Headboard over Heels!

I have been documenting some art projects that I have done recently, and I am going to continue that little series with my latest decorating craft.  Although this isn't exactly an art project, it's an interior decorating project, and that's still a form of art, right?  I'm thinking so.  

Most of the furniture we have is either hand-me-down, cheap, or just old.  It's pretty much all mix and match.  I have a nice bedroom set from my childhood that is good quality and still in great condition.  Our apartment, however, is too small for it to fit, so the only piece from the set we brought was the bed, sans headboard.  When we first moved in, it pretty much looked like a college student's apartment.  Even though Robert is a grad student, we're married adults, and I wanted a home that felt like it, at least a little bit. 

I had researched different ideas for DIY headboards.  Here's a collage of a few that I really liked.

There's the curtain option, which we liked and considered doing.  The picture collage was cool, but I wasn't feeling it as a headboard.  I really loved the cushion headboard with the framing around it, but the materials cost was higher than I wanted to pay.  The faux headboard painted onto the wall is cool, but since we're in an apartment, painting is a huge hassle and not entirely allowed.  I love the shutters, but finding them can be tricky and I wasn't sure how much they'd cost.  I also liked the pillow headboard, cause it's just so cozy, especially this one with the shelf above it, but that's less of a DIY project and more of just something you have to find and purchase.

While I was really into all of those headboard choices, there was one more option that I had seen.  The upholstered canvas headboard immediately caught my eye because it was simple, clean and modern.  I also liked the price tag on the materials and the easy installment.  So after taking measurements and a few trips to Hobby Lobby and Joann's Fabrics with coupons and husband in tow, I was ready to begin the assembly process.

Here's the material list with prices:

• Six 18"x18" canvases: $7 each with coupon, $42 total
• One 90"x108" roll of polyfiber quilt batting: $15, on sale
• Two and a half yards of heavy cotton canvas fabric: $10, with coupon
• One heavy duty staple gun: $10, with coupon
• One pack of staples: $2
• One 16 pack of small size command strips: $9

Once all was said and done, I spent around $90 for all of my materials.  May be a little more than I had intended, but I needed a staple gun anyway.  And you don't necessarily have to cover the canvas in batting first, I just wanted it a little more cushioned because I like to sit up in bed, and well, blog or write or whatever.  So, if you already own a staple gun and you want to skip out on the batting, there's $27 saved right there!

Here's how the process went:

 

Start with a blank, square canvas.

Cut out squares of batting a few inches wider than the canvas.

Staple the batting to the canvas all the way around, being sure the pull it tight.

It should look like this all stapled.  Make sure the corners are secure.

Cut squares of fabric a few inches wider than the canvas, just like the batting.

Staple the fabric all the way around, just like before.

Here is the back of the finished headboard square.

Add command strips on the back.  Two would have held it up fine, but we added a third to make sure it was secure.

Here is how the front should look!

Have your handy, geometrically OCD, engineer husband carefully install the squares onto the wall.  If you don't have one, you should look into it.  I highly recommend them. ;)

Here is how it looks with our bed made!  I love it!

This makes our bed feel much more like where a married couple retires, not where a college student passes out.  The great thing about this headboard is that it easily detaches from the wall, and I could recover with a different fabric if I ever get sick of this neutral.  I'd love to get a gorgeous solid color bedding set and recover the headboard with a fun, colorful pattern.

This little DIY craft is a super easy (and fairly inexpensive) way to add some class and sophistication to your bedroom, whether you're young, old, married or single!  I even think it helps me sleep better.