What is an Upholstered Headboard?

The History of the Headboard

The headboard itself dates way back to the 17^th century, when there was a need to block the draft to keep warm. The first people to use headboards were the Egyptians. Then the Greeks perfected them and crafted them into what we use today. Before the 20^th century, they filled headboards with straw and other organic material, like palm leaves. They first created headboards with the platform bed and this changed the whole bed game. For the first time in history, they raised the beds off the floor to keep pests at bay and leaving the headboard responsible for better sleep because its purpose was to block the draft. You can read more about the history of the headboard here. Today, we have endless options when it comes to your dream bed. There are tried and true wooden head and footboards, metal bedframes, and upholstered options. The upholstered headboard is soft yet durable, allowing for resting against it. They made the cushion of the headboard from foam fastened to wood for stability and comfort like in this tufted styled headboard.

The Upholstered Headboard

They made the outer lining of the headboard from many materials, organic and synthetic: the coveted velvet; nylon, cotton-silk blend, mohair, faux and authentic or microsuede, faux and authentic leather, cotton, polyester, chenille, and more. Any fabric you can imagine can be the outer layer of an upholstered headboard. On many of these headboards, there are stylish embellishments like buttons or patterns to fit the owners’ taste.

An upholstered headboard is visually appealing, and you can pair it with many elements to your bedroom. For instance, you can keep your favorite wooden nightstand set and chest-of-drawers to have a beautiful, aesthetically profound bedroom. To add to the headboard, you will find frames and footboards that are practical or more ornate. For instance, you might choose the practicality of a storage bed or the unique style found in a sleigh bed.

The Styles of an Upholstered Headboard

There are many styles when it comes to an upholstered headboard. For one, there is a traditional style that will go well with wooden furniture; think country chic or beautiful old-fashioned style. Then, there is a modern style to the headboard that usually bodes well in a minimalist’s bedroom suite. Contemporary headboards are great for an awe-inspiring statement piece. Say you want a red and black flannel upholstered headboard to match some black wrought iron nightstands; there you have your contemporary style bedroom. Leading to the opposite end of the spectrum of styles: simple. A simple upholstered headboard is just that; a cushioned headboard of a single color, not varied in any way. These are very elegant and completely chic and can complement just about any existing bedroom furniture. Try these ways to infuse your style with the upholstered headboard.

Upholstered Headboards We Like

The Many Types of Upholstered Headboards

The Tufted Headboard

Now that you know the different styles there are, let’s get into some beautiful types of headboards. With a tufted headboard or anything that is tufted, you sew through all the cushioning material, called anchoring, with a heavy thread from top to bottom to make a dimpled effect. You can hide the stitches with kinds of embellishments like a matching button of the same material, ribbons, or even nail heads. Some of the types of tufting include channel tufting, which is a means of tufting in vertical channels of cushion separated by stitches or various embellishments, biscuit tufting is like the original tufting in which you anchor the rectangular shapes to make the oh so loved dimples, rather than the standard diamond shape tufting. Finally, we have the nail head and classic button tufting, which utilizes the buttons or nail heads to gather the tufting in the center of the tufting or you use as a border surrounding the tufted headboard. Here are the ins and outs of tufting.

The Upholstered Panel and Camelback Headboards

The upholstered panel headboard goes on past the edge of your bed along the wall of the room to complete a well pulled-together look. You could never pull off sophistication so easily as with these wide panel headboards.

A camelback headboard complete with two more humps for a change from the ordinary rectangle headboard. And you can alter to make it your own.

Upholstered Headboard Meets Wingback Chair

Designed with the wingback chair in mind, the wingback upholstered bed looks elegant and is practical, too. The “wings” of the bed are great for accidental naps or resting your head on the side of the bed while reading your favorite books. The bed is not only super soft with the padding in the upholstered back, but the design is complete with protruding arms that resemble the arms of a cozy armchair.

Regal, tall, and Flat Upholstered Headboards

The upholstered sleigh bed is regal and completely luxurious. The star of this bed is typically the footboard, but the pieces of this bed, which will remind you of Santa’s sleigh, are equally valuable to its cozy appeal.

