Ikea Hack...Fjellse Sunbed; the Master Bedroom Deck

I have been swooning over a double daybed for the deck off of the master bedroom at the lakehouse. It's my own private deck; it's great for lounging...so I draped the deck on each side, keeping the larger view elevation open. I looked at Restoration Hardware's double loungers...and they were AMAZING, but call me thrifty because the 6-8 thousand dollar price tag was just too much. Yes, you mostly get what you pay for, but there had to be a better way.

 
I used the single bed version of the Fjellse frame from Ikea on my deck off the living room last year, because it was left over from staging our Steveston house. It had a foam mattress that got wet, but dried out quickly. This year, I was going big... I wanted room for a tray with beverage and a book, so decided to go double. Brian painted the frame (and two end tables) in an outdoor black paint, after using the legs from the single bed that we already owned, to put together this one without a headboard:

A trip to Ikea later, I was home with the Fjellse for 59 bucks (another 35 for the slats). Now, outdoor foam is expensive, but seeing how this is a covered deck, I went with regular foam from Jysk. I was debating...a double mattress that I will have to store ($120), or two folding mattresses which equalled the correct dimensions ($69 each). They were both covered with a cotton zipped cover; I went with the two folding ones, since they could be easily stored or used as a cube which they fold into. They will get wet, but only because of sideways rain, so dry out easily once the sun hits them.

The drapes were another expense I wasn't willing to fork out for; the ones I wanted from RH were between 1-400 bucks, and I needed 3 sets for each side..too much! So, back to Ikea I went for drapes...I used the grommet type, made from cotton and called Merete, they have a great weight and hand. Outdoor drapes are typically made from Sunbrella fabric, which is fade resistant, so I went with natural and white (the deck below) so the sun damage is not easily seen. I will bring them down, launder them and store them inside till next year, but honestly, with the price of 50 bucks a pair, if they don't make it, I'm not too concerned.

 

The rope tiebacks I almost ordered from RH were 50 dollars a piece! Home Depot will cut rope lenghths for you...I used 4' peices which were over an inch in diameter in white...I had existing posts to tie them around, and in wind I can tie them really snugly, so I'm glad I didn't pay the 300 bucks for the 6 that I needed, since they wouldn't secure them in weather the same way.

Bed...check...curtains and tiebacks...check...so what about bedding, lighting and accessories for my bedroom deck? A trip to Heather Ross yielded a vintage hanging lantern...I actually saw it on the way out the door, but came back to purchase it for the deck...I thought of creating a pulley system of rope and cleat to make the lamp adjustable over the bed. I liked the weathered zinc (or whatever that great grey metal is).

The larger rug I ordered from Overstock.com last year, and the little one was a gift from a client. To cover the duradeck covering on my deck (we plan on planks in the future), I placed them at an angle to get the most coverage...and the black and charcoal with rope colours and white was setting a direction for the bedding, which was another Ikea find called Alina.

A quilted top is so comfy, and cotton is cool in the heat. It comes with two euros, which I bought inserts for at Ikea as well. I had a bolster to prop them up and chose to tuck in the bedspread to expose the legs of the bed and the black paint. And, I don't like the thought of bugs being able to crawl up the cover touching the ground...eww.

My new Master Bedroom deck :) 

 

 

 

Next year, maybe I will add some screens and it can become a proper sleeping porch :)