I recently purchased a duvet cover online at Urban Outfitters. Of course the duvet cover looked super cute in the photo, but when I brought it home, washed it and put it on my bed, it made me gag to look at it. (I purchase products from Urban Outfitters all the time, so please understand that this isn’t a stab at the company). I didn’t want to give it away after just getting it, so I decided to see if dying the duvet cover another color would solve the problem. I took a trip to JoAnn Fabrics and bought some Rit dye (among other crafty supplies, naturally).
I dyed the duvet cover in my washing machine, and it was very easy. I just followed the directions on the back of the dye bottle.
You can still see the stripes faintly on the duvet cover, but I think it adds character. The pillows you see on the bed are from Pottery Barn.
The moral of the story? Unless you are absolutely certain, make sure you really love something before purchasing it online.