apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I am looking for a headboard and would like something fabric, preferrably brown, for a queen size bed. I would like it to be as affordable as possible, any suggestions?

Sloane. Here's an option that shouldn't break the bank: http://ww2.westelm.com/cat/pip.cfm?template=8grid&pkey=cfrnbed&gids=f037&cid=frnbed&area=shp

I'm on a headboard hunt, too.
Pottery Barn has an upholstered headboard + slipcover. Affordable? More than I really want to spend...

Then there is: headboards.com
They only have ONE shape (Genesis Molded) that appeals to me. You supply your own fabric.
http://headboards.com/gal_queen.htm

Then there are the DIY instructions on making your own upholstered headboard. I'm toying with this idea - but I don't want to mount the headboard to the wall like many suggest.

Funny you should mention. I just got home from IKEA. The roads are crazy with rain shock, but inside... ah, IKEA. Still the same fabulous store for storage stuff I knew and loved in college.

Restoration Hardware Furniture Outlet Store. Heads up: when I was driving from SF to Sacramento today, I found this recently-opened outlet store at the Premium Outlet Mall in Vacaville. The prices were about 20-40% off of retail with a large selection of case goods and accessories. I was told that another location is soon to open in SoCal at the Premium Outlet Mall in Camarillo.

aquarabbit: This couch is only 53.75" wide and priced at $209. Is this too big for your place? http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_14/602-6061793-2366247?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000BDGA78

More headboards...from, of all places JC PENNEY.
(click my name for the link)

Okay, no faux-fur headboard for me, but some of the other options look nice!

And it looks like it's back to Target for another round... I have impulsively decided that it's time to put the bed on the wall between the closet doors... where it barely fits... which means I need-need-need a hanging shelf to go over it and some form of reading lamp that can sit behind the bed.

But this will open up the flow of the room significantly, even though I'm giving up my in-bed view of the exciting tenements across the street.

uh-oh, Wende... I hope your rearranging isn't all because of our earthquake-related conversation the other night!

I cleaned up the house a bit last night after the weekend frenzy of getting ready for the show this Friday. I moved both of my wood Ikea storage box/drawer things (used to be called "moppe" but now called something else?) into the kitchen and stocked them both with art supplies. It's so much better!

Also: today is National Pancake Day! Yay! I just got back from a delicious pancake lunch.

Try overstock. They have some groovy, modern tufted headboards. I have one and I love it.

Par example

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=1737029

The earthquake conversation was but *one* ingredient in the urge to rearrange. The tipping point was reached when the cats had another huge dust-up, resulting in my giving both of them baths and deciding that they no longer get to dictate where the furniture goes. It was a sad day for animal rights.

IKEA needs to have better stuff available by mail order. I could go hogwild, but it would require renting a truck and waiting until the husband is in town.

Hi guys:

What price points were you looking at for headboards? Also, were you looking for upholstered or slipcovered?

If you know someone that is handy, or you are yourself, the alternative is to get one made. I'm an Interior Designer here in San Francisco and I prefer to work in small space, urban living for both renters and buyers. Alot of my clients are on budgets, and living in a rental myself, I know what every cent can do.

You can find fabric remnants or inexpensive fabrics everywhere. At Discount Fabrics on 4th in SOMA, you can purchase Pottery Barn remnants for around $4 a yard. You can get a slipcover made and all you need for the headboard itself is lumber and someone that is handy.

It just depends if you have patience to wait or do it yourself. At least this way you can make it a custom piece. But again it all depends on your situtation.

Hope that helped, somewhat.

Welcome, Mark! You definitely need to contribute and comment more!

i had no idea today was national pancake day. darn it-
maybe i need to celebrate tomorrow with a belated pancake day breakfast.... chocolate chip...
yum....thanks for reminding us! will have to mark it for next year!

Still on the road and the big news here from Sacramento: today is the grand opening of the brand-spankin' new IKEA off of the I-80 in West Sacramento! Every public transit bus is "wrapped" with the IKEA logo and even the local UPN morning show is broadcasting from there this morning...

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/IkeaNearYouView?storeId=12&langId=-1&catalogId=10101&StoreName=west_sacramento

So that's where they're putting the IKEA in West Sac!

I went to the (very dead) East Palo Alto IKEA last night, on the theory that it provides a healthier and cheaper dinner than Target. IKEA had a plastic knock-off of the Trumpette Table Lamp from last week.

The Trumpette: http://tinyurl.com/lcb3y

The IKEA version: http://tinyurl.com/lvfwd

My big project last night was buying a tansu: http://tinyurl.com/ohvua

Now I have to figure out where I'm hiding the books that will be displaced as I get the dreadful student-style shelving out of the bedroom.

enrique, that sounds exciting! i remember when they opened the IKEA in costa mesa, on opening day it was an insane mad house- are you going to go?

jon... You of all people should know that I get more than my fill of IKEA in SoCal! Plus, the traffic on the I-80 has slowed substantially because of opening day traffic.

The stacked pebble tile looks great and gives a nice textural feel. The price point is the best part. And the floor tiles are less than some of the other pebble floor tiles I have seen before.

