The headboard may seem like the most boring piece of furniture, but that’s the story of the past. With so many designs and DIY headboard ideas floating around, you can choose from a variety of styles and have something that fits your aesthetics.
Having a headboard on your bed might be a personal choice. However, it does provide a lot of benefits. It keeps the wall behind your bed from inevitable wear and tear and prevents you from banging your head against the wall during your sleep. And while it’s not necessary for the mattress, a good headboard does keep your pillows in place. On top of that, a stylish headboard can immediately elevate your bedroom design.
Image credits: Izzy Hardy
If your bed frame comes without a headboard or you think it doesn’t match your style, you can always create your own headboard design from almost any material or item. This process is fairly easy and doesn’t require special craftsmanship skills. And since you’ll be using mostly things you already have at home, creating your own stylish headboard is very affordable.
So, if you’re looking for ways to upgrade your bedroom, take a look at the collection of headboard ideas that we’ve compiled for you.
1. Barn Door
Image credits: Anne Nygård
If you designed your bedroom in rustic or farmhouse style, a barn door headboard will take it a notch further. The texture adds coziness, and you can paint it any color you like.
2. Paint It on the Wall
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Your headboard doesn’t always have to be a physical object. Choose any shape and color and proceed to paint it behind your bed to create a modern headboard design.
How to: Measure the outline of your headboard depending on the size of your bed. Stick painter’s tape around the defined area. If you want your headboard to be any shape other than a rectangle or square, you may have to hand draw it on the wall with a pencil or a piece of chalk first. Now that your canvas is ready, take your favorite color paint and start painting. Once you’re done, let the paint dry, then carefully remove the painter’s tape. Your painted headboard is ready!
3. Curtain Call
Image credits: Max Rahubovskiy
Install a curtain rod above your bed and hang curtains. You can go for drapes that either match or complement the curtains on the window.
4. Your Favorite Art Piece
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It can be abstract or traditional, created by a famous artist, or your own masterpiece. The only requirement for using an art piece as a bed headboard design is that it has to be large enough to cover the space behind your bed and add instant chic.
5. Minimalist Frame
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Sometimes, the minimal design draws more attention to itself than the most elaborate piece. A minimalist bed frame with a cutout headboard will help put other elements in your room in focus.
6. Beach Vibes
Image credits: Jess Loiterton
If you want to have permanent coastal summer vibes in your bedroom, create a headboard design for bed using recycled oars or even driftwood. Match it with azure bed linen and sea-themed room decor.
7. Cover It With a Blanket
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If your bed already has a headboard, but it’s too dull for your taste, cover it with a blanket. It will add a pop of color to your room and instantly freshen it up.
8. Built-In Elements
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If your bedroom wall has a built-in nook or shelf just above your bed, turn it into a DIY headboard by decorating it with simple decor pieces.
9. Mural Headboard Design
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The easiest way to turn your headboard design into the focal point of the room is to create a custom mural. Choose any theme and color to go with the rest of the room.
10. Pegboard DIY Headboard Ideas
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Pegboards are a great way to keep things organized. They also give you the opportunity to decorate your room and change the layout without much hassle. You can install one as a headboard that doubles as a storage facility.
11. Canopy
Image credits: Nese Dolan
Ever wondered why all the princes and princesses in fairy tales slept with a canopy above their heads? Not only is a canopy a whimsical element of decor, but it also creates a visual division in the room.
12. Macrame Decor
Image credits: Rachel Claire
If you’re looking to add more texture to the room, macrame headboard ideas will definitely help you with that. You can proudly display your own masterpiece above your head or buy something you like from a local artist.
13. Statement Wallpaper
Image credits: Vecislavas Popa
The idea of putting wallpaper in the entire room might seem daunting, but using it as a DIY headboard is very manageable. If you’re not ready to commit to one particular color or pattern, the variety of peel-and-stick solutions will help you out.
14. Classic Tufted Headboard
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Give your bedroom a touch of elegance with a classic tufted headboard. With so many detailed tutorials out there, doing this DIY project will be as easy as buying one in a shop.
15. Wood Paneling
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A wood headboard doesn’t necessarily have to be attached to your bed. It can also come in the form of wood paneling that adds depth and makes things more interesting.
