A Good Way to Style a Bed With an Old Quilt

Bedspread Beauty

• An old quilt that's in good condition can become the focal point of a room by using it as a bedspread. Complement a colorful, patterned quilt with pillow cases and shams in colors represented in the quilt. If you don't want to use the quilt nightly because you're concerned about damaging it with natural body oils, sweat and dirt, you can fold the quilt and leave it at the end of the bed for an splash of style and use it occasionally as an extra blanket on chilly nights.

Decorate the Headboard

• A plain Jane headboard can become beautiful with the use of an old quilt. For a quick change, simply fold the old quilt and drape it over the headboard. If your headboard is out-of-date and ugly, drape the quilt over it to cover the headboard completely. To decorate a bed without a headboard, you can make your own shappy chic headboard by bracing an old pair of window shutters to the wall behind your bed. Use wingnut screws or nails to secure the shutters and make sure they don't fall. Drape the old quilt over the shutters and draw it to the side with ribbon, in a swag-like style.

Unique Pillow Shams

• Old quilts that have seen better days can be repurposed for other uses. If enough sections of the qulit are salvageable and you're a crafty person, you can cut up the quilt and use the good sections to make pillow shams. Homemade pillow shams made with an old quilt add color and pattern to a neutral bedroom decor. This is an effective decorating idea to use if you want to keep your bed predominantly neutral while infusing a bit of color.

Patchwork Dust Ruffle

• Storing items under the bed is an effective way to use space, but it causes an eyesore. Use an old quilt as a dust ruffle to add to your bedroom decor and hide under-the-bed storage. Choose a quilt that's one size larger than your bed, if possible. This ensures that the quilt is long enough to hang from beneath the mattress to the floor. If it's too long, you can always fold the extra length of fabric in the middle and position it in between the mattresses.