Lush and luxurious in velvet and lace or soft and breezy in sari print sheers, canopy beds are a statement piece in any bedroom. Make your own canopy poles to complement your design and add an architectural element to the room. Add a canopy over a sitting area or even outside in that quiet corner of the yard.

Draw a sketch of the bed and record all of the measurements. Use a metal tape measure. Measure the outside of the bed including the frame and outside of the headboard and foot board. Measure just the mattress and box spring if there is no frame. Measure the distance from the floor to the ceiling for full height posts.

Build two identical rectangular frames using 1/34 inch closet poles. Use closet pole material with rings to make installing or changing the draperies easier. Cut the poles using a mitre set at a 45 degree angle. Check to make sure that the frames easily slide over the bed and the frame of the bed. Slip drapery rings onto the long sides of the top rail before screwing the pieces together. Glue and screw together the side frames.

Stain, paint or finish all of the pieces of the canopy frame before assembling.

Make upright posts using 2 by 2 inch lumber, 4 by 4 inch fence post wood, painted galvanised pipe or copper pipe. Clad wooden posts using decorative moulding or glue-on carvings. Decorate pipes with faux paint or decals. Porch posts, both new and recycled, can make great upright posts for canopy beds. Use black aluminium canopy supports used on mobile home carports for a wrought iron look.

Add real drama to a room with floor to ceiling bed posts made of manufactured styrofoam Greek columns. Sold in larger home improvement stores, styrofoam columns are used under stucco for outside installation but can be assembled and finished for use indoors.

Use pre-made draperies with a length of 84 or 96 inches. Hang the top frame at 86 inches or 98 inches so the draperies will just touch the floor. Screw the bottom frame to the upright posts at the height of the bottom of the box spring or bed frame. Secure both the top and bottom frames to the inside of the upright posts using long screws or L brackets

Attach the upright posts to the floor and the ceiling for a completely stable structure. Add security to the open framework of the canopy by screwing the entire structure to the wall or to the bed frame using L brackets.

Touch up the paint. Hang the draperies. Make up the bed. Add embellishments and lots of pillows and plan an evening.