Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Building A Frame To Make A DIY Upholstered Headboard

We owe you a huge post about all things Haven/ATL, but we’re actually driving home today (after crashing a bunch of awesome houses, doing a thrift store tour with Katie B, hosting an informal backyard wedding for Clara and Will, etc) so we’ll share what we snuck in before we left for Atlanta: the beginnings of a headboard for the freshly rearranged masted bedroom. With Ed the Bed officially minus posts, we quickly turned our attention to making him plus headboard – as you saw Sherry mock up in Photoshop last week – along with darker floors and a darker dresser:

Headboard4

We wanted something upholstered over something wood/tin/woven/stenciled/painted since we wanted something cushy to lean back on (we’ve been doing a decent amount of reading in bed lately, and with the new arrangement the room feels cozier but not as “soft” as it could – especially since our first house’s bedroom had two curtained nooks on either side of the bed, so maybe we’re just fabric-starved individuals).

For this headboard we decided to forgo our usual stretched canvas technique since we’re working around Ed’s existing headboard. We devised a quick plan to use plywood and some 1 x 3″ boards to create a headboard that would wrap around what’s left of the existing posts and essentially hide them from view. Just pretend those Photoshopped blue blocks below are wood:

HBoardMake 1 Design

Clara was being quite the little helper at Home Depot (when she wasn’t simultaneously mesmerized / terrified of the big saw they used to cut our piece of plywood down to size). We bought a piece of 5/8″ plywood cut to  65″ x 36″, though I actually had them slice it down the middle so the darn thing would fit in our little Altima’s trunk. It also made it easier for Clara to help push us towards check out (where our total was $22 for the plywood plus two 1 x 3″ whitewood boards).

HBoardMake 3 Pushing Cart

Here are all of my pieces laid out back at home so you can see how we planned to assembled it. The two brace pieces across the middle would make up for the fact that we had to cut our plywood in half. The two on the sides are what will wrap around to hide the posts.

HBoardMake 4 Materials Apart

I attached my side pieces using my Kreg Jig and for my brace pieces I just drove a few spare screws right into them.

HBoardMake 5 Drilling

So here’s the headboard all assembled. If it wasn’t already obvious, this is the backside that will face the wall.

HBoardMake 6 Materials Together

I had considered my work done and declared Ed’s headboad (Ed’s head? The Ed-board?) ready for upholstery. But Sherry, in all of her wisdom, suggested we bring it in the room to make sure it fit before covering it with batting and fabric. Smart cookie.

It did fit. At least, it did side to side – but we realized it was looking a bit taller than we wanted. In person it just sort of felt too top-heavy if that makes sense, so we thought a bit of a lower rise would work better with the proportion of the bed.

HBoadMake 7 Too Tall

So after a bit of debate (and actually holding up paper while standing across the room to block off different lengths of the top) we decided to lop off about 5″ (poor guy, first his posts get chopped off – now this) using a circular saw so that I didn’t have to disassemble and cut the pieces separately on my table saw.

HBoardMake 8 Cutting Down

So here’s the headboard back in place, looking much better. It’s a modern bed with nice clean lines, so anything taller just felt off in person (a little too traditional/ high-flying) and we want to leave room above it to hang something there to break things up and add more “layered bedroom ambiance” as the lady-wife calls it.

HBoardMake 9 Much Better

And in case that Photoshopped headboard-building-plan picture at the beginning of the post still confuses the heck out of you, maybe this close up of the side will help clear things up. That piece of 1 x 3″ just curls around the side enough to hide the post – that way once it’s upholstered it’ll be a seamless, even fatter looking headboard (rather than a headboard with a random white post behind it).

HBoardMake 10 Edge Detail

Sherry will cover the actual upholstery process tomorrow (we took way too many pics that we still have to upload so Sherry can write up those details) but I promised her I’d give you all a preview of the fabric that we picked out. We opted for a more free-form botanical print that picks up the turquoise in the rug, but doesn’t compete with it by being another perfectly symmetrical geometric. It’s a nice mix of light-and-airy-meets-mathy-and-shape-riddled. It looks a little crazy with them touching in the picture below, but in reality the headboard will be on a different plane than the rug (floor vs. wall) so they won’t be all up in each other’s area.

