and make it a little masculine. I’m not sure if this is the final look because there’s still something not quite right about it in my eyes but he liked it so that’s all that counts really. I’m considering it a work-in-progress.
At least the artwork really ties the room so much better now.
It’s so difficult to photograph the canvas as the camera blows it out a bit but you can see it a bit better in this (slightly darker) shot…
I found this picture from April 2012 – so only around a year ago and it was such a dramatic before and after that I had to share. I know it takes me forever to do up a room but all the time taken to find the pieces of the puzzle are really worth it and not rushing into your decorating is so important. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – 9 times out of 10, you’ll get a better room if you take your time rather than try to do it all at once.
So that’s my reveal. I hope the waiting was worth it! What do you think of the colour choice? Would you have gone with something different? Attempt your own Rast Hack? Want to share it? Link/Share in the comments!
P.S. I blogged about spraying the lamp bases here, gave a tutorial for covering the lampshades with fabric here and talked about my DIY art canvas here. You can find links to my other bedroom projects on my house tour page.
PPS. Whenever I post about my bedroom, I always get emails asking about the paint colour so I thought it was worth mentioning that it’s painted in Dulux Nightjewels 1 which is a fantastic, really rich paint that only took 2 coats. You can find lots of the sources of stuff in my home on my ‘Where did you get that?’ page in the tabs above.
I never should have doubted you. These look brilliant. If only I had room for something like these, alas no room in my 1 bedroom flat.<br /><br />Keep up the fab work!
Ha! I like to keep people guessing, what can I say and so pleased you like the results :) They are rather petite in size and could be great in any room btw! xxx
This is a bedroom with a wow-effect! Congratulation to your own style. My most beloved room in your house is the living room with olivegreen and yellow. Greetings, Ria
Thanks so much Ria! While lots of elements of my decor are not unique, I like to think I combine them all in my own way :) And that's what having a home is all about right? :) xx
Omg!!! I love them!!! I've been dying for some campaign end tables….but, after a few years of searching, I might just have to rast it up. Yours look beyond amazing!!! <br /><br />xx. Patience
the drawers look fantastic!!! And love that blue color!!! Well done! And that painting is gorgeous! like you sais, pullsthe room together. You should sell them, really! Love the overall look of the room :)<br />Smooches,<br />Natascha xoxo
That blue is FANTASTIC. I love it. I'll have you know, I've had a tab open to Amazon on Montana Gold for months now (yes, I keep tabs open for months, I am a tab hoarder. I just can't commit to closing them! Currently I have 35 tabs open. My boyfriend gives me hell all the time about how it slows my computer, blah blah blah, I do what I want!) I need to just buy it already! :) xo<br /
Nice job Kimberly!!! Loving the brass + blue combo, absolutely delish! I need to find some more of these IKEA hacks methinks, such a great way to get fab style on a budget. xx
You rocked it girl, of course! And I love the color you picked. You are a color guru, as your paintings show. I'm pretty much just in love with your room. Wanna switch?
oh it looks ammmmmmaaaaaaazinggggg! so dynamic! the nightstands are now unrecognizable! i am so thrilled for you, red. it's a thing of beauty.<br /><br />smiles.<br /><br />michele
Love blue, love campaign. The bedroom has come a long way. (Except the other side of the room that we never see, right? Ha ha.) <br /><br />I don't think the nightstands are too bold next to the yellow headboard, since the wall color is so grounding. The white bedding helps tone things down, or even if you had bedding with both yellow and blue, that would probably work too.<br /><br />You
It has changed so much in a year hasn't it? Loving the cabinets, especially with the lampshades!!
The color: YES! Please put those nightstands in the mail right this second and ship them to me. Your bedroom is one of my all-time faves in all of the blogsphere/world.
I absolutely love your room! The Rast hacks are perfect. I see what you mean about replacing the two posters but they're getting the job done for now. ;-) <br />I think on Wayne's side of the bed you should maybe replace the blue bowl with a burl wood bowl. Etsy has some that would bring a more masculine feel to his side and echo the wood from the other corner of the room. I'm so
I love it! I also have a real dark room and love the sultry feel it gives it. So much better for sleeping in than a light and airy alternative.
How did I miss this?! They look fabulous! The blue is perfect and your art is phenomenal. You have such a lovely little bedroom.
Love them, as usual.<br />So,what else do I get for guessing the campaign style and the fact that you would go for a bright and bold colour?
Good choice on the campaign style. The nightstands really complement everything else in the room. (And I'm crushing on those lampshades! Did you cover them in fabric?)
Just revisiting this post as I love this hack and your room so much! Love your philosophy too – go bold or go home! xx
LOL! Thanks Elissa! :)