Custom - DIY Headboard

The guest bedroom in our new house contains furniture from our previous apartment. The bed and side-tables fit right in and we added some accents - a mirror, table lamps, wall art and linen bedding, to make this a cozy retreat for the guests. We used to have a headboard that matched the bed frame, but did not work in this room...it was too long and it covered the window on the left of the bed. Not a total waste as it was repurposed as a focal point in the rec room, behind the TV (you read about it at #11 on this post)

During the months of June and July, we had a bunch of family visit us and this guest bedroom was well broken into. However, I always thought it looked a lil incomplete...like it needed a final touch to bring it all together.

I have learned to believe that fabrics, patterns and textures can make a huge difference to the space. I knew that 2 things would definitely help to warm this place up - window treatments and a headboard.

I had picked 2 beautiful, patterned, 84 inch curtain panels from World Market that were originally up in the master bedroom. But I had another idea for them and felt like they were the perfect color to fill that huge empty vertical space in the guestroom. You will see it in the final 'after' image at the end of this post...
Secondly, I started looking for an upholstered headboard across my online resources. I was pretty shocked to see that a basic upholstered headboard could cost me $250-$300 and this is without any custom detailing that I would really want in this room. Ofcourse this was a sign and I knew I had to DIY!
I looked up YouTube videos and also read about DIY headboard projects and it looked pretty doable. Then I came up with a design idea where I would have 2 square upholstered pieces, instead of 1 long rectangular piece. My pieces would mount on the wall and allow both guests to have their own separate spot to lean and rest on.
We have a queen bed and a bed that size typically has a ~70 inch width. I decided to make two 24 inch squares, allowing some spacing in between the two pieces.

I hit the craft store and picked up the following:

• 24 x 24 wood canvas stretchers. These were the perfect size, lightweight, but easy to staple on and mount against
• thick canvas to cover the wooden frame on one side
• 2 inch foam
• lightweight blanket batting
• thick, good quality fabric for the final, top layer

You will also need a staple gun for this project. I had bought one for some time now but I finally got a chance to rip it open, I was dying to get my hands dirty with this fancy gadget!

Reader Alert: this post is content and photo-heavy, but this is my attempt to give you a detailed view...so be nice and don't leave me hate comments :)

I started out by connecting the 24 inch sides and fit them together, nice and snug

 I stapled the wooden frames together at the corners, to give this a strong foundation

I did the same with the other set and now I had my 2 squares ready for the canvas

The canvas layer was mainly to give the rest of the layers a stable support and keep things in place. I cut-out the canvas by leaving a extra few inches on each side of the frame. Then I pulled at it from each side, stapling it to the wooden frame, every 2-4 inches. 

Tip: You want to the canvas to be taut, so pull it in, before you staple.

 This gives you a front and back view of the canvas layer

Tip: For a neater look, pull in the corners and fold them like you would when you wrap a gift...then staple

Then I took the 2 inch foam and marked it for a 24 x 24 square and cut it. 

Tip: I learnt this the hard/messy way, but the best tool for this job is a bread knife.

Then I pulled out the batting and cut it a little wider then the frame, on each side. I placed the batting on the floor, followed by the foam and then the framed canvas, face down. Make sure that the frame and foam are aligned correctly on each side...then staple away to glory!

Tip: the batting is a stretchy material, so be sure that you are pulling it in tight enough, so you don't have bumps and lose material on the front.

Once you are done, cut-out the extra batting from the back...

Here is a look at both my squares

Now I was ready for the final layer. I picked a great print, that worked with the rest of the room.

Tip: Iron the fabric before stapling it in; this will give your pieces a high-end, designer-store look. Ain't nobody got time for DIY ;)

Repeat the same process of cutting the fabric, a little wider than the frame. Pull it in from the back and staple it. Make sure you have neat corners.

Tip: If you use a fabric that has a repeatable print on it, make sure you align the print to the frame. In my case, I tried to center the Eiffel towers.

The heavy-lifting was done, now was the time to put it up. We purchased framing hardware to mouth these on the wall. We used key hole hangers as it would lock the frames and prevent any movement when rested against. This is when the hubby came to the rescue...

We followed the instructions to insert these on the frame

Then we used the appropriate screws and measured the distance between the key holes, before drilling holes in the wall...

One Down...

Two Down...husband waving the magic wand (its a ruler)

Some more views...with all the mess...

After cleaning up...

Here is the final look, with the curtains and headboard...I love how all the colors and patterns come together...here is living proof that you can have an accent wall, polka dots, floral print and a custom headboard in very close vicinity and still make it work!

One last view of the husband playing some magic tricks (no really...he is casting a DIY spell)

I will end this post (finally!) with one last highlight...this ENTIRE project (cutting, stapling, mounting) took me 4 hours and a total of $75 (minus the staple gun). I still have left-over foam and batting for a future project... Not bad, huh?