Headboard Alternatives

As we've mentioned in a previous post, headboards are the frame around the focal point of your bedroom. However, they're not necessarily cheap. Here are some headboard alternatives that will round out your look without breaking the bank:

Curtains As A Headboard

This suggestion is most useful if your bed is actually placed under a window, but works without one nonetheless. It can seem counterintuitive to place you bed against a window for fear of blocking the light, however if you are a headboard-less dweller, many beds will sit below a window at standard height. Let your curtains pull double duty, and get an even more dramatic effect behind your bed, as curtains can extend all the way to the ceiling.

 

Large Pillows

Pillows come in all shapes and sizes. Why not get a few big, flatter ones to prop up against the wall behind your bed? Depending on how mobile you are when you sleep, you may not even have to take them down before you get into bed. And you can't get much softer than this idea.

Tabletop

Many things look like a headboard. There was a time when rolled an old table top behind my bed for storage, and decided that I liked the look. For apartments less gifted with storage space, this could be a convenient location to keep that fold-out table you only use for Thanksgiving. Don't like the finish of the table? Wrap a coordinating bed sheet around it to pull it into your design!

 

As an additional note, don't forget the impact of placing items such as pictures and mirrors above your headboard. The general rule of thumb is that the object or grouping of objects above the bed look best when they take up 2/3s of the available space. Correct proportions make all the difference!