One of my favorite parts of our recent summer vacation was staying at a resort hotel with the most comfortable bed. It was the kind that had crisp white sheets, more pillows than you could count, and a cozy duvet that made you want to stay under it all morning! After a long day tending to the needs of children, that bed was like a big, welcoming hug, and I was determined to recreate a similar resort hotel, spa-like feeling to our own bedroom when we got home. We already had the fantastic duvet insert that will forever have my heart, but I felt our bedding could still use a little love. I wanted to achieve a resort hotel feel without the resort hotel price while still holding on to that tropical summer vibe.
We’re excited to be partnering with IKEA, one of our favorite shops for affordable home goods, to share this inexpensive duvet cover makeover! While a great mattress, the perfect pillows, and all white linens will make you feel like you’re still on vacation, this hand-dyed, shibori style duvet cover will add that touch of personal style that makes it feel like home. It has just enough of that boho, beachy vibe to bring back those relaxed summer afternoons at the pool, too. I made sure to include nightstand lighting for bedtime reading, fresh flowers in a small vase, and a large textural piece of fiber art above our new NORDLI bed frame to round out the cozy factor. A few throw pillows later and our bedroom felt like our own little vacation spot!
Here are all of the IKEA items used to create this zen space: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Supplies:
–IKEA DVALA duvet cover
-5 yards of rope or twine
-2 packets of Tulip fabric dye in denim blue
-1/2 cup table salt
-Saran wrap
-1/2″ x 6″ x 12″ balsa wood
-1/2″ x 8″ x 16″ balsa wood
-hand saw
-rubber gloves
-paint stir stick
-scissors
Step One: When you take your duvet cover out of the packaging, remove the pillow shams, and then unfold the sides so that you have the first shape shown above. This takes advantage of the already folded shape, but feel free to unfold and refold until you get something similar to a long rectangular shape. Then do a flag-fold technique of sorts by folding triangles back and forth on themselves until you get to the end of your fabric. You’ll likely have a little bit left that doesn’t form a full triangle, but don’t sweat it.
Step Two: Cut your balsa wood so that you get a pair of triangles that are roughly the same size. You’ll be clamping these against your fabric with rope (or rubber bands, wood clamps, etc.) so that the dye doesn’t penetrate the fabric in that area. It’ll bleed through some, but it’ll create a unique resist pattern when you’re done. A larger triangle will mean more white space in your design while a smaller triangle will mean less.
Step Three: Prepare your dye in a stainless steel sink or large bucket. You’ll notice I just used my regular sink, but I had plenty of cleaning supplies on hand to take care of business when I was done. Add two packets of your fabric dye along with enough of the hottest water you can get from your tap to fill about 1.5 – 2 gallons worth. Add 1/2 cup of table salt according to manufacturer’s directions and stir.
Step Four: Place the bound duvet cover in the sink so that it’s submerged. If it wants to float, place a rock on top of the wood. Stir for 15 minutes almost constantly, and then every now and then for the next 45 minutes. Take it out and let it drip excess water down the drain. Then cover with Saran wrap and let the dye set for 6-8 hours for a deep blue. If you prefer something a little more faded and subtle, you can shorten your wait time to about 1.5 hours.
Step Five: After your allotted wait time, rinse your dye out with cold water. Wash in warm water with a little color safe detergent and tumble dry low. The color will fade a little after it’s been washed and dried, but if you let the dye set for 6-8 hours, you’ll end up with a bold blue that feels more like it’s been truly indigo dyed.
Step Six: Insert your duvet cover and enjoy your new look!
This type of visual change, along with simple white linens and a few other special details can totally transform the feel of a room! I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been working from bed instead of at my studio desk every day since this update. Now, if only I could figure out how to arrange room service, I’d be set!
Have you ever tried dying a project on this scale? It’s such a fun way to add some relaxing color and pattern this summer. I’m in love! –Rachel
Credits//Author: Rachel Denbow. Photography: Rachel Denbow and Janae Hardy.
21 Comments
I like the mini natural indigo kits- they are enough to dye a LOT of clothes (and yarn!) and most of them come with rubber bands and wood for folding the designs. I have regular indigo too, but the kits are faster!
I’ve been meaning to do a comforter and matching pillows for awhile, I love the look!
Love this DIY project!
xo,
Vicky
http://www.aspiringsocialite.com/
love this!! it’s so creative 🙂
dorky-and-weird.blogspot.com
Xoxo Jessy
I have a hat hung up the same way! Love it! And the hat doesn’t get ruined either! 🙂
http://www.ceoinprogress.com
I just did shibori for the first time a few days ago and made some tote bags with the fabric. It is seriously addictive!!
Love this DIY! My bedroom has been in need of a refresh. I want it to be a super relaxing space, like how you described the hotel bed. I think fun projects like this will help make the difference!
Laura
http://laurelandfern.com/
That’s super cute! I don’t know if I could ever commit to dying my bedding though.
http://www.petiteandhungry.com
Love the idea of a shibori DIY to update my bedroom. And that little round pillow is cute too!
I love this DIY! My friend just suggested that we do shibori dyeing the other day and it didn’t even occur for me to dye anything other than clothes. I’ll definitely be saving this in case I’m itching for a simple and inexpensive room update. 😀
-Helen
http://www.sweethelengrace.com
This is beautiful! I love the design!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
These are some really bold covers!
So love this – must make one. Will try with different shapes of wood too! Brilliant.
Love this!
Going to have to try it out.
Laura xo
bigglassesandcoffeecups.blogspot.co.uk
This is really cool, will certainly try it out :p xx
http://girlsjournal95.blogspot.co.uk/
Love this! I have a really hard time finding patterned bedding that I like.
I also used to make and sell tie-dye clothing and highly recommend fiber reactive dyes, like you can get at dharma trading co. They are very intense (although you can dilute them for a more subtle color) and last incredibly well through lots of washings. Also, I highly recommend always pre-washing whatever you are dying to help the color take. Soaking in soda ash before applying dye also makes a huge difference in how long the color lasts.
Can’t wait to try this!
It looks beautiful <3
I recently dyed my duvet as well. It had a plain off-white colour and had some stains that wouldn't wash off.
My duvet is filled with feathers, so it's very heavy (especially when wet!) so I went for a batik-style dye. I didn't want to submerge it to protect the feathers inside, so I used elastic bands and hand-painted it with blue dye (my absolute favourite colour <3).
It was a long process -it took me over 8 hours!- but I had so much fun. I also learned A LOT. The final product is amazing and it adds plenty of character and texture to my bedroom.
Thanks for your always-awesome projects! xx
Amazing! Could you please share where the beautiful roundish cushion is from perchance? I’m in love!
Blue is so beautiful…I’ve been wanting to try something like this for awhile. Thanks for the info and inspiration. Like a couple of other commenters – would love the source of the fantastic round pillow.
can you share where the hooks for the necklaces came from!
Superb dying idea. Thanks for sharing such and innovative idea here.
What kind of closures do you use for your Duvets?