how about a cool old door, some shutters, an old window. an old old window frame with a patterned fabric replacing where the glass would be.

Hi Naomi,

I had a similar situation in my bedroom: a big wall, a big bed, a big space to fill. I did two things:

1) I bought a very simple headboard, on clearance, from Pier One. Cost: $100.

2) I have since replaced the poster in the picture above with a huge, beautiful painting by American Indian artist Bunky Echo Hawk. Cost: $250.

I might suggest that you find a comforter you like first and use that as part of your inspiration. In general, you should buy what comes in smaller variety (i.e. fabric before paint). You probably have greater possibilities for the art (either diy or bought) than the bedding.

Dont forget lighting. Pottery Barn has bronze wall sculpture (Bronze Bird Wall Art) that fits the large, and nature requests. Plus no color to "Coordinate"
I have never bought from Pottery Barn but for some reason I really like this piece.

The possibilities are endless. First, decide on the general look of the room. Do you want to go rustic, ecclectic, modern, exotic, etc.?
I thought about making my own headboard but before it happened, I spotted a lovely carved wooden room divider and I immediately bought it as a headboard. It was a perfect fit for my bed.
I intended to do a Morrocan-themed makeover for a friend of mine but then she decided for something else. The headboard I intended to make very close to this:
http://www.navaabel.com/sub_pages/interiors/moroccan%20window.htm</a href> - look at the shape of the blue part. Mine was supposed to be less tall and much wider, but this was the look I had in mind.
Or, you can do a mural, or a wall-tattoo. I love to play with that kind of stuff.
Good luck and please share with us the result.

Oops, that did not work out as intended. My apologies. I wish there was a way to edit.

The skys the limit. I liked kjchoardas ide of the cool door. You could put some swing lamps (traditional or industrial) on either side of the headboard. You could find som wall paper you like. Cut it to the width size of the bed, but have it go all the way up. You could cut some plywood and get some foam and cover it with fabric. You could get a thrift store headboard and paint it. Then hang curtains (floor to ceiling) behind the headboard to create drama. Have fun!

You could hang a cloth printed or worked with a nature theme. It would be so light in weight that it wouldn't be painful if it were to fall off the wall onto you. I read here that that's a concern for quake country residents. It also could serve visually as a headboard since it seems that you may not actually use them.

It is a rather weird position for the bed... what is that white door next to it? A closet? And to the "very close" other side, the fireplace?

Take a serious look around. Maybe, this might no be the totally final position the bed could fit in the room. Try fixing this issue before messing with any wall.

Think use and comfort... then go for pretty.

I'm having the same dilemma, actually. I have a wonderful mid-century teak headboard, but it seems dwarfed by the wall behind it!

My original idea was to hang a curtain/towel rod on the wall and use the space for my assorted collection of blankets. However, the suggestion kjchordas made of putting up an old window seems much, much more my speed. I used to have my bed in front of a window, so I didn't worry about it. But now... and interior window hanging may be just the ticket.

---www.bymaggie.com---

You could build a headboard see:
http://ana-white.com/2010/06/furniture-plans-low-modern-cutout.html

http://ana-white.com/2009/10/farmhouse-bed-save-158100_7467.html

Or you could upholster one like I did, if you eliminate the tufting it is super easy
http://orange-sugar.blogspot.com/2009/02/make-your-own-headboard.html

There are wall decals to mimick the look of a headboard like this:
http://tinyurl.com/27qg6yj

Look for one on clearance, browse thrift stores, etc... etc...

So many options!
1. With a staple gun and at least 5 yards of fabric you could make a very simple canopy over the bed -- just staple it at the ceiling, let a length hang down behind the bed, let it drape, then staple it a foot or so from the end (over the bed)
something like this (though it uses drapery rods... another step. I like my canopies fast and easy)
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://wallstory.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/canopy-bed.png&imgrefurl=http://wallstory.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/diy-bed-canopy/&usg=__gR7ZPW0tMqN18hv69jFm3a8Gd20=&h=604&w=714&sz=901&hl=en&start=5&sig2=PrAm6h1iCKoBKdI_poE0hA&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ajCu7rVYrfXdcM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDIY%2Bcanopy%2Bbed%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7ADBR_en%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=5WDdTLu5KZT_nAfH2OXxDg
2. A big mirror -- antique or from ikea -- would be cool, but you probably want it resting on the ground behind the head of the bed rather than hanging. Bad fengshui. (It might crash down on you)
3. You can easily make and upholster your own headboard with a piece of plywood, staple gun, some batting and fabric. Attach the plywood to the wall behind you rather than the bed.
4. Doors, shutters, windows, all good.
5. You could hang drapes -- full drapes - behind the bed, then hang a painting - a small one would look coool -- from a grosgrain ribbon down from the crown molding.
6. You could attach a wicker basket to the ceiling above the bed and staple and glue fabric to the inside (our outside) to make a tester bed.
7. You could paint a large color block behind the bed, or you could draw in a headboard, freehand, with a sharpie if you have such skills. Or combine them: Put up blackbaord paint, then draw in a headboard.
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com

