Here’s why I love the headboard; it’s total bed bling, it’s a great way to express yourself, it creates a lot of design impact for your dollar, and it’s THE MOST instantly gratifying  DIY ever.  Not to mention, there are so many headboard DIYs, that you could keep yourself busy filling umpteen B&Bs.  This is one design element where you can let your design folly loose - start with a light, neutral bedroom, and then fill in the bed blank!  The crazier the better!

Although, I wouldn’t exactly call the following top five of my favourite headboard trends crazy.  These are in a word, pure inspiration…

 
Mirrored
From the left; Material Girls Blog, Sunset, CocoKelly Blog

Have you noticed that I like mirrored anything?  And I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not talking ceilings here.  For a headboard, a mirror can do wonders.  It can create the illusion of space, add some much needed light, and of course, create instant glamour, even if you’re treating it in a modern way.  These three dreamy – in my opinion – bedrooms show three different options; the ‘60s vintage find, which I’m sure looks familiar even to those who weren’t there; the modern mirrored tiles – great for custom designs – which you can find stick-on versions of at stores like Home Depot; and the classic approach, simply hanging a regal oversized frame, which, of course is not cheap but gorgeous.

 

Hey, that’s not a Headboard At All!
Clockwise from the top; House to Home magazine, Southern Living, Martha Stewart, Figueroa Hotel in L.A., Apartment Therapy Blog

Get creative!  Roll up your sleeves and go pilfering through salvage yards and reclaimed havens.  These options show off my favourite trend of all: repurposing.  Fire place mantle, lovely old rug (cleaned and dusted of course), a pretty dividing screen and the particularly popular old door headboard – all that’s needed here is an imagination and a keen eye for romantic garbage.



Wallpaper: The Easiest DIY Ever, That Looks Good
From the left; Crooked House Blog, Martha Stewart via Apartment Therapy Blog, Point and Click Home

Choose a shape, pick a paper, cut it out, stick it on.  Oh, and you can frame it too…(Also a good option for fabric.)


 
Quirky
From the left; Headboard painting from Crooked House Blog, Hockey Stick headboard from Instructables, Polaroid Heart Headboard from Mattress Zine

 
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet – and it’s been a long time since I’ve actually noted the existence of the Internet, as it’s become as implicit in my life as breathing – you, the massive sea of creative individuals, tirelessly flood blogs, photo-sharing and social media sites with your quirky and down right ingenious ideas.  Here are three that caught my eye; the headboard painting, the hockey sticks, and the Polaroid heart of friends and loved ones (I assume, but who knows…) – so simple, and yet, I failed to think of that, did you?

 

The Pageant Headboard
Clockwise from the left; TChochkes, IKEA MANDAL Shelf/Headboard via Apartment Therapy Blog, "Monaco" Bed from Haiku Designs
 
Why not adorn your headboard with stuff?  Ah, but this option can put you on a slippery slope toward the highly anti-design, assemble-a-whole-bedroom-from-some-MDF kind of headboard.  Please don’t assemble one of those.  Instead, if you have the $$ buy that beautifully sleek, vintage inspired bed frame from Haiku Designs, or go visit your faithful friends at IKEA for the cheap and cheerful MANDAL modular shelf unit/headboard (pictured above with two put together), for a different but still modern kind of fabulous.  In the case of no $$ what is so ever, find yourself a discarded piece of pediment with bygone romance (don’t rip it off your neighbours’ porch) as shown above – that could actually be my favourite.

Related: 

DIY Headboard from Pure Design

Top 5 Friday is featured every Friday on Style Sheet.