Then, the famous upholstered tall headboard is, in fact, the star of this bed. The asymmetry of this bed is the appealing factor; there are varying sizes from which you can choose your style. There are some of these headboards that can reach up to your ceiling if you so choose.

An upholstered panel headboard, not to be confused with the panels with multiple panels upholstered headboard, the panel upholstered headboard is flat with no stitching or embellishments upon the cushioning. However, there are some appealing design elements surrounding the panel upholstered headboard itself. For example, you can decorate around the headboard with nailheads or other eye-catching materials, to add to the look. Some, though, can be totally plain, leaving the only elements as exposed stitches, which leave a very elegant yet simple upholstered headboard. Here are some great style ideas for an upholstered headboard.

The DIY Upholstered Headboard

DIY upholstered headboards are growing in popularity as they have proven it a less expensive way to get that luxe and cozy upgrade to your home. It takes a few woodworking skills and the use of some power tools and focus, but just about anyone can make one. With so many resources on the internet like YouTube videos and pdf files of supplies and step-by-step instructions for a DIY upholstered headboard, it almost begs the trip to Home Depot. Besides, it would make for a great weekend project! To start, you will need to discover your ideal headboard shape, and you can take it to a local hardware store to purchase and they will cut it out according to your measurements for your bed. At the craft store, there is a foam you can use for the padding of the headboard, but a mattress topper is a popular option, too. Grab a good spray adhesive and spray like your life depends upon it. Lay your foam down tightly to the headboard, and trim off any excess foam. Use a staple gun if you want added enforcement. After you adjust the foam to your liking, cover the foam with batting or a piece of thin fabric. If you want tufting for a legit regal upholstered headboard, drill about 7 holes into the headboard. You 3 holes spaced evenly across the top of the headboard, and 4 holes diagonally under that. Then, cover that with the thin fabric and using a staple gun pull tightly and staple around the fabric. Grab some waxed thread and some buttons and cover the buttons with a matching fabric, and get to sewing. Start your thread through the back of the headboard, sew the button on and pull the thread back through all the fabric, and foam through the back of the headboard, then staple the by the hole lightly and wrap the thread around the staple a few times and then push the staple in hard to secure the tufting. This continues until you have a tufted headboard. Here is a sample of a tutorial with pictures.

Mounting Your Upholstered Headboard

Once you’ve found your dream headboard, you’ll see that the upholstered headboard has its own mounting mechanism. There are three ways to stabilize the upholstered headboard, including floor-standing; wall-mounted and struts-placed headboards. The first is very simply put; a headboard that sits at the head of the bed that is free to move into any place or position desired. You secure the wall-mounted headboard to a wall at the head of the bed’s position. Last but certainly not least, you have your headboard that is secured to the bed frame with nuts and bolts or struts. The latter is a great option for renters with particularly anal landlords. Here are great tips from homeguides.com for attaching your headboard.

Upholstered Headboards We Like

The Coziest Headboard Ever

Let me let you in on some of the benefits of having an upholstered bed or just the upholstered headboard. The comfort of an upholstered headboard is undeniably the most obvious reason for the growing popularity of these headboards. If you are looking for a cozy place to finally crack that book open you’ve been wanting to read, or binge on Netflix in which you can sit up against the headboard comfortably and sip on your favorite drink while doing so, the upholstered headboard is it!

Your bedroom should be your sanctuary. Your space to be cozy and relaxed, yet that isn’t the case when you don’t find your space appealing or your bed comfortable. Maybe you’ve neglected your bedroom for too long and you long for that magazine-styled bedroom. You know, with the chenille silver tufted headboard and the low-profile platform bed with countless pillows and that gorgeous deep burgundy throw with the tassels. This is why the upholstered headboard is loved by so many people. It is so easy to put a dreamy bedroom together that ties into your existing furniture and makes it look like that immaculate magazine picture. Like, in these 22 stylish bedrooms with chic upholstered headboards.