Small rooms present a challenge for decorating as you don’t want to fill a space with so much stuff that it looks crowded or uninviting. In a small bedroom, this problem is amplified because a bed is a necessity, yet occupies significant space. Luckily, you can make a headboard for your bed that makes the bedroom appear bigger. The secret is going for height to lengthen the look of the room while matching the walls to give the appearance of more open space. Does this Spark an idea?
Find the point on the wall where the head of your bed rests 7 feet high. If you don’t want a 7-foot headboard, then determine along this height how high you want your headboard. Measure the gap between the top of your homemade headboard and the 7-foot mark.
Mark across the width of your plywood sheet with a straight line at the height you’ve determined, using a pencil. If you want to add a shape, such as a curve, triangular point in the center or arch, then sketch this along the line. Cut along your drawn line with a jigsaw to make a straight edge or show off the shape you chose.
Get a fabric for your headboard which blends with the color of your walls, not contrasts. Avoid overly busy or heavy multicolored patterns to keep the room looking big. Cut the fabric to measure 54 inches wide by the height you determined, plus 6 inches.
Spread the fabric onto a clean, flat surface with the front facing down. Layer a sheet of batting over the fabric. Smooth the fabric and batting to make sure no wrinkles exist. Trim the batting edges so it is the same size as the fabric.
Cut a piece of upholstery foam to match the exact size and shape of your plywood. Lay the foam centered over the batting and fabric layer. Place the plywood over the foam and align the edges.
Kneel onto the board to press it downward. Wrap the fabric which runs along the top of the board around to the back of the board. Staple through the fabric and batting every 3 inches to secure. Repeat this step with the bottom edge and both sides to secure the fabric, batting and foam against the board.
Stand the board upright. Slip the board behind your bed and push the bed toward the wall to pin the headboard between the bed and wall. Hang a series of framed photos, a wall quilt or a painting above the headboard to cover the measured distance between the top of the headboard and the 7-foot mark, if your headboard was not cut to 7 feet tall.
Tips
- Don’t use a footboard along the base of the bed to give an added effect of a larger room.
- Colorado State University Extension suggests saving money by using an old wrought iron gate as your headboard or simply painting a headboard image on your wall.
- If possible, use a light-colored rug or carpet to enhance the look of open space in the bedroom.
Warning
- If the pressure of your bed pushed against the wall will not hold the headboard, then secure the headboard to the wall with mounting brackets.