HBoadMake 11 Fabric Preview

Now that I’m at the end of this post I’m not so sure it qualifies as an “adventure” but don’t tell Clara that. She thinks surviving the loud “scary scary saw” and getting to push the cart at Home Depot is about as exciting as it gets (although 8.5 hours in the car with her today might add up to something “exciting”). I think it would have been more of an adventure (slash nightmare) if we had upholstered it before checking how the initial height looked on the bed, so that would be my Tip Numero Uno. Before shooting a few hundred staples into something, hold it up wherever it’s going to go and see if the proportions look right (being sure to put all of the bed pillows in place if it’s a headboard, since those can block a bunch of the headboard so they make a difference). What did you guys do this weekend? Any road tripping with a dog and a toddler? Or fellow headboard adventurers?

Comments

  1. Maureen says

    I can’t wait to see this finished! I am so all over the place in our house with little tweaks. New slipcovers and curtains in living room, painting trim in reading room, figuring out the cheapest way to spruce up our deck, etc. It’s psycho.

    On a side note, “they won’t be all up in each other’s area” was my fave part of this post.

    Reply

  2. Lauren@FilingJointly says

    This is random and has nothing to do with the headboard (which is awesome, am in love with the fabric) but I had my first YHL dream last night.

    You guys weren’t actually in it, I just went to your site and saw that my house was featured in a House-Crashing post. Dream Lauren was like “I never let them in…they must have snuck in and taken these pictures!” and “My house is not ready to be seen on the internet yet!”

    And all the comments were like “This house doesn’t seem finished.” and “Looks like it still needs some work.”

    I think it was a subliminal (or not so subliminal) message that I perhaps need to get to work on decorating my house….after I eat this humongous block of cheese and finish watching Teen Mom 2.

    Reply

  4. Chris O. says

    This has nothing to do with today’s post…..I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you for the tidbit on hanging pictures by tracing the frame. For so many years, I just kept pounding holes into the wall to get a frame up just so and then doing a lot of patching and painting to cover my mistakes. I tried your method and hung a frame perfect the first time!

    Reply

  5. Monica says

    I haven’t read through all the comments yet so sorry if you have already answered this…but how do you plan the headboard? Will you screw it into Ed’s posts or will it “float” there? Will it be difficult to change your sheets without sliding the mattress down a little bit? I love that fabric too! Can’t wait for tomorrow’s post.

    Reply

  6. Katelin says

    So fun seeing you guys at Haven this weekend and talking to John about some possible girlfriends for Burger! I have to say, its not that I didn’t think you were funny before seeing you ‘in real life,’ but you are even more hilarious in person!

    Love the headboard! Maybe I can convince my husband to start working on ours!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw you’re sweet! We’re blushing. So nice to see you there! Yay Haven. We had so much fun… after I got a handle on the whole “fart” conversation.

      xo,
      s

  7. Heidi P. says

    Such pretty fabric! I’m so impressed that you were able to squeeze that in before you left.

    I finished my pouf! I’ll send you a link when I write the post. :)

    Reply

  12. Wendy says

    I made a headboard based on your tutorial last year and I love it. The only thing was that the plywood at my Home Depot was seriously curved (all of it was not just one piece) so I ended up having to go with MDF. Yours looks ok though – have you had that problem?

    Reply

  14. Kim W Rily says

    We didn’t do anything around the house this weekend, but I thought of Clara when we went to Disneyland and saw the “World of Color” show, which in addition to bursts of water, had 25 foot flames that spout up a couple of times. Max (now 3) grabbed onto my neck and moaned, “Fire! Fire!” Not a scary scary saw, but close.

    Reply

  16. Tineke Galvan says

    Please please don’t stain that nice old dresser from Johns family. It has such a lovely color and patina. It adds warmth to the room and plays off of all the dark wood you already have in the room.

    Reply

  17. Katie says

    I bought this fabric a couple months ago from maryjos.com and recovered some chairs for my living room. I love it! Since then, I have seen upholstered chairs on target’s website with the same fabric. Great minds think alike:)

    Reply

  18. April says

    Love the headboard ideas and fabric choice! We were on the road with a toddler for 10+ hours on Saturday. He did great and we survived. We had to break out the paci and dum dums but we made it.

