Padded Headboards

•RILEY UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARD From Pottery Barn ($600-$800): Aside from the gentle swoop of the camel back arch, this is about as simple as you can get.

•RILEY UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARD from Williams-Sonoma Home (starting at $1000): This is quite tailored with its beveled, upholstered border.

•Colette Bed From Crate and Barrel ($1600-$1800): We like this headboard with pewter nailhead trim, but the headboard comes with the entire bed.

•Carlton Bed from Restoration Hardware ($1400-$1600): Also the entire bed, but classic and really well made.

Comments (5)

Thank you for this thread! I am, admittedly, an AT lurker, but this thread has got me posting.

I'm planning a DIY upholstered headboard for our guest room and can't for the life of me figure out how to make it tufted with those fabric-covered buttons, ala the Restoration Hardware model. How does one do that??

My plan was to cut a piece of fiberboard to the right shape and size, cover with a layer of foam, then some batting, then fabric of choice. But how would I sew buttons through wood?? Is this a dumb question?

Please help...I'm flailing in the sea of doityourselfhomeredecoratingprojects!

posted by kris on 2006-02-09 16:09:24

Kris,

I made an upholstered storage ottoman with button tufting several years ago, and although it's a different project, I think a similar process is involved. I drilled holes through the plywood top (to which I glued the upholstery foam) in the locations where I wanted the tufts. I bought a really long upholstery needle and fed it through the holes on the back, through the foam and out the face of the fabric, threaded the buttons on, passed the needle back through the foam and tied off the thread on the back. It was tricky at first (especially since my foam was about 8" thick and the needle was about 12" long!), but after about ten buttons, I developed a system. One tip: Protect your hands and fingers and use rubber gloves or something with a grip so you don't stab yourself with the needle!

posted by wendy on 2006-02-09 17:02:45

Spot on answer, Wendy! Ive posted a response, as well.

Long live DIY!!

posted by Alec on 2006-02-10 11:53:09

Oooooh, ya, holes. Right. Good idea! I will definitely be tackling this project. And thanks for the tip about hand protection...ouch!

posted by kris on 2006-02-10 22:08:31

Additional Info: lay a nail (one with no "head") flat across the hole in the wood to tie the thread around. The nail is held against the wood by the knot in the thread, this is faster than the button back method and is used by upholsterers.

posted by Erin on 2007-01-31 15:40:04