Make Your Bed: 16 Easy DIY Headboards

Chalkboard paint features prominently in this elegant yet unpretentious headboard design. Add a new message daily to reflect your mood, or leave a note for a sleeping loved one. Whimsical and artistic, it’s an easy and budget-friendly DIY.

If you love repurposing old things for new purposes, try this clever project: Vintage shutters, joined together and mounted to the wall, give this bed a unique and relaxed appeal.

A white-washed section of picket fencing becomes a charming headboard. Paired with quilts and wicker, it sets a folksy and fanciful tone in this cottage-style bedroom. 

Even a fireplace mantle makes for a memorable headboard that, counter to intuition, looks like it was always meant to be. True to form, the headboard-mantle doubles as a picture-perfect display for family photos and mementos.

Want to create a tranquil atmosphere conducive to rest? Hang string lights over a dark-painted wall, with sheer curtains to soften and diffuse the effect. This headboard definitely lights up the night.

Achieve a modern look with minimal expense by stapling bold fabric over a square or rectangular piece of plywood.

Useful in every room of the house, modular shelving units in the bedroom form a storage headboard that anchors the sleeping area, while accommodating books, picture frames, and miscellaneous other personal items.

Comprised of fiberboard (MDF) strips with iron cylinder bracing, this graphic headboard extends all the way to the ceiling and serves as a striking focal point in the space.

A vintage door—painted and embellished with pine framing lumber, crown molding, and end caps—turns into a clean and classic headboard when mounted to the wall.  

The rustic simplicity of this DIY headboard is achieved with stock lumber and simple cuts. When stained to coordinate with your room’s design, the headboard will have a personal feel and long-lasting style.

Inspired by the Alexa Reclaimed Wood Bed from West Elm, this chevron headboard is chic and modern, but still feels thoroughly classy. Plywood and pine boards make this DIY knock-off come together for around $200 – about 15% of what you’d pay if you ordered from the catalog.

In a small room, a low-profile design element makes a big impact. This antique window headboard creates a focal point to anchor the bed, while keeping the overall bedroom decor light and airy.

A DIY headboard can double as a piece of artwork. This floral one creates a delicately whimsical look by highlighting a vintage sheet behind a group of MDF cut-outs. The white paint and comforter bring this simple look together.

This curvy cut wooden headboard was constructed with cedar fencing planks. Once the boards are joined together, you can cut any profile with a jigsaw. A coat of your favorite paint finishes the look, and you’re ready to have guests spend the night!

This headboard, composed of individually upholstered sections of beautifully patterned fabric, has been hung against a dark contrasting wall. It highlights the damask in the bed linens and makes a stand-out focal point in the room.

This beautiful and elegant woven wood headboard looks complicated to make, but nothing could be further from the truth. All you need is a single sheet of 1/4 plywood and some 1×3 pieces of lumber.

If you are interested in more DIY projects, consider:

9 DIY Headboard Projects to Suit Any Bedroom

6 Simple and Easy Closet Door Transformations

13 Easy Ways to Repurpose Antique Armoires