    Reply

  19. Rachel says

    That is going to look awesome! I adore the fabric. I feel so silly, I kept coming to the website to see if there was an updated post, but since the picture was basically the same as last Friday’s post, I thought it hadn’t been updated. I’m so incredibly oblivious sometimes.

    Reply

  24. Anne G. says

    Hi –
    I am wondering how you fastened the headboard to the bed. Does is just stay in place on its own?
    We have a similar bed and I’ve been wanting to do a headboard, but haven’t figured out how to attach it to the existing one.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  25. Tatyana says

    Lovely fabric. The headboard will look great, I know it.
    For those who like the fabric, here are some pillows on Etsy made in the same fabric.
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/96037200/floral-braemore-decorative-pillow-cover?ref=sr_gallery_10&ga_includes%5B0%5D=tags&ga_search_query=turquoise+green+gray&ga_page=11&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

    And here is the link to the fabric.
    http://kingcottonfabrics.com/product.php?productid=1895&cat=40&page=1

    Reply

  26. Heather says

    I cant wait to see how your headboard turns out!

    I just created a headboard for our room that will never be finished!

    http://thatredheadedsister.com/headboard-project-complete/

    If you do happen to have a chance to look at those pictures, we bought nightstands the EXACT same color as the headboard and the top of our dresser. Would you leave them the same color or paint them? Our dresser is white/stained top and we have a chest across the room that is gray.

    Reply

  27. Koliti says

    Love your eye for color-combo-patern-mix. All of your layers are interesting and pleasing to the eye.

    Have you considered attaching reading lights to your headboard? They could be small ones attached to the front or back. (Nate Berkus has some attached to his headboard).

    Reply

  28. cameron says

    I’m digging the post-less Ed the Bed. Can’t wait to hear about Haven. I thought about wandering aimlessly around Atlanta in the hopes I’d run into y’all, but it seemed both unlikely and stalkerish. Next time you’re in GA, you need to come see the Classic City. Athens is awesome, and you could house crash to your heart’s content. And I’d totally stalk you. (In a friendly, non-terrifying way!)

    Reply

  29. Nicole says

    Cool! I’ve been wanting to add a head board as well (we don’t have the guide to go from like Ed though).

    P.S. Can you please please please get the recipe for the amazing looking waffle/cinnamon rolls!?!? Mmm!

    Reply

  30. elanak says

    Add me to the list of folks who gasped when they saw the fabric! We recently painted our dining room a light aqua (our adjoining kitchen is pale green) and I used that fabric to re-cover our dining room chairs (wanted to make curtains with it, but was too cheap to buy that much fabric). It will look so lovely on a headboard…can’t wait to see!

    Reply

  31. Sarah W. says

    You guys have inspired me so much. This weekend I enlisted my Dad to help me with a board and batten type project similar to one that you all highlighted about a month ago. After one full day of arguing over spacing issues, layout and materials we were finally able to start putting some stuff up.
    It is no where near complete yet! My father has…let’s just say, attention to detail. But, by the time it is all done I should have new access to a space under my stairs hidden by the board and batten design with a picture rail over top as well as the board and batten going up my stairs to tie into a picture rail that is already in place in that area!
    I am super excited! Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Nah I think we like his feet under the duvet (se easy and chill to make the bed that way) so we’ll pass on a footboard for now! If you’re talking about how it’ll attach, well share those pics tomorrow (it looks full integrated with Ed’s legs at the head of the bed, even from the side). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  33. Beth says

    The comment about the informal wedding for the kids was so unexpected and hilarious that I came dangerously close to spitting coffee all over the computer screen. Glad you’re home and can’t wait to hear about the treasures from Atlanta!

    Reply

  37. Pat says

    Your post reminded me of taking our daughter with us to Hechinger’s when she was Clara’s age – she would get so excited, called it “Pessydoors”, and would get upset if she saw the store’s flags while driving by and we didn’t go in. Today she can install drywall, paint anything, do repairs…so while Clara is with you at Home Depot, she’s learning more than you know! Thanks for the trip in the way-back machine.

