How to Make a Bed Nook with Curtains & a Cornice

You can tuck any bed into a nook and surround it with curtains for privacy.

A bed nook is a tightly enclosed bed space. Often a nook will be partially or fully built-in to the room and functioning curtains will further enclose the open areas. This allows beds in a shared room to be more private. The downside of a bed nook is that it is sometimes more difficult to make the bed. You can often overcome this problem by fixing one side of the bedding so that it stays in position -- this way, you only have to straighten the linens on the entry side of the bed. Making a bed nook in any room is a worthwhile project.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Masking tape
• 2-by-4-inch board
• Table saw
• Post top
• Nail gun
• 1-by-6-inch board
• Miter saw
• Finish nail gun
• Wall anchors
• Screws
• Screwdriver
• Closet rod circle brackets
• Closet rod
• Wood fill
• Caulk
• Primer
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Curtains
• Curtain rings

Instructions

1. Push the bed up against the two walls where you want to create the nook. Stand on a ladder so you can reach the ceiling. Use the measuring tape and masking tape to mark off the shape of the bed on the ceiling. You should make an L-shaped box on the ceiling with the tape. This will give you a visual guide for your cornice box.

2. Measure from one wall to the tape corner. Cut a 2-by-4-inch board to this length. Measure from the second wall to the tape corner. Cut a 2-by-4-inch board to this length. Cut 10 inches off the decorative top of a 4-by-4-inch end post. You are going to build your cornice on the floor upside down. This means you will position your pieces opposite of how they will mount to the ceiling.

3. Place your long 2-by-4-inch board flat side down on the floor and parallel with the ceiling tape. Position your 4-by-4-inch end post on its flat (cut) end with the decorative newel facing upward. Align the ends and nail the post to the board with the nail gun. Place your short 2-by-4-inch board flat side down on the floor next to the upright newel post on the opposite side of the newel from the ceiling direction tape. For example, if your long board is parallel with the long ceiling tape and the ceiling tape for the second board is to the right on the ceiling, place your board to the left of the newel on the floor, so when you turn the cornice over to install it, everything will be in the correct position. Nail your second board to the newel post.

4. Measure the inside length of the long board to the inside corner of the newel post. Miter cut the corner of a 1-by-6-inch board at 45 degrees. Measure the inside length of your short board to the same inside corner of the newel post. Miter cut the corner of a second 1-by-6 inch board at 45 degrees. Apply carpenter's glue to both miter cuts. Put your boards together at the inside corner. Finish nail the mitered corner together. Finish nail the cornice boards to the 2-by-4-inch boards

5. Measure the outside length of the long board to the outside corner of the newel post. Miter cut the corner of a 1-by-6-inch board at 45 degrees. Measure the outside length of your short board to the same outside corner of the newel post. Miter cut the corner of a second 1-by-6-inch board at 45 degrees. Apply carpenter's glue to both miter cuts. Put your boards together at the outside corner. Finish nail the mitered corner together. Finish nail the cornice boards to the 2-by-4-inch boards.

6. Center and screw a complete circle closet rod support bracket to the side of the newel inside the cornice box. The circle edge should be level with the edge of the 6-inch board. Repeat for the second cornice box. Turn the cornice box right side up.

7. Position the cornice box on the ceiling at your taped location. Screw through the 2-by-4 into ceiling joists or wall anchors to secure the box to the ceiling. Screw two screws every 12 inches.

8. Install a, open-ended closet rod circle bracket to the wall with the edge of the circle even with the bottom of the 6-inch wood. The open part of the circle should be facing upward. Screw into wall anchors. Measure from inside your closet rod circle on the newel to inside your closet rod circle on the wall. Subtract 1/16 inch. Cut closet rod to this length. Slide the closet rod into the newel circle and bring it down to slide through the circle opening into the wall circle bracket. Repeat for the second side.

9. Fill your nail holes with wood fill. Fill your seams with paintable caulk. Allow the caulk to dry and prime and paint your cornice. Allow the paint to dry. Slide tab top or curtain rings onto the closet rods and attach your curtains to the cornice.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use additional crown moldings around the top of the cornice to dress it out further. You can also can pad and cover the cornice boards with fabric or wallpaper.

References

• The Velvet Frog: Pink/Green Stripe Monogrammed Bed Cornice