16. Transform Your Space With Wainscoting
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Take a leaf from the book of 18th-century homeowners and install a wainscoting panel. This decorative element instantly upgrades your bedroom and serves as a perfect headboard.
17. Cheap DIY Headboard From a Shipping Pallet
Image credits: Marcelo Chagas
This is probably one of the easiest DIY headboard ideas. Choose pallets to the size of your bed, then paint, stain, or even hand-draw a design of your choice for an original upcycled headboard.
How to:
- Collect several pallets, wash them, and let them dry.
- Measure the width of your desired headboard.
- Attach several pallets with a plank and studs on the backside to match the width.
- Paint the pallets with a brush, stain, or draw a custom design across the entire headboard.
18. Wire Design
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Modern art makes use of all sorts of materials. A headboard made of intricate wire design will add texture and give your bedroom a contemporary vibe.
19. Decorate a Shelf
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Make a shelf that runs the length of your bed and decorate it with your favorite trinkets, collectibles, a small houseplant, or a lamp.
20. Drape It
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Does your bed come with bedposts? Then you should definitely try draping headboard ideas. Besides making a beautiful headboard and shielding you from the morning sun, they are also a great way to create movement in the room.
21. Raise the Flag
Image credit: himandhishome
Whether you go for a sports theme, nautical theme, or even traveler theme in your bedroom, a collection of flags and pennants as a headboard design for bed is one of the easiest ways to give your bed a fun yet sophisticated look.
22. Garden Lattice
Image credits: Curtis Adams
Another easy and fun option from upcycled headboard ideas is a garden lattice. Whitewash it to give your bedroom an airy and playful look.
23. Customize Your Headboard Design With Fabric
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While a fabric headboard will instantly elevate your room, it can be quite pricey to order one. Luckily, you can turn it into an easy DIY project. Cut a fabric of your choice to size, cover the headboard, and secure it in place with matching ribbons.
24. Messages on the Chalkboard
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If you paint the bedroom wall behind your bed with chalk paint, you can have unlimited headboard design ideas. From drawings to motivating messages, get creative and change them every day, depending on your mood.
Tip: For this idea, we highly recommend using liquid chalk markers. Unlike traditional chalk, liquid chalk markers don’t produce chalk dust. This can be a concern, especially if you have allergies or asthma.
25. Headboard Ideas Using Rugs
Image credits: Curtis Adams
Break the stereotype that rugs only belong on the floor. You can go for neutral colors or something very colorful based on your interior.
26. Wall Decal
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Peel and stick wall decals are a perfect way to create a faux headboard that works great both for a rented place and if you have a small bedroom. With the variety of designs and options out there, you can always find one to your liking.
27. Custom Shelving
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Custom built-in shelves serve a variety of functions. You can use it as a bedtime reading bookcase, a decorative element in the room, and, of course, as a creative DIY headboard. By the way, modern floating nightstands are hot right now!
28. Folding Screens Headboard Ideas
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Folding screens bring in visual interest regardless of their placement in the room. Get creative, and instead of using this design element as a room divider, turn it into a personalized headboard.
29. Rattan Headboard
Image credits: Taryn Elliott
A rattan headboard is a perfect way to bring some balance to a room that is full of colors. You can use one large piece or connect several smaller pieces for this headboard project.
30. Room Partition
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Turn an old room partition into an eye-catching wooden headboard by staining the wood. Its intricate design will provide added chic to your bedroom.
31. Through the Looking Glass
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Installing a mirror as a headboard alternative adds light to the room and gives you a statement-making piece of decor at the same time.
32. Layered Effect
Image credits: Max Rahubovskiy
There is no rule saying you can only have one headboard for your bed. By layering different style headboards, you can make your bedroom look more interesting and add depth to it.
33. Wood Trim Minimalist Headboard
Image credits: Jean van der Meulen
Think outside the box and bring in materials that aren’t usually associated with headboards. For example, you can use door wood trims to create a custom headboard design.
How to:
- Cut the ends of the casing trim at a 45-degree angle.
- Paint half of the trims white or any other color of your choice. You can skip this step if you want your headboard to have a natural look.