Are the stacked pebble tiles fairly easy to clean? Was just wondering cause of all the spaces between the pebbles.

LOL, yeah enrique- probably a good idea to stay away- maybe a little ikea breather- hey while you're in sacramento, have you been to a store called Lumens? or the lumens living? i think its on K street? don't know where that is- someone told me about it- was just curious...
click on my name for their site

re: fabric for headboards (or anything else). the crate and barrel outlet on 4th street in berkeley has lots of fabric on rolls, not sure how much $/yard, but they also have this big barrell of square scraps (most are about 20"x20"-- perfect for making pillows) that are 25 cents a piece. they have great merimekko prints.

Ali- i am so with you about the Crate&Barrel outlet-
everytime i pass the one in Cabazon- i swing by- i got a ton of great scraps that i used for making some of my pillows on my couch that was shown in the color contest- good call!

I'm a sucker for Crate & Barrel myself. We have a few pieces in our place as well as used the outlet to find pieces for clients.

Ebay also is a great place to look for high end fabrics inexpensively. I have found Fortuny, Donghia and J. Robert Scott fabrics at great prices.

Thanks for the suggestions on headboards. I like the one from West Elm the most but surprisingly the JC Penney ones weren't bad either. I would love to make one (I'm in LA not SF) but realistically just don't think that's going to happen!!!

Moving on to the next bedroom question - I'm new to the whole painting and decorating thing. I want to paint my bedroom I'm thinking either a light green or like tiffany blue. Is a place like Home Depot the best place to buy paint and what othe steps do you need to take?

Wende, that thing is awesome! Where did you get it??

I work alot with colors with my clients and I always use Benjamin Moore paints. The paint can cost a bit more than what you would pay for say Behr, but the coverage is great. Their premium paints will run about $30+ a gallon, but I have used really deep dark colors, like a navy blue for my living room, which had white walls, and we didn't need to prime the walls nor did we have to use a full second coat. You can check their website at www.benjaminmoore.com to find a dealer near you as well as helpful hints on choosing colors.

Most large paint companies, like Benjamin Moore, also offer sample pints of their paints. These colors are the basic colors and are usually pre-mixed. If you end up choosing a color or colors that are special order, the smallest size is usually a quart. What I do with my clients is, I take the sample and cover a 1 to 2 foot section on the different walls and at different spots. Then I have them live with the color for a few days and see how the colors look at different times of days. You shouldn't look at a paint swatch and assume the color will look exactly like that in bigger sections.

Also, different light souces will change the way the color looks to the eye as well. So test the colors out before painting the whole room.

And yeah, I agree that having a headboard made could be tough especially if you don't know where to go. But, I am originally from LA and sometimes do some consulting with clients down there from time to time. If you want to pursue the making of a headboard, check out the Garment District in downtown for great fabrics, especially Michael Levine's. Also, check on Craigslist under Skilled Services for seamstresses, handymen and carpenters. You can usually find someone that could help you out with furniture building that have reasonalbe fees.

Hope that help! Would be great to see what color you pick. I love using dark colors myself.

Dana -- The thing is from Nakura in South San Francisco. Fortunately, no one wants Showa or Taisho tansu (this one's Taisho, i.e., 1920s) because they're all after older Meiji-era (which is so thick upon the ground that I have to wonder if they're all genuine), so it didn't cost as much as it possibly could have. And isn't it fun to discover that I actually have taste for my *own* home? ;-)

I just saw these on craigslist in case someone is looking for a great pair of lamps...

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/fur/138235136.html

If rainy days make you yearn for the outdoors, you should check out the pebble tile. These are 12x12" mesh backed tles made of loose river rock. They are pretty easy to install and feel great under a bare foot. I just added them to my website:

www.sbkinc.com.

I'm an ex-DWR alum who is now in trying to bring some fresh ideas to the Kitchen & Bath market. Please take a look. I would welcome comments from the Apartment Therapy community.

Cheers,
Nuno Ferreira

I'm in NYC, but since there are no WalMart stores here, and the friend for which I'm asking this lives in New Jersey where we'll probably be able to find this, so...

I'm wondering has anyone seen the City Living espresso finish beds in person at their regular stores that they sell on WalMart.com ? They're like less than $200 but I'm wondering ... are they even sturdy? It looks nice in the picture, of course. I think he really just wants to update the silhouette of his bedroom furniture, not really invest.

Mark- Thanks for checking out the site.

As far as installing the stacked pebbles, it's pretty simple. You just apply them with thinset/mortar onto a wall as you would with any other tile, and that's it. They are so tightly stacked that no grout is needed.

Once installed, you seal it as you would any other stone surface. That makes it easier to keep clean.

They're pretty stunning once installed.

Cheers,
Nuno
www.sbkinc.com

wende - a shelf full of things right above your head? Um, not a wise move in earthquake prone SF. I was thinking that maybe you could put a drape the length of the wall which would hide both closets and give a backdrop for the bed. Then put small, cool nightstands on wheels so that they move with ease when you need access to the closet.

Just a thought.

Dana, Pancake Day!? Gee, I'm just now reading this. Is it okay to celebrate Pancake Day a day late?