How to Make Your Own Headboard to Revive Your Tired Bedroom

The bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house. Your bed should be desirable and comfortable. If your bedroom décor needs some improvement but you don’t have a lot of money to spend, then why not revive your room with a new customized headboard?

Spice up your dark bedroom with a new headboard! The bed is one of the most intimate and essential objects in your bedroom. It needs to be a haven for your soul and should be your escape into “Dreamland.” You can make your bed attractive and desirable by customizing your headboard. Start your mission for the “perfect” headboard by looking in magazines (home décor and style magazines), at other peoples bedrooms, at TV showroom designs and furniture stores to get some ideas of what you like and some theme or style that portrays you as an individual. You don’t have to be a furniture designer to create an appealing headboard that will add some flair to your “tired” bedroom decor! The answer is as easy as a trip to the lumber store. Pick up a few supplies, and you will be on your way to constructing your customized headboard that screams “style!”

Supplies you will need:

  • A piece of plywood cut in the desired shape (square, rectangle, half-circle, domed rectangle, etc.) and make sure it is size appropriate for your bed.
  • Sandpaper or a belt sander to give your wood a smooth finish
  • Foam padding for upholstered headboards. The foam needs to be at least 1 inch thick, cut to fit the shape of the plywood and long enough to wrap around to the backside.
  • The fabric of your choice-leather, silk, heavy linen or velvet and faux suede all work well. Choose a pattern that will match your personality and the style of furniture in your room.
  • The embellishments of your choice such as gold tacks, decorative cording, buttons, tassels, beads, etc
  • Staple gun Glue gun and fabric glue sticks
  • Wood stain or your selection of paint-for the un-upholstered headboards that you need to paint or stain

Upholstered headboards can be beautiful and unique. You can style them to fit the theme of your bedroom. Here are step-by-step instructions for creating an upholstered headboard that will accent your bedroom.

Has your plywood already cut into the shape you want at the lumber store? Place the padding evenly over the plywood and staple into place. Cover the plywood and padding with your fabric (pull tight to eliminate any creasing or bubbles) and staple it to the back of the headboard. When you have successfully covered the plywood, then you can start with the embellishments and decorate to your desired taste. Use the glue gun to place your decoration around your new headboard.

Some other ideas to help you construct a fabulous new headboard are:

Fencing (wood, wrought iron or vinyl): Use a section of a wooden picket fence or wrought iron fencing to create an attractive addition to your bed. You can find old fencing at garage sales, antique shops or salvage yards. Get some boards to make a wooden frame to attach the fencing to your bed. Then, sand it down and add some paint or stain to match your color scheme and there you have it, a cute picket fence headboard. If you are using this idea for a child’s bedroom, you can add some flair by gluing on some flowers (wooden or silk) to brighten the room. You could also use farm animals (wooden or stuffed animals), attach them to the fence to make a fun “country theme.” Add a modern twist by using vinyl fencing to create your headboard. This type of material may cost more, but you might be able to find odds and ends or scraps at a yard sale or swap meet.

Shutters: Take some shutters (old, new or antique) and stain or paint them to match your bedroom décor. Attach them to a wooden frame and enjoy your new piece of furniture. Add some accents or paint the shutters to personalize them. You can also put a painting of some picture print behind the shutters to create the illusion of a “picture window.”

Old Door: Sand and stain an old door to match your bedroom furniture. If the door has panels, paint the inserts a contrasting color to add more depth. Wooden doors can be stenciled or decoupaged for a distinctive appearance. You should be able to find old entries at a salvage yard, the flea market, garage sales or antique shops. Folding Screen: A folding screen of any shape or size can be attached to the wall behind your bed or left standing for a simple but stylish headboard solution. Add a personal touch by using a screen with picture frames so you can display pictures of your family.

Faux Window: In order get the effect of a “room with a view”; frame an outdoor scene, a beach sunset or a wallpaper mural with an old window frame. You will create the illusion of an outdoor view. You can find old window frames at a secondhand store, garage sale or the flea market.

Decoupage a headboard and use memorabilia from your honeymoon memories (if you are married or any event that you want to remember; college graduation, trip to Europe, etc.) Use material from your wedding dress, silk flowers or lace from the nighty you wore on your honeymoon. Also things like baby pictures, fabric from your child’s first blanket, etc.

Stain the piece of wood ahead of time to match your bedroom furniture and buy decoupage materials and go wild! You can use pictures, stickers, thin material or anything relatively flat that you can attach to the wood and secure.

Making your furniture can be quite rewarding and not to mention inexpensive. Follow a few simple steps and buy the right supplies and you will be well on your way. The headboard ideas listed above are simple, yet stunning. If you have not been able to afford a new headboard or you can’t find one that you like then try making your own and create the bedroom atmosphere you want to have in your home. All you need is some exceptional ideas and the courage to let your imagination do the rest.

Leave a Comment