DIY: Luxury Upholstered Headboard

Create your own custom headboard with this easy DIY tutorial.

This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you purchase with my links. Affiliate links support my creative content. Since this post was published, I change the fabric one more time to suit a bedroom refresh. Watch the video here!

Once we embarked on making over our bedroom, I fell in love with this Ashely Lasseigne’s fabric. Ashley’s fabric and wallpaper is very well-designed and it’s all inspiring. Very quickly, I decided the fabric would make an awesome upholstered headboard. So I reached out to Ashley and she also agreed with my idea. The project actually didn’t take very long to complete and I’m so happy I took this DIY project on. Sometimes DIY can be a total fail and others it can be so worth the time and effort. This project was definitely the latter. I can say it was truly worth the work. Here’s how I made my very own upholstered headboard, using Ashley’s originally-designed fabric.

Materials List:

Instructions:

1. Purchase plywood to make a headboard template.

The plywood I purchased was 3/4 inch thick. (Update 1/1/2022 – After living with this headboard for a few years, the thickness of the wood, batting, fabric and more are very sufficient.) 

diy, diy headboard

2. Sketch/draw a template onto the plywood. Cut and sand until preferred shape is reached.

I went with a camelback shape. My neighbor, Ron, took my rough sketch and made a perfect cut. You could use a jigsaw for this type of cut. My custom headboard measures approximately 74 inches (over 6 feet) by 48 inches (4 feet). I wanted to ensure that the edges of my headboard would be sufficient. If you’d rather not take on a complicated headboard shape, go with a rectangle, which would require minimal cuts. If you need to make a cut at home, use a circular saw. Most home improvement stores will make straight cuts for you in-store too. 

For reference, here’s the average dimensions for headboards in width:

Full = 56 inches

Queen = 62 inches

King = 80 inches

California King = 74 inches 

I hope this will help guide your final measurements for your headboard. Remember, measure twice, cut once.

diy, diy headboard




3. Add padding.

I used a full size egg crate mattress topper to start the padding process. I already had this on hand so that was extra savings. Using upholstery scissors, cut the topper around the plywood template, leaving about an 2 inch margin or so, for stapling around the back. Using a staple gun, staple the topper around the entire template. Trim excess up to the staples.

diy, diy headboard

 

diy, diy headboard

diy, diy headboard

4. Repeat the above process for the quilt batting and chosen fabric. Make a template, cut, staple with margin in place, and trim.

diy, diy headboard




diy, diy headboard

diy, diy headboard

TIP: For the corners, you will need to pull and tug to get a proper fabric fitting. Add slits into the back of the cut fabric (the opposite side