DIY Headboard Ideas: Easy, Creative and Unique Designs

ByIsabel August 25, 2023

The main element in bedrooms isn’t a mattress or nightstands, but rather the headboards. That’s why it’s important to opt for original and creative choices, which naturally includes those crafted as do-it-yourself projects, a homemade DIY headboard.

The DIY crafts for creating a bed headboard go far beyond what you might imagine, it could even be a bed without a headboard.

We encounter simple and easy DIY headboard ideas like painting the wall or making one out of wooden pallets… But in this article, we want to go further, with ideas for elegant, beautiful, stylish and modern bed headboards.

Table of contents

How to make a headboard

Many of these DIY headboard ideas you can carry out with materials you have at home, such as ropes, room dividers, cushions, paintings, pallets or wall paint.

Others, however, require purchasing certain materials such as wood, wall moldings, or wallpaper, which are available at large home decor and improvement stores (Lowe’s, Menards, Ace Hardware, True Value, The Home Depot, Walmart…).

We have also included some DIY headboard crafts that you might already have at home. Like the basics from IKEA, in order to customize them, make them prettier, and more unique.

All of these DIY ideas are affordable and suitable for king, queen, full, and twin size beds.

Old door headboard

Among the ideas for unique headboards, one of our favorites is to reuse wooden windows and doors as bedframe, and it’s even better if they are old ones from the house itself.

If you like this style but lack the resources to make it yourself or prefer to purchase one that’s ready to install, you can buy a reclaimed old door headboard on Etsy or Amazon like this modern farmhouse door headboard.

An antique door headboard adds personality, warmth, and a romantic rustic and vintage touch that we adore. And it’s not only suitable for double beds but also for youth and children’s rooms with twin beds, using two doors separately.

You can paint and decorate them according to your preference, just remember to securely attach them to the wall.

Wood headboard

Among homemade headboard crafts, the most popular ones are those crafted by hand using wood. Some are easy and quick, while others require you to have some DIY knowledge and tools at home.

My preferred option for a wooden headboard is one that showcases its natural beauty, incorporating elements like untreated tree trunks or strips, like those found on this wooden bed frame.

The ideas for a DIY headboard wood are endless, as are the ways to utilize the wood: in raw natural wooden planks, bamboo, branches, OSB boards, MDF, particleboard… At the home improvement stores, they can even cut the desired piece for you and send it to your home.

From modern and original headboards to more relaxed ideas, perfect for renovating and decorating a home elegantly, as well as for apartments or rental properties where you don’t want to invest a lot of money.

The previous wood slat headboard is simple to create. However, if you want to save yourself the effort and purchase one that’s EXACTLY the same, you can also find it at IKEA.

At times, simply by hanging some branches or wooden sticks, you can have a unique headboard idea while also decorating the room.

Room divider as headboard

There’s no easier backboard bed option than this: using a folding screen, also known as a room divider, frame, or partition.

The best thing about this room dividers is that it comes in numerous styles, materials, and colors, making it a perfect fit for room decor. You just need to unfold it and place it against the wall at the headboard area. To ensure stability, you can secure it with nails or screws.

At IKEA, you can find beautiful designs to use as a dorm headboard, like the new rattan folding screen from the TOLKNING series, measuring 59 inches in width, perfect for king-sized beds. There’s also another option at Amazon with a metal frame.

Lattice headboard

Wooden lattice headboards are a classic in wall decorations, not only for beds but also in living rooms and entryways. You can create your own designs using slats, add rattan meshes or grids, natural cane, hangers, bedside tables…

If you like the idea but don’t want to make it too complicated, we recommend buying a wooden lattice like this one from Amazon and decorating the bed according to your taste and needs.

Since it’s a lightweight element, you can use adhesive hardware for hanging headboards on the bed without drilling. They remain adhesive and can be easily removed from the wall, which is perfect if you’re living in a rental.

Rattan headboard

This DIY headboard has been circulating on Pinterest and Instagram for a while now. Its boho vibe fits perfectly with the latest decoration trends. It’s actually an imitation or inspired by a well-known headboard design lilke this one, but you can achieve it for a much lower cost.

A DIY rattan headboard is a very easy and inexpensive craft to make, even if you don’t have DIY skills. The necessary materials are as follows:

Side structure of IVAR shelving (from IKEA)
Rattan mesh or natural cane
Staple gun
Scissors
Hangers (it is a wall mounted headboard)

We love IKEA hacks, transforming basic IKEA furniture into unique pieces with a lot of personality.

Step-by-step guide with pictures for this wall headboard DIY:

Headboard pillow

Have you ever thought about having a headboard with hanging pillows? Pillow headboards are very chic and stylish, suitable for Parisian-inspired decor or modern classics.

Similar to the previous DIY headboards ideas, it’s quite simple to achieve. Although in this case, you’ll need to purchase the elements or sew them yourself if you have sewing skills. Afterward, you can hang them from a rod, slat, ropes, or wooden stick on the wall.

