DIY: Headboard & Footboard Design
Headboards and footboards might be a staple of bedroom décor, but no one said they have to look drab. Headboards provide the perfect opportunity to give the room a style and personality all its own. Whether you’re looking for a low-cost alternative to the traditional headboard and footboard set or you simply want to try something different, do-it-yourself designs can make a bedroom as unique and varied as the people who call it home. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Plywood
- Quilt batting
- Fabric
- Heavy duty stapler
- Paint or wallpaper
- Collection (any kind)
- Repurposed furniture and other pieces
- Favorite quilt or rug
- Shelves
- Plants
Instructions
-
-
1
Make a simple headboard or footboard by covering sheets of plywood or foam board with fabric that accents your bedroom. Use quilt batting or other cotton padding to add thickness and dimension to your board. Staple the fabric in place and create accents and patterns using ribbons, buttons and other craft supplies.
-
2
Paint or stencil a headboard directly onto the wall behind the bed. Fill the area with a wall mural, stenciled pattern, or creative faux finish. Leave the wall as-is, or frame the section with molding or trim to make the area stand out. For a kid-friendly version of this idea, try painting the section with chalkboard paint to create a space for drawing and coloring. If you’d prefer to use wallpaper instead of paint, try rolling bold patterns in scroll-like fashion and hanging them in columns behind the bed.
-
-
3
Hang a quilt, tapestry, rug, or curtain set at the head or foot of your bed. Unlike traditional headboards and footboards, these fabric alternatives give a refreshing sense of softness and texture to the area surrounding your bed.
-
4
Gain inspiration from hobbies, sports, and pastimes. Skateboard decks, racing numbers, travel souvenirs, movie posters and artwork can all be hung in place of a headboard. By creating a headboard that reflects your interests, you’ll reflect your personality and avoid clutter throughout the rest of the room.
-
5
Display that favorite collection you never know what to do with. Whether it’s a hodgepodge of antique cuckoo clocks or your stash of vintage records, there’s always a way to arrange a collection so that it fills the empty space behind your bed.
-
6
Shop yard sales and thrift stores for pieces that can be repurposed and turned into headboards. Keep an eye out for an antique mirror, iron garden gate, fireplace mantle, trellis, picket fence, Japanese folding screen or a pair of wooden doors. With a stroke of creativity and a little elbow grease, the possibilities are virtually endless.
-
7
Enlarge a favorite print or photograph and have it transferred onto canvas. Or, hang smaller pictures in columns connected with decorative ribbon.
-
8
Install a few rows of shelves above your bed and use them to pictures, collectables and other decorative items.
-
9
Incorporate nature into your bedroom by arranging natural or artificial plants at the head or foot of your bed. Alternatively, try putting pressed leaves and flowers into matted frames and arranging them on the wall behind your bed.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
