by Laura Lee Winger

Created on: April 02, 2009   Last Updated: August 31, 2009

Gone are the days headboards were limited to wood constructions attached to bed frames. Headboards are a flashy new way to attract the eye to the focal point of the room, the bed, and can come in a million shapes, sizes, colors, materials and styles. Headboards can be purely decorative, adding artistic flair to the place of relaxation, and they can be stylishly functional. What is the price tag for such a feature? It depends on your design, but a headboard could be made virtually for free or at the price of a can of paint.

Modern headboard designs can consist of re-purposed materials such as old farm doors, garden lattices or window shutters. Before installing these types of headboards, remove hardware, clean them thoroughly, sand them down and paint or stain them to match the dcor of the room. This is a relatively cheap option, and will generally cost less than $50, but will be more expensive with accessories. Unlike traditional headboards, these will generally be mounted to the wall instead of to the bed frame. A simple mounting technique is to staple or fasten a tough string to the back and use nails to hang the boards on the wall. A more secure way would be to make cleats out of strips of wood and attach to the back. Alternatively, for more permanent installations, headboards can be nailed directly into the wall. For a dramatic look, try to find three pieces of the same design or at least similar size, and space them evenly along the wall behind your bed. Consider painting the headboards a soft, neutral color and accentuating them with artwork, a wall vase or other accent, centered on each piece. Spotlights are another great addition to these types of headboards.

For a more luxurious feel, a simple frame can be covered with foam and fabric. Construct a square frame out of wood, and attach some supporting planks from the bottom to the top. The frame can be attached to the wall, as the previous headboard designs, or it can be supported with two legs and propped up against the wall by the bed itself. Attach the foam to the frame with glue, then wrap the fabric over the front, pull tightly and staple in the back with a staple gun. Designs may include panels of the same fabric, using seams to add interest. In this case, multiple rows and columns of small panels may be used. Panels of different colors and textures can be used as well. With this added variety, keep the numbers of panels small, like three panels stacked on top of each other, or three tall panels

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