I agree with manu, what does the whole room look like and is this really where you want your bed. Is there a reason it isn't on the wall facing the fireplace?

I would almost say skip the headboard and just paint that little nook a lighter shade than the rest of the room and let it be the focal point. If you like wallpaper unlike me, same thing.

I like what other posters have said about moving the bed (if possible) to face the fireplace or a window. Blik (www.whatisblik.com) makes very cool wall decals that I'm anxious to try. You could create your own mural behind the bed, and remove it later very easily.
I also agree with other comments that you should find bedding that you love first. That will likely be harder to find and you can customize to match! Good luck!

Is this bed in the living room?

The bed is in a weird spot. If you can move it someplace where it's not going across what looks like a doorway, do so.

Here are a few past posts on headboards to give you some ideas:

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/inspiration/inspiration-upcycled-headboards-095239

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/bedroom/make-your-own-reclaimed-wood-headboard-111867

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/alternative-headboards-painted-and-wall-decay-headboards-126854

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/diy/the-diy-king-size-headboard-bedroom-project-and-template-107361

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/eleven-diy-headboard-inspirations-058549

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/at-email/how-to-make-a-raw-felt-headboard-112279

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/how-to/how-to-make-a-cheap-and-chic-headboard-018020

Those are just a few. There are so many options.

Also, why not just buy a duvet cover for your comforter to give it a new look, rather than replace it.

My husband actually just designed and built a bed for our guest bedroom (headboard included). Our style is modern, so this exact headboard probably won't work with your classic style, but it may give you some ideas. We specifically designed the headboard to take up a lot of room on the wall. It was fairly simple to make, and you could always adhere fabric to the wood planks for a different look. A very light stain, or white paint on the wood planks would also completely change the look. You can look a a few pictures here:
http://livingsmallisbeautiful.blogspot.com/2010/11/yellow-and-gray-bedroom-update.html

0design0newbie0 - Blik is amazing! Thanks for the tip! I've searched for wall decals/grahpics before and never happened upon their site. So cool!

One thing nobody seems to have mentioned is that second hand headboards are available at thrift shops and the like, so if you like classic (wooden) headboards, that's another option.

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the helpful comments so far! I'm definitely considering buying my duvet cover first now, before I try to decorate the wall behind my bed (and yes to Danica123 - I do think I'm just going to get a cover for this comforter, not replace it - sorry that wasn't clear). I'm still grappling with the headboard vs. wall art vs. both question.

Just to clear up the confusion/questions about the placement of the bed -

I live in a converted rowhouse in Brooklyn (not sure why this question was posted in DC), so my bedroom is in the room that was originally the parlor. On the left-hand side of the photo is the fireplace, which faces the door (so I can't put my bed there) and on the right-hand side is a wide set of double doors that used to lead to the dining room, and are now permanently sealed. So they are not functional doors - they are sealed closed.

So, unfortunately, between the fireplace, the door, a radiator, a closet that was built into the room when we moved in, the windows and the sealed double doors, the bed is in pretty much the only place it can go. It's actually a nice cozy spot, but I can see how in the photo it might look odd, without context - hope that clears things up a bit -

Thanks again!! Looking forward to any other advice people have.

Maybe you could make the sealed doors look like a window by using a high, inside-mounted spring rod under floor-length, light curtain panels. That may allow better furniture arrangement. I did that to a badly placed door I never used to make it look good with low furniture against it.

I have the same parlor door arrangement which is common in San Francisco. I suggest placing the bed so the the sealed parlor doors are your headboard. It may seem awkward since we can't tell how much room there is to get around the bed, but try it for two weeks. It costs nothing and you can always move the bed back into the corner.

I would say go to your local flea market and pick something up. A bunch of eclectic frames to put all of you loose photos in. One big piece of art and hang it. Get a pair of bookshelves for storage of your tchotchkes, alarm clock, a pair of lamps for reading in bed.