DIY Headboard Ideas

There are lots of beautiful ways to make a DIY headboard and below I've detailed several ideas so roll up your sleeves and get ready to make your bedroom gorgeous. Now personally, I prefer an upholstered headboard that I can lean against comfortably but everybody's different and you may prefer something a little more artsy. If so, a painted headboard might be just the accessory your room needs.

• You don't have to be Picasso to have a beautifully painted headboard. You can use stencils or decals to achieve amazing results.
  
• You might also want to try using an art projector to project your desired image onto the medium you plan on painting. This is an easy way to get really tight results. If you don't want to buy one, your local library or school might let you borrow one for a day or two.

This is super easy and relatively inexpensive - your major expenses are going to be the pre-made canvas itself and fabric. You can find large canvases at your local craft store, artist supply or ebay. You could follow the advice in the above video and attach foam, batting and fabric or just go the easy route with fabric alone. Either way, it will be light weight and easy to hang.

Of course, you could also go the route of some of the above suggestions and paint it with your favorite colors, stencils or geometric designs.

Wood is an extremely versatile material that is equally beautiful when left natural or painted and makes a great headboard.  Architectural elements also make excellent headboards. They can be as intricate or as simple as you like and range from beautiful fretwork gates to simple paneled doors. Here are some items that can easily be turned into a headboard:

• Wooden Shutters: shop architectural salvage stores or buy them new then paint them to match the color scheme in your bedroom
• Frame a one large picture and hang it behind your bed.  If you opt for this decorating idea then make sure that the width of the frame is at least 2/3 as wide as the best other wise it will just look skimpy.
• Frame a series of prints.  Think more is more for maximum impact.  For example you could hang a large triptych, or 6 black and white photos, or 12 pages from a beautiful vintage calendar.
• Pre-made fences and garden gates, whether picket or otherwise make great headboards.   
• Sticks & Twigs: If you've recently pruned your trees and have a lot of leftover twigs and sticks then consider using them as a headboard for a beautifully rustic look.  Cut them into short segments that are all the same size, say 4 inches, and arrange them on another board so that you create a pattern of circles.  In my opinion this looks best when the diameters of the branches are all different.  You'll end up with a fascinating, one of a kind sculptural headboard that could easily work just as well as a piece of art on its own.  For a less time intensive version of this idea, select long straight branches and arrange them vertically behind the bed.  Or have the trunk of the tree cut length wise into long boards.

Wallpaper is so versatile and relatively cheap.  If you choose to use wallpaper for your headboard you'll also need to buy a decent sized piece of MDF board.  Cover this with the wall paper following the directions that came with your roll.  Add flush mounts to the back of the board and attach it to the wall.  If you get tired of it you can just recover it.

On the other hand, for a more eclectic look, you could use wallpaper samples to create a patchwork effect behind your bed.  Most wallpaper manufacturers will send you free samples and these are usually about the size of a normal sheet of paper.  You can also find decent sized samples in sample books.  Google "discontinued wallpaper books" for sources or check with your local DIY store or designer showroom.

Do you have a favorite picture?  How about blowing it up to huge dimensions and hanging it behind your bed.  You could go all Andy Warhol and have it turned into pop art or you could just hang it as is in a huge frame or plaster it to a piece of MDF.

When designing your headboard remember that you can't make a mistake - or a least not one that can't be painted over! So have fun, get creative and be bold. Make sure that what every you choose to put behind your bed is strong enough to shine as your bedroom's focal point.

If you're designing a headboard for your child, let them get involved in the creative process as well. You'll both have fun and have something to be proud of.

If this article has inspired you to design your own DIY headboard, I would love to see the results. Send 'em in.

Article by Anne Alexander Sieder all rights reserved. For hardcore interior design fans, check out my blog www.prettyhaus.com.