Upholstered Headboard

I just love the look of an upholstered headboard, and I finally did something about it. A few months ago, my husband and I bought a California King mattress. I decided it was the perfect time to revamp our bedroom. Our furniture was still in perfect condition, and it was all white wood, which was the look I still wanted. It was mostly the textiles and decor that had to go. The first thing to come in was a new headboard.

I originally wanted something like this Serena and Lily headboard:

It comes in a number of fabrics, but I really wanted a graphic pattern of some sort. The only drawback was the price...$1800 including delivery. While I just love this headboard, I don't love it that much.

After a lot of looking and wavering, I finally decided to buy a basic headboard that I could easily customize into an upholstered headboard.

This is what I decided on:

I only bought the headboard, because I don't like the look of a footboard very much. I like the bedding to drape down the front of the bed. This cost me about $450, including inside delivery. It's a good thing, too, because the thing weighed at least 80 pounds and it was BIG.

To make the upholstered panels, my husband cut some 1/4" plywood into the shape of the inset panels. I made this a little easier by making a tracing, and then transferring it to the wood. I glued high density foam to the front of the panel, and then stapled batting all the way the panel. My husband also drilled holes in the corners of each panel, and drilled holes in the corresponding place on the headboard.

Then it was time for the fabric. I chose F. Schumacher's Summer Palace Fret in Stone. I bought it from InsideFabric.com, a discount fabric place, and it ended up being about $150 for 2 yards.

 I stapled that all the way around and then attached it to the headboard using the bolts.

And voila! A custom upholstered headboard! The entire project took about 3 hours, including drying time for the glue.