Romantic Headboard Makeover

This Bassett Furniture king-size headboard was given to me by a friend.  A few people told me they couldn’t see any way to beautify it, so I took that as my challenge ;).  Hopefully, you agree that the makeover did it a world of good!

The reason I saw potential in it was the details – the floral mouldings, the fluting, the spindles.  I’ll tell you all about how I accentuated those features later.

Here are the supplies I used.

Resource List:

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• King Headboard (gifted)
• White Lightning
• Hurricane Gray
• Manatee Gray
• Driftwood
• Redesign with Prima Dans La Vie décor transfer (available on Amazon or Etsy)
• Moonshine Metallics Steel Magnolia
• Clear Coat in Satin

If you want tons of information on Dixie Belle paint and products, you can check out this Comprehensive Guide post, and you can download it free here by clicking the picture:

Blended Base Coat

First, I cleaned the headboard well, and then I blended a base coat of Hurricane Gray, Manatee Gray and Driftwood.  I kept the Hurricane (darkest color) mostly to the outside, the Driftwood (lightest color) to the inside and the Manatee in the middle. 

I have plenty of blog posts with details about blending techniques, but as a quick overview I use a brush for each color.  While the paint is wet, I use a good amount of water misted on the surface and a clean neutral brush to blend the transitions from one color to another.  These 3 colors blend pretty easily together.

I painted 2 blended coats this way, letting the first coat dry before moving on to the second coat.

Dans La Vie Décor Transfer

This particular décor transfer is more transparent than most, so just be aware of that as you’re choosing your base color.  I used it over black once, and it wasn’t nearly as vibrant as I would have liked.

The whole transfer is sized to fit a tall dresser.  I cut it up, and used less than half of it for this piece.  After peeling the white paper backing off, I put it in place and rubbed it on the surface using the little wood stick provided with the transfer. 

I love the way the pink flowers and black words look against the gray.  They add that romantic feminine touch that brings this piece into the modern day.

Metallic Touches

Then it was time to highlight the details I mentioned earlier, and what better way to do that than blinging them out?  I chose Moonshine Metallics in Steel Magnolia because it’s my favorite.  Using a small artist brush, I tapped it on around the edges, on the fluting, the flowers and the spindles.

To protect the finish and give it a little sheen, I brushed on 2 coats of Clear Coat in Satin. 

If you’re a beginner painter or hesitant to get started, a headboard is the perfect small project to start with.  It’s manageable, and you can do as much or as little embellishment as you want.  Some ideas in addition to transfers and metallic are stenciling, raised stenciling, decoupage, appliques or crackle.

Head on over to Shop my Faves and pick out some paint and products for your next project!

If you liked this project, you may enjoy these as well:

Painting a Headboard

Vintage Vanity Makeover

Tired Old Desk Makeover with Furniture Transfer

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