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Why not sell the MALM as-is on craigslist and use the money to make your own upholstered headboard with plywood and attach it to the wall?

I saw a show recently on HGTV where they were doing a low budget bedroom makeover and the existing bed was a MALM. Now this idea won't cover the whole bed but I thought it was a great simple and cheap idea.

They made a slipcover piece that fit snugly over the headboard in a really great fabric. And it just slides on and off. You'll have to be careful to measure correctly so you get a nice snug fit but sewing it together will be very easy.

It would be infinitely easier to paint the bed to change it's colour. Take it apart, sand, spray primer, paint your chosen colour, and seal with polyurethane. You can even add stencils or handpainted pattern if you feel confident in your artistic skills (or wall decals if you don't).
Another option would be to upholster the headboard and paint the rest. I'm just afraid attempting to upholster the whole bed (especially as it's your first time DIY) might give an unsatisfying result.

Wow, great ideas. Whatever you decide can you post some pictures when its done?

Thanks,
San Mateo Real Estate

That's so funny -- I'm about to tackle a fabric project with my Malm too! The inside is really just cardboard, so there's nothing to staple to, which makes it challenging. But gosh darn it, I'm going to find a way to get linen on that thing if it kills me.

I don't see why it wouldn't work.

BUT there are a few issues you'll have to keep in mind.

1. It's a piece of furniture made to be assembled only as a "right out of the box" item, once you add even thin fabric between the joints designed to already be snug... it'll start to be a pain in the butt...

2. I don't think regular staples will go into particle board... so you might want to use fabric glue, which yes... is tacky, but if you're not going to see the back ever... it could work. Nails, etc... might actually ruin the whole thing... BUT again, it's not a priceless piece, so if you want to cover it, probably you're not meaning to keep it forever.

A "slip cover" would be a MUCH better option, like they said above... but either way, I think you should post a picture of exactly what you want to accomplish, otherwise, we're just throwing ideas out there...

What if instead of upholstering the bed, you cut a headboard and footboard from plywood, upholstered them, and attached them to the head and footboard of your bed. You could paint the parts of the bed that show with a coordinating color. That way you could get the look of upholstery without compromising the structual integrity of the bed you have. Just an idea...

in the maxwell style...make a slip cover using industrial felt...

You would probably have to make a slip cover for it...that way you could pad it or tuft it too. It is hollow so there no way to staple fabric or a way to attach plywood. I don't know how well glue would stick to that surface unless you sanded it a bit first.

fjorlief's idea is pretty good, but might take some patience and the right skills. To make it look uniform, you'd just have to use a foam that when added to the thickness of the plywood (or mdf) equals the depth of the existing headboard/footboard.

Another idea would be to sell the malm on craigslist and get a Heimdal metal frame bed and upholster it. I've seen something on ikeahacker where someone did this exact thing. I hope they still have their pictures posted on flickr.

Fjorleif's idea would definitely work. As long as the upholstery clears the mattress at the bottom when you attach the separate piece, you should be fine. You could even use a staple gun to make faux tufting if you want (just hide the staple with a covered button if it's too obvious).

Then you could get a bunch of flouncy fabric and make a gathered bedskirt to hide the rest of the bed. You could just tuck it in around your mattress and be done, even if you left the footboard and just covered it with the bedskirt.

Never underestimate the power of sticky back velcro and stitch witchery.

:o)

Another idea is to hang valances using tension rods along the sides (under the lip of the platform part) making a pseudo bedskirt.

:o)

Instead of upholstering you could try these squares form Chiasso. They stick on easily. You could cover the entire bed or just the headboard!
http://www.chiasso.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=54246&sale=1&from=sale

The only problem with platform beds that have wood overhang is you end up banging knees and other parts on the sides. One with no edge or rim is more body friendly.

How about using fabric wallpaper?!