28 Easy Headboard Projects

The pattern on this upholstered headboard ties together the bedroom's dreamy color palette.

Use old dresser drawers and storage cubes to create a one-of-a-kind headboard. Lay out your finds on the floor first until you've got the arrangement you want; it's okay to leave spaces where the wall shows through. Add wallpaper and paint to coordinate with your decor. Screw pieces together and hang on the wall using 1x4-inch cleats. 

Switch out seasonal or fave fabrics.

Doors painted and hung on the wall (we used brackets) add fun style to this boys' room. Even a simple hollow core door would work. Depending on the size of the bed, hang the door vertically or horizontally.

Squares of embroidery brighten an otherwise plain Jane of a headboard. The designer traced the pattern onto the wood, drilled holes for the stitches, then filled the design with yarn. You could also glue on completed fabric squares or just ink the design.

You might not be able to go as elaborate as this headboard, but a coat of metallic paint or sheet metal covering even a plain board will add shine to your room.

Give old closet doors new life. Two closet doors mounted on the wall behind the bed create a sleek focal point in this midcentury-modern bedroom. The tall headboard gives the room a sense of height.

A weathered mantel gets new life as an eyecatching headboard—and a display shelf for mementoes. 

Tack accent fabric over a layer of foam and batting. Cover the edge with coordinating ribbon. And you've got a soft spot to rest your head.

Create a framed headboard from a graphic print. Stretch fabric over heavy cardboard or foam-core board and secure on the back. Insert the panels into two inexpensive poster frames spray-painted a coordinating color. You could also use several picture frames with the glass removed.

Fabric strips applied quilt-fashion add homespun charm.

Accent the shape of your headboard with a base coat of a bright shade and a stenciled pattern in a contrasting color. Stencils could be rub-on or paint-on.