perch interior design: Headboard Love

I cannot tell you how many homes I have visited where the master has a bed frame pushed against the wall, with no headboard. A headboard can easily be the focal point of your bedroom. It is so easy to create one that makes a big impact on one of the most important spaces in your home. Here are some ideas:

The first and most obvious is the upholstered headboard. Find a fabric that you love and will make a big impact in your space and complement the feeling you want your room to have. There is no limit to the fabrics available and be creative, take it to the ceiling, or run it the full length of your wall. The photo shows a basic headboard shape, but you can really add drama and impact by changing this element of the design. Follow this link to learn how to upholster a headboard.

The Mirrored Headboard:

Using a mirror as a headboard can be so lovely. When searching for a mirror like those pictured you have to remember to look at the bones of it. You can easily renew a mirror found in an antique shop or yardsale with a coat of paint

Create a Grid:

Lets remember that you can frame just about anything! Be it images from a book, calendar photos, fabric remnants, or as this crafty designer did, colorful handkerchiefs. Create a wall grid by doing some simple measuring or tape it out on the wall and hang. Again make it dramatic by taking it higher or hang different size frames in an interesting arrangement, or mix frames with different styles and materials, different metals, woods, painted finishes for a fun ecclectic result.

The Room Divider:

No one says a room divider has to be used to divide a room. Buy one that suits your style and either hang it from the ceiling, like this mod hanging divider or if it is a privacy screen, pull the bed out from the wall a few inches and simply stick it back there. Easy Peasy!

Wallpaper:

I know, you're thinking "dear lord, is she really harping on the benefits of wallpaper again???" Yes friends, I am. It is one of the easiest solutions to creating a simple (and inexpensive) headboard. Buy some moulding from a hardware store, measure out a piece of wallpaper to a size of your liking, and frame it with the moulding directly to the wall.

The Faux Headboard:

If you have a touch of artistic ability in you, you can easily create a faux headboard by painting it on the wall. Use a metallic paint or for a subtle barely there design, choose a paint in one shade darker or lighter than whats on the wall; in a high gloss finish.

Try a Different Space Plan:

Who says you cant place your bed up against a window? Hang your draperies as you would anyway, and place your bed in front of it. The softness of the drape will look so elegant and lovely behind the bed. Just dont push it right against the wall, give the drapes room to move and not pucker agains the mattress. When you open the treatments during the day to let light in it will frame the bed nicely and you wont be stuck placing your furniture only one way.

Frame it:

Like I said before, you can frame just about anything. Here its a soft blue fabric that is just a shade darker than the wall color.

Architectural Salvage:

google architectural salvage in your city, its likely there are some gorgeous finds in the way of mantles, mouldings, doors, window frames, gates even balcony railings. Any of these can be refinished and add a bit of character to your space. It makes for a conversation piece when you put something with a bit of history into your home.

Use some artwork:

This is one of my favorites. If you are artistic yourself hang a canvas (or create a grid with smaller canvases) of your original artwork. Have a creative child but dont know what to do with their work? Make an arrangement of sentimental artwork created by your little one. Like to support local artists? Buy some art from your region and hang it above your bed. You dont have to have a headboard already so you can hang art above it, as long as you think large scale with the art you use. Making a grid automatically takes smaller works of art and takes them to a more appropriate proportion to your wall.

I would LOVE to see your headboard creations. Please email them to me at perchinteriors@yahoo.com I may feature them here as a follow up to this blog. Enjoy!

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