A fabulous headboard can add drama and focus to your bedroom. But what if you don't have a fortune to spend? You may already have to makings of a headboard around your home or in your local thrift shop. These headboard ideas are made for ordinary items, but have extraordinary impact.
- Use pillows. Attach drapery rings to the edges of three or four matching pillows. Slide the rings over a drapery rod attached to the wall just above the bed and have a padded headboard formed by the hanging pillows.
- Use an old discarded door. If you want a classic wood look, sand and stain the door to match existing furniture. Or paint the door and distress for a more vintage look. If the door is paneled, the panels can be painted a contrasting color, stenciled with elegant designs, or decoupaged with fabric or handmade papers.
- Use a section of wooden picket or wrought iron fencing behind the bed. The sections can be painted and fastened with bolts or hooks. For a more feminine look, weave thick satin ribbon in and out of the pickets and attach with bows at the edges.
- Use garden trellis sections. You can decorate with fabric and ribbons for a Country French look or simply paint.
- Use old window frames. Leave old painted window frames as is for a distressed look. Or frame coordinating (or contrasting) fabric for instant art that brings a room together. If you can find wallpaper with an outdoor scene, frame the scene to give the illusion of a window looking outdoors.
- Use folding screens. An elegant folding screen with fabric or painted panels can be easily attached to the wall or left standing for a simple headboard solution. A black wrought iron screen against a wall painted with dramatic color is a dramatic look.
- Use vintage napkins, placemats, or old silk scarves. These pieces can be hung on curtain rod which is attached decorative rod holders just above the bed.
- Use scrap plywood or MDF covered by cedar siding or wood flooring. The headboard will have a rustic, lodge look if covered by cedar shakes or a more traditional look if covered by tongue-in-groove flooring.
- Use framed photos. Create an arrangement of photos grouped by size, frame color or theme to give the illusion of a headboard above the bed.
- Use a vintage quilt or thrift store tapestry. Mount the fabric over a shower curtain or café curtain rod using curtain hooks with a clip bottom. This looks great in a country or European-style bedroom.
Tiles, strips of fabric, bookcases, the back of an old sofa, a large poster or wooden shelves can all be used to fashion a headboard. There are hundreds of items around your home which can be recycled into a headboard and cost little or nothing. Earth- and budget-friendly - what could be better than that?
