Quick Faux Bed for Staging a Bedroom
Total Cost $10

by Nancy
(Colorado)

Using mostly stuff I had, this project probably cost around $10.

1 Sheet of plywood. Approx. $6.

Four 4”x4” scrap pieces each about 18 to 20 inches long.

Scrap fabric approximately 3 ft. wide by 5 ft. long. This can be one piece of fabric, several scraps that compliment each other sewn together, etc…

1 piece of foam 2 ft. by 4 ft. I used an old egg crate bed topper I found in the basement.

Cut two feet off the length of the plywood. Save this piece, it will become the headboard.

Attach the 4x4’s to the plywood corners using screws or brackets. These will be the legs and all need to be the same length, 19 to 22 inches. I recommend setting them in from the corners a few inches so people don’t stub their toes. Note: You don’t necessarily need to make legs. You could use milk crates, stools or an old coffee table. Anything to give it the desired height.

Stand your bed on it’s feet and position in the room.

I draped mine with a down comforter to give it the look of a mattress. Then I made the bed with sheets and an oversized bed spread that I let hang to the floor to hide the legs.

Cut a piece of foam to the size of the remaining plywood 2’x 4’ You can round the corners of the plywood or leave them square whichever you prefer. Lay the foam on the plywood and cover with your material. Flip the piece over and pulling the fabric taut, staple it to the back to keep everything in place. Attach a chain or some other type of hanger and hang it above your new bed so the bottom is just touching the top of the sheets.

The reason I did not use an air bed was that this property had been my mother’s home, we weren’t sure how quickly it would sell and we weren’t planning to be around while it was on the market. If the air bed began to lose air, it would be a strange sight to home buyers to tour a home with a partially deflated bed.