apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I did this project using an Ikea DALSELV. It's only $99 and the simple framed out headboard made a good base for us to cover with hardboard, then with foam and upholstery.

Doing something simple like these would balance the wood and give a nice comfortable headboard in a fabric of your choice would be easy enough to make. You could go extra wide like in the first picture or keep to the width of the bed. This can be wall mounted and bed butted up-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44713708@N00/3843263166/

another-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44713708@N00/3279549212/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44713708@N00/3929526043/

pxlchk1-
My husband and I are planning on doing exactly this (we are trying to wait and buy off of CL rather than spend 100 on the frame to compensate for what we will spend on our headboard)...do you have any pics to share? I would love to see how it turned out!

pxlchk1. i have an Ikea DALSELV that i wanted to cover. Do you have pictures of how it looks from the side?

I got a simple wood platform bed from a futon store for something like $200. It's lasted a long time. The legs are plain, and taller than the West Elm frame. I can't find it quickly via google, but you might check futon stores near you...

(What about West Elm's Tall Wood Bed Frame? Looks like they don't have it in full size anymore, though.)

Sure thing! I'll take pics over the weekend. We're heading out of town but will be back on Sunday.

I bought this with the same intentions of a DIY headboard:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99861533

If you use it with a boxspring it sits really high off the ground. I'm 5'6" and if i sit on it, my feet barely graze the ground. I also like the look of it and it was pretty cheap. I got that part done, now I need to finish the headboard :-/

Those legs aren't to hard to swap out, including for higher ones. You might find stock somewhere, maybe Ikea or a DIY. If you don't think you can do it I'm sure it wouldn't be too expensive for a custom job or a handy friend.

If you want to go cheap (for the time being), I suggest getting six cement blocks, plywood the size of your mattress (we used two pieces), and a modern bed skirt. I know that sounds ugly, but it's very sturdy and with a great bed skirt doesn't look so cheap at all. You also get storage under the bed!

That looks like the Night and Day "Thyme" basic platform. You can check them out at nightanddayfurniture.com. It comes in 4 finishes in solid plantation wood.