THE STUDIOLO: Head Over Heels for Headboards

Via Apartment Therapy

We really need a headboard. I've never actually had a bed with a headboard, and I never thought I needed one until recently. I used to do more work with architecture firms, which often adhere to the the less-is-more mantra, but for the last year, I've been fully immersed in the world of decorating, which is all about creative uses and combinations of texture, pattern and color. I realize how much a headboard adds to a bedroom by giving it dimension, interest, scale, a focal point, what-have-you. We have a small bedroom and the way things are arranged, we don't have space for a true headboard, which adds a minimum of three inches to a bed (that's right, we do not have three inches to spare)! One of the projects on my long list of Things To Do For The Apartment is "make a headboard" and we have to create one with as little depth as possible. In a previous apartment, I bought a fun fabric and a bunch of cheap, mis-matched picture frames to create an affordable point of interest above the bed, but this time around, I'm exploring two different options:

Option A

• purchase a piece of pre-cut plywood

• cover it in foam and batting

• staple gun rockin' fabric on top

• attach to wall behind bed

Option B

• purchase a piece of industrial felt

• attach to wall as-is for industrial-chic look OR

• drape and pin fabric over it for a somewhat upholstered, but temporary (and potentially changeable) design

Because we live in smalls-ville, and we are on a tight decorating budget (as in, Killy, try not to spend any money on decorating, ok?), I'm not going to have the headboard cut into a fun, whimsical silhouette. But, here are some images showing fantastic, dramatic headboards, from high-end fancies to DIY masters. Enjoy!

Clearly, I'm a sucker for nailheads....