- Arrange the trims on a piece of plywood that is the same width as your bed. You can create patterns with unfinished and painted pieces.
- Glue the pieces to the plywood with wood glue. Make a frame with flat trim around the sides and the top.
- Secure the headboard on the wall behind your bed with wall studs.
34. Hang Tapestry
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Go full boho and hang a colorful tapestry for an inspired DIY headboard. You can even decorate the rod with matching ribbons or hang some pot plants on both sides.
35. Cutout Headboard
Image credits: Max Rahubovskiy
A cheap DIY headboard can be as simple as a piece of plywood cut to the size of your bed. Using a drill, create a cutout pattern of your own design.
36. Woven Cane Headboard
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Making your own woven headboard from binder cane can be a fun weekend activity. You can make several small panels or one that covers the entire width of your bed.
37. Rope It In
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There is literally no limit to the number of DIY headboard ideas you can make with some rope and a curtain rod. From just letting it hang down to braiding the rope to creating intricate woven patterns, this beginner-friendly headboard project will keep you entertained.
38. Penny Tiles
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Give your bed frame a boost by attaching penny tiles to the surface of your wooden headboard. You can create an eye-catching modern headboard design that is either monochromatic or has a pattern.
39. Magic Flying Carpet
Image credits: Andrea Davis
Give floor carpeting a new purpose by creating a stunning bed headboard design. Get crafty and cut it in as fancy a shape as you like before attaching it to the wall. You can also decorate it with metal embellishments.
40. Oars, Skateboards, Surfboards
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If you enjoy extreme sports, show it in your headboard design style. Old oars, surfboards, or skateboards make for a funky headboard full of personality. Paint them a fresh color or even leave them as is for added texture.
41. Industrial Meets Farmhouse
Image credits: Samantha Foster
With a bit of creativity, even the most unexpected materials can turn into a modern headboard design. A sheet of corrugated metal roofing cut to your custom design will look great both in an industrial-style bedroom and against the farmhouse wooden paneling.
42. Upholster Your Headboard
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From re-upholstering the headboard you already have to creating a new one, you can have so much fun trying different options with upholstery. Your DIY upholstered headboard design can even consist of several smaller pieces, each covered in a different fabric, to create a boho-inspired pattern.
43. Doors & Windows
Image credits: Işıl
A pair of vintage doors or a salvaged window frame can become an original headboard. Whether you choose to leave the old door in its original condition or upcycle it, it will add an unmistakable uniqueness to your bed.
44. Moulding Headboard Design for Bed
Image credits: Curtis Adams
Moulding is a great way to add style to your walls, but it can also double as a DIY headboard. Picture frame moulding works the best, but you can experiment with different styles to find the one you like.
45. Cozy Lights
Image credits: Kristyna Vyvolej.to
Add coziness to your bedroom by installing some lights over your bed. And while store-bought neon signs can be fun, you can design something custom. It can be as simple as wrapping fairy lights around a picture frame or as intricate as your imagination decides to make it.
Before You Start DIYing
Whether you choose to have a painted headboard or one made from an old jute rug, implementing one of your DIY headboard ideas is sure to elevate your bedroom style and give it a one-of-a-kind look. It takes less time than you probably imagine and is definitely worth the effort.
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Have More Questions?
If you’re still hesitant to start your own DIY headboard project, here are some questions you might be interested in.
What Can I Substitute for a Headboard?
As you can see from our collection of DIY headboard ideas, there is a variety of materials and items you can use to substitute for a traditional headboard. Everything depends on your creativity and what you have at hand.
What Wood to Use for a DIY Headboard?
Experts usually recommend using hardwoods, like cherry or mahogany, for a bed frame, including a headboard. However, if your headboard isn’t attached to the rest of the frame, plywood might work just as well.
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Is It Better to Sleep With or Without a Headboard?
The choice is totally yours. A headboard doesn’t affect the mattress, so it’s not crucial for healthy sleep. But it does provide some additional benefits, like preventing you from bumping your head on the wall, holding your pillows in place, and giving your bedroom a finished look.
How Much Does It Cost to Make Your Own Headboard?
Costs will vary depending on what materials you use. It’s also possible that you already have things you’ll need to make your own DIY headboard at home, so that also significantly reduces your costs.
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