How to Design a Bed to Look Like a Treehouse

Sketch the basic bed you are starting with -- whether it is a bunk bed, a lofted bed, or a regular bed that rests on the floor. Doing the sketch on graph paper, to scale, will help you save time if you decide to add a built-on element, such as a headboard jigsaw-cut to look like arcing tree branches.

Modify the structure of the bed -- on paper -- so it includes elements of enclosure and of tree branches. The specific type of modifications you perform will depend upon the bed. For example, you could add connected posters to the bed, which would later allow you to hang curtains custom-painted to resemble wooden treehouse walls around all four sides of the bed. Or you could start with a mattress and construct a "built-in" bed, enclosed on three sides, with the painted curtain covering the fourth side to create the appearance of a full treehouse. Add wooden branches along the bottom of the bed frame.

Enliven the bed design with colors and textures appropriate to a treehouse. For example, color in the sheets, pillowcases and sheet a vibrant green to represent the leaves of the tree. Sketch a camouflage-print comforter on top of it. Color in the base of the bed frame green and the wooden "branches" brown, with painted lines suggesting bark.

Cap off the treehouse effect with decorative accents. Draw leaf-shaped pillows on the bed. Such pillows can be made simply from any green fabric, such as cotton or flannel. Sketch tiny creatures to be painted on or glued to the bed frame, such as birds, squirrels and bugs. Accents and hidden creatures will add to the sense of play and whimsy that a treehouse bed is designed to evoke.