Categories: Decorating & Design

Boy’s Tent Canopy

Why are most bed canopies so frilly and girlish? Doesn’t anyone think that a little boy would also like a canopy for his bed? Maybe not a frilly one, with lace and bows, but a different type, which will let him have that feeling of being surrounded. And, if your boy wants a canopy, you’ll have a hard time finding one that is appropriate for him, but if you do, it won’t be cheap. But you can make the cheapest canopy ever, and it will be perfect for a boy’s bed. A tent canopy will make your boy feel safe, secure, private, and happy.

A long, wide piece of cardboard – and maybe a second, smaller piece – is all you really need to make a boy’s tent canopy. The brown color of the cardboard might not suit the boy’s bedroom theme, but cardboard can be painted. Spray paint it black or brown, purple or blue, or give it a camouflaged design. Don’t soak the cardboard or it could buckle or wrinkle.

You can use 1, 2, or 4 pieces of cardboard, to make it long enough for a tent canopy. The cardboard – in total – should be long enough to reach from the floor, up above the mattress, at a slant above the bed, down the same-angle slant, and back down to the floor. The cardboard should be wide enough to reach from the headboard (if there is one), to at least the middle of the bed – or beyond.

In order to build the canopy all you have to do is fold the cardboard. First, bend the cardboard in half, across the width. That bend will make the peak of the roof over the bed. You can make a smooth bend if you use a straight edge, like the side of a dining table.

Measure from the floor, to a few inches above the mattress, and mark that area on the cardboard. Mark the same area at the opposite end of the cardboard. Bend the cardboard, across the width, at those two areas. That’s it for the main shape of the canopy. However, you can add a piece onto the back, particularly if there is no headboard, to make a solid wall in the back of the tent. Or, hang a curtain to cover the front of the tent. Your little boy is going to spend hours beneath the canopy, playing, reading, or sleeping.