    Reply

  38. Alison says

    Ok I have to admit I squealed with joy when I saw this post!!! And I can’t wait for tomorrows! We bought my son a bed with a book shelf headboard a couple of years ago and it quickly became a clutter space. We decided to get him a bunk bed so he and my daughter could use that and we could save space in our temporary small apartment. But I wanted to save my sons bed for my daughter for when we buy a house in a few months. I plan on painting it and making a headboard for it but I don’t know how! This could not have come at a better time.

    Reply

  39. Crystal @ 29 Rue House says

    It looks like you guys buy standard plywood – I’ve heard and read about here (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formaldehyde.html) that pressed woods/plywood have formaldehyde in them. Just wondering if you’ve heard of it too. In the grand scheme of things it may be nothing to be too concerned about (v. spray painting in the house) but I did start using formaldehyde-free Purebond after hearing about this. Our Home Depot carries it but I know it isn’t available everywhere.

    Reply

  41. DONNA says

    I am loving the…” freshly rearranged MASTER bedroom…typo alert! It is seriously amazing and so meant to be…Hope you all had a great time in Atlanta!

    Reply

  42. Shirley says

    Hi John and Sherry, wondering if you would mind sharing the fabric in the first headboard (citrine on white trellis). I am looking for something like this for drapes. Hopefully it won’t break the bank (we will need beaucoup yards!!!) We are painting our office in Moonshine and think this might look nice with it. We got it color matched in Olympic One in satin finish (first time for using this paint and color match), so I am super excited. Thanks

    Reply

  43. Jennifer says

    Question about the headboard. It looks like the width of the headboard is right at the edge of the wall or just slightly wider. With the extra fabric, do you think the headboard will be bigger than the wall behind it? Is that a concern? Love the blog – its one of my favorite parts of the day!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Since it floats (attaches to the bed and not the wall) we think it’s ok if it’s an inch or two wider – as long as its not hanging over by a foot it’ll anything!

      xo,
      s

  44. Katy says

    I love the headboard, but I am trying to figure out where in your house you were making it! Where’s the blue and green chevron fabric and green rug? Hmm…

    Reply

  45. Lisa in Seattle says

    Oh my gosh, I love that fabric!!! Can’t wait to see the finished product.

    We had contractors come in on Saturday to start the popcorn-ceiling-removal process. It is still going on and as far as I can tell it will never end. The entire upstairs is covered in plastic and butcher paper and dust. It looks like Dexter lives here. Now I just need to lure some enemies inside.

    Our Home Goods store opened on Sunday. I have to say I am pretty underwhelmed. Your store looks so big and well stocked! Ours is just a glorified TJ Maxx. The checkout line on opening day was about an hour. No white ceramic animal is worth that. It’s a good thing Seattle people are pretty polite, because in any other city there would have been shoving and screaming and cart wars. Maybe I’ll try again in a few months!

    Reply

  46. Shirley says

    Update-In case anyone is also looking for the pattern, I found something similar on fabric.com -> richloom kirkwood. It’s an indoor/outdoor so I’m thinking it may be too stiff (I am ordering swatches though). It’s budget friendly. Also LOFT32 on etsy has a similar pattern but it’s also poly (wondering if it will be shiny?) and also possibly out of my price range :( So if anyone knows of an alternative (less spendy), post away :) Thanks!

    Reply

  47. rebecca says

    I have been coveting that fabric from tonic living for my future living room curtains! I have been too cheap to buy it but so excited to see that you love it too. Please spill the details tomorrow and I am really hoping you can tell me you got it on the cheap and how I can too :-)

    Reply

  49. erin says

    we roadtripped this weekend too! we were coming home from visiting my family in san diego and took 2 days to get back home to oregon. we drove from san diego to the sacramento area on friday and the rest of the way home on saturday (we live about 4 1/2 hours southwest of portland). our trip included our 2 1/2 year old daughter and our 2 1/2 month old son. she did really well thanks to coloring books, crayons, and a clipboard of plain paper. our son was a little different story, but long drives are always hard with infants.

    Reply

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