White Wash Painted Mantel Headboard – Beginnings of a Bedroom Makeover

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Creating a white wash painted mantel headboard for the beginnings of a bedroom makeover.

As a creative designer, it is sometimes difficult to turn down the thoughts running through my head. My mind is like a film reel, constantly running with ideas full of colors, makeovers, upcycles, fabrics, paint projects and more. Even when idle, my surroundings become my playground. Visions of furniture placement, wall color, edited accessories, pillows and more come into play. This isn’t limited to just my home either. 😂I could just as easily be in the home of a friend, in a store or watching a movie. Rooms and spaces are given a visionary makeover. Recently a painting from HomeGoods ignited a spark that kindled into doing a partial master bedroom makeover. As with all makeovers, large or small, requirements and adjustments need to be made. Hence the need for a white wash painted mantel headboard.

In the Beginning

Here is the culprit – the HomeGoods painting that I found for $29.99.

I wasn’t looking for a new painting, nor was I thinking of a master bedroom makeover. But there I was, in the middle of the aisle dreaming up ideas for my bedroom. Jewel-toned visions of moody teals, forest greens and misty grays began dancing in my head.

Reality Check

Once I returned home, I hung the painting above our fireplace mantel headboard. I loved how well it paired with the wall color, but something wasn’t quite right. The headboard was throwing off the whole room. Over time this beautiful woodwork has turned on orange/yellow hue. 

I’ve shared before that I purchased this mantel years ago at a yard sale for just $25. 

It didn’t look anything like this at the time. For years it had been at naval headquarters and was covered in approximately 11 coats of paint. Several layers of glossy gray, red, green and more. 

It was stripped down to the bare wood and I have loved the look, until now.

After hemming, hawing and second guessing myself – I decided to add a thick white wash paint layer to the headboard mantel.

Typically I would use a 50% to 50% ratio of paint and water. After testing a small area it became obvious to me that too much orange/yellow was showing through. More paint was added to the mixture to create a 70% to 30% ratio.

This is one of the best design decisions I have ever made. 

Banishing the orange and yellow undertones instantly brightened the fireplace mantel headboard and quite literally the entire room!

You can only see a slight hint of the original wood.

More than likely, this is what this beautiful mantel looked like over 130 years ago!

Remember, when you own a piece of furniture don’t be afraid to alter it. Especially if it is hindering you from creating a restful retreat in your master bedroom. I’m so happy that my White Wash Painted Mantel Headboard blends perfectly with my makeover plans!

I will be sharing more over the next few weeks as progress is made. What do you think so far?

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