If you’re considering buying one, we recommend checking out decoration and home improvement stores; they have a wide collection of designs. However, there’s also a headboard pillow that is a bestseller on Amazon.

Painted headboard

Undoubtedly, if you’re looking for simple, quick and easy headboard ideas, a painted headboard is for you. It’s a highly creative method of having a backboard and put an accent to the wall. Although, it’s essentially fake, a faux headboard, a bed without headboard.

Less is more, and that also applies to painted wall headboards. Particularly, we find it to be a very clever idea, suitable for minimalist homes, aesthetic and eclectic decorations.

It doesn’t require a significant investment of money, and if you grow tired of it, you can simply paint over with a new design or color. The designs and ideas for painting the bedroom wall as a headboard are ENDLESS.

Here are some of our favorite no-headboard bed ideas for you. They come in colorful, youthful, child-friendly, modern, Nordic-style, and classic designs.

Painting a headboard on the wall in a different color is suitable for both double and single beds.

Geometric designs like circles, semicircles or triangles are trendy, and you can also draw recognizable shapes such as rainbows or mountains. To enhance the headboard design, we recommend hanging shelves, paintings, or lamps on the wall.

Wall panels and moldings

Another component that can serve as a headboard on your bed are decorative wall panels and moldings. A trending element that is increasingly adorning more homes, not only on ceilings, baseboards, friezes, or wainscoting, but also entire walls.

There are many types, designs, and installation methods: plaster, wood, adhesive… It’s a perfect solution to highlight a wall while simultaneously creating an original homemade headboard.

To achieve this custom headboard wall panels, use a molding to create a frame, paint it, or fill it with murals or wallpaper.

Wallpaper headboard

Following the same earlier idea, you can create a DIY wallpaper headboard and combine it with any of the other do-it-yourself projects we’ve discussed throughout the article.

Wallpaper or wall upholstery is a versatile decorative resource for the bedroom that brings about significant transformations wherever you place it, and it always looks good. We also recommend using it in living rooms, children’s bedrooms, and even bathrooms.

To ensure the wallpaper design doesn’t quickly go out of style, opt for classic and timeless motifs such as stripes or flowers, whether they have texture or not.

Installing wallpaper is very easy; some of them are peel and stick, including their own adhesive. You can purchase them on Amazon; some of our favorites are this one and this one.

Wall pictures as headboard

Among the ideas for placing above a bed’s headboard, or as a headboard itself, paintings are a must. The design you choose will depend on the size of the paintings and their arrangement when hung.

There are large and elongated paintings, the same length as the bed, known as “bed headboard paintings.” However, our favorite option for bed headboard decoration is creating compositions with multiple frames of various sizes.

Here are some different wall pictures ideas arrangements:

These ideas themselves serve as photo headboards, but, of course, they can be placed in combination with other bed headrest.

Opt for classic paintings, neutral designs, and avoid those from large retailers or cheap stores. Print designs you like from Pinterest, or create your own on Canva. Alternatively, purchase them from websites like Desenia, Etsy, iCanvas, The Poster Club or Juniqe. You’ll find more special prints to have a unique decorative headboard.

Although, as we mentioned, we especially like the composition with frames of different sizes, like a gallery wall, bedhead paintings consisting of a single frame above the bed, also are simply sublime.

Shelf headboard

Headboard furniture with storage is always a good choice. It allows us to have more space for our belongings, especially if they have integrated nightstands or drawers, like a bookshelf headboard.

However, as this article focuses on DIY ideas that we can accomplish ourselves at a low cost. The equivalent would be using shelves as a headboard, which means placing floating shelves above the bed.

With them, you can achieve a floating headboard with a shelf or ledge to put small items, decorate the wall with books, artwork, or even add a lamp.

Creating your own headboard with shelves, is as simple as buying some shelves or basic wall-mounted racks from IKEA or Amazon.

After, place them on the wall according to your preference: a single one, at different heights, in a staggered pattern, or more.

Bed backboard with SKADIS panel

Another option if you need a cool headboard with shelves are the SKADIS perforated boards from IKEA. Typically used in home offices, desks, kitchens, laundries, or DIY rooms. They allow you to hang all necessary utensils and tools, from pens to spoons and hammers.

Why not use them to organize our bedrooms? Especially in those with a relaxed, eclectic, and fun style. We’ve come across some ideas that you’ll love.

Fabric and macrame headboard

Lastly, we want to share with you macrame headboards, tapestries, ornaments, ropes, curtains and fabric. Although they are not our favorite choice, we do believe they can be adapted to many homes. Especially those with rustic, vintage, or boho styles, as hanging headboards complement these interior designs.

They’re trendy, and you can find numerous ideas on Pinterest, even tutorials to make them yourself. If not, you can always turn to websites where you can purchase handmade macramé headboards, such as Etsy.