DIY Upholstered Headboards

Upholstered headboards are easy to make and transform ordinary bedroom furniture into something comfortable and following the latest fashion in interior design.

Actually good bed headboards have to follow certain design criteria:

Decorative items on (or above) the headboard should not be able to fall onto my head.
It should be high enough to support my back when having breakfast in bed.
My head should be able to lean back, i.e. the headboard should not be too high.
It should be padded so that it will feel like a chair when leaning against it.
It has to be beautiful; not too loud in color or design that it overpowers other design elements in the house.
It must be large & attention grabbing enough that it makes a significant design statement.

I like to see all this in a headboard, please, if it’s not too much to ask.

While this seems like a long list of ‘must have’s, actually many headboards actually meet these criteria. Those that qualify, tend to be neutral-toned, with textures and patterns that accent other elements in the bedroom. Have a look at these examples that I picked as the best from the headboards currently on bhg.com:

Top 3 Bed Headboard Ideas / Designs

1. My favorite headboard is this shabby chic cottage headboard. Essentially it’s a padded pillow hung above the bed on hooks from a strip of molding. I like the cottage style. Plus, this can be an easy DIY project.

The base idea is also flexible: I can also see how this can be adapted into say a nautical theme when molding would be replaced with an old rowing ore with hooks.

2. Classy neutral-toned linen headboard that you might find in a 5 star hotel.

3. ‘Gorgeous’ is what came to mind when I saw this headboard. professional seamstress could pull it off as a DIY project, but I ??!!

Fabric covered buttons, rounded corners lift this headboard from boring to sophisticated.

Pairing it with the ultra-modern mirrored night stand plus glass lampshade makes me want to crawl into this picture.

Upholstered Headboards

How to Make Your Own Upholstered Headboard

Headboard DIY

This DIY video shows how you can make this over-sized upholstered headboard.

It explains everything, from how to cut the wooden frame, how to make the headboard padded, and more.

The ‘DIY headboards’- video teaches you how to create this beautiful upholstered headboard.

The fabric pattern is made using the stencils out of this book: Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens.

DIY Stenciling for Your Headboard & Other Bedroom Furniture

By stenciling the fabric of your headboard you will be able to create a wonderful symmetrical design that might be more difficult & costly to achieve with ready-bought printed fabric.

Purchase simple calico, sturdy cotton or linen fabric .

Use the stencils from this project or buy the book here.

Use fabric paint to complete the project.