Good Questions: Headboard Panels on Gossip Girl?

Hi Apartment Therapy! Please advise. I am new to decorating and was wondering where I can get the look of Serena's wall panels behind her bed on Gossip Girl. Could this be DIY? Also, could you recommend any fabrics that are similar? Thank you so much and know I love the site!

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Yes, this looks like a DIY project to us! Who has helpful hints and resources?

Comments (8)

oh that would be a lovely idea! I am sure it would be a simple cover a bored with a little padding, and then find a fabric you'd like and hang it.

also, the photo of the eye, does anyone know who that is by? it looks like marilyn minter?! i love her work, i did a project with her, she is an incredible artist, painter, photographer in NYC.

posted by nytenglee on May 8th 2009 at 3:37pm
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I know this is upholstery, but it almost has a corkboard look from a distance - how about stencilling precut corkboards with a polka dot pattern?

posted by dmh on May 8th 2009 at 3:46pm
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This is definitely something you could attempt DIY. I think the biggest frustration would be getting the pattern on the panels to line up exactly right, so that they match up panel edge to panel edge. The Gossip Girl headboard looks great because the panel patterns meet perfectly at the seams. If it didn't, it would look awful.

I think you would need to pick your fabric first. The size of the panels will be determined by the size of the pattern, as you will want the pattern to be centered both north/south and east/west. Odds are, you will have to have the wood for the panels custom cut to your specs at your local hardware store. Make sure you order a lot of fabric. You will have a lot of wastage lining up the patterns. eBay is a great resource for high end fabrics at low prices. Also, you could try a web store called Modern Fabrics that deals in fabric remnants:

http://www.modern-fabrics.com/

The absolute minimum you could need is 10 yards to do a headboard the size of the one pictured (10ft X 4ft, from what I can tell). Make sure you have access to more fabric of the same pattern and color if you should need it. The larger the scale of the print, the more fabric you will need.

As these panels are more like upholstered chair seats than full blown headboards, I would follow upholstering instructions like these:

http://www.repair-home.com/how_to_reupholster_furniture.html

You could then mount them using standard picture frame sawtooth hangers or you could use cleats like these:

http://www.govart.com/hardware_cleat_B.html#3

posted by RichardinLA on May 8th 2009 at 4:16pm
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Richard--

You bring up some very good points.

The precision with which the dots are aligned at the joints is what makes this application so stunning...
...and beyond the capabilities of most of us mortals.

Perhaps a striped chenille would be easier to align in multiple panels like this - or a single upholstered panel in the dots (or other pattern) would be better suited for a DIY.

posted by bepsf on May 8th 2009 at 4:58pm
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I did something similar for a bulletin board in my daughter's room. But I used different panels on each piece, so there was no alignment issue.

All I did was take corkboard squares (I would use bigger pieces for this effect, and it wouldn't have to be corkboard--that pressed board they have at Home Depot would work fine), cover them with batting, and then cover that with the fabric. A staple gun around the edges was all it took. To attach them I used little foam tape squares, but for bigger panels you might try the cleats as Richard suggests above. The trick is to make the pieces as flat to the wall as possible, which might not work with picture hangers (and they'd be constantly getting out of alignment).

posted by sally305 on May 8th 2009 at 6:42pm
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this isnt cork. its fabric.

posted by my_junktrunk on May 8th 2009 at 9:08pm
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Just measure the repeat on the fabric and cut your panels accordingly.

posted by Modfan on May 11th 2009 at 12:19pm
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