15 Headboard Alternatives When Your Bed Has No Headboard
Headboards can be a boon to a bedroom, creating a focal point and even adding a storage spot for books. But if you’ve purchased a bed that doesn’t come with a headboard, you’ll need a suitable headboard alternative. Luckily, there are plenty of options out there to help make the space above your bed eye-catching.
There are a couple routes you could take: fashion something similar to a headboard, or create something entirely different. I found examples of both ideas — and more — to inspire your next bed project.
1. Make It About Molding.
Even if your home or apartment didn’t come with striking architectural features, you can add that charm into the equation with stock molding. A great place to try box panels, as seen in the Georgia home of Jodi Bond? Behind your bed instead of a headboard. Skipping a piece of bulky furniture here allows the DIY woodwork to take center stage.
2. Let a Painting Do the Talking.
If you forgo a traditional headboard, you can use a large painting or dramatic printed canvas in its place, just like artist Sam Michelle did in her Melbourne, Australia, family home. This look definitely skews modern, since the art will likely be oversized and the bed low-slung so the entire piece of art is visible. But it’s a visually stunning look that could be much cheaper than a headboard, especially if you DIY a canvas yourself.
3. Borrow a Bookshelf from Elsewhere in Your Home.
Short on square footage? Don’t sacrifice an inch of storage space by repurposing a bookshelf as your headboard, which ceramicist Kate Matthews did in this Brooklyn apartment. This particular decorating move works best when you put the books and objects you’ll want to reach for regularly higher on the shelving unit. That way, they’ll be easy to access.
4. Try a Tapestry.
Woven tapestries are having a major moment in design right now, thanks to the recent resurgence in traditional design. Larger-scale tapestries, whether monochromatic like this one in Holli Zollinger’s Utah home or bright and bold in color, can be great headboard alternatives. They’re also a solution for introducing a prominent, wallpaper-like pattern to a room in a more rental-friendly manner than even peel-and-stick wallpaper.
5. Build a Bump-Out.
If you have extra MDF or plywood leftover from a project, you can create a 3D mini-wall topped with a handy shelf behind your bed instead of a headboard, just like Puno and Daniel did in their shared Los Angeles loft here. Or you can head to the hardware store or home center for fresh new materials for this DIY.
All you have to do is cut four pieces of MDF or plywood to your desired size and make a few 90-degree braces to attach the edges of the top to the front. The entire box structure you’re fabricating can rest against the bed wall but doesn’t have to be attached to it. The resulting look is rental-friendly and a warm minimalist’s dream stylistically, especially if you choose to match your paint color to your walls. That way, the structure and shelf just blend right in.
6. Mount an Oversized Cushion to the Bed Wall.
For the easiest ever DIY headboard alternative, use a readymade bench cushion you like. This is exactly what Robyn Pope did in her minimalist Florida home. She simply tacked an oversized cushion up to the wall for a small-space friendly solution that’s still plenty cozy and comfortable for reading in bed.
7. Incorporate Shelves.
Add a faux headboard using several 1x1s, as shown in this minimalist Canadian loft. Add some shelving to bring some purpose to your handcrafted headboard.
8. Simply Use Pillows.
No headboard? No problem! Just prop up a few oversized pillows behind your regular bed pillows like this cute bedroom in North Carolina and you’re good to go.
9. Drape Some Bright Fabric.
In this adorable, global-inspired Australian home, brightly colored fabric hangs from the wall behind the bed, serving as an eye-catching headboard alternative.
10. DIY a Wooden Headboard.
If you’re looking for a good DIY project that isn’t too difficult, fashion a visually interesting wooden structure to rest on the wall behind your bed, like the one shown in this Oklahoma home.
11. Use Paint to Emphasize the Space.
Try painting a half circle on your wall in a bright hue to replace a headboard, as seen in Trish Martin’s home.
12. Add a Dramatic Sculpture to the Mix.
How about hanging a massive piece of 3D art behind your bed in place of a headboard? This idea looks stunning in Tracey Hairston’s home.
13. Incorporate Salvaged House Parts.
Try installing a pair of louvered doors or some shutters as a headboard, as seen in this chic Michigan cabin designed by Wes Trammel (who saved these pieces from a basement reno). It’s a cozy strategy for defining a bedroom nook that adds a ton of visual interest to a room and hardly takes up any space.
14. Use a Combination of Paint and a Gallery wall.
If you look closely you’ll notice that the bed in this bedroom from Femina actually does have a headboard, but that doesn’t mean this gallery wall, with the painted backdrop behind, wouldn’t work equally well as a defining element for a bed without a headboard.
15. Repurpose a Vintage Door.
This DIY project actually made use of a door as a headboard. It’s turned sideways with the doorknob removed, which makes it the perfect size and shape to be a backdrop for a bed. What’s more, you can paint or decorate it however you’d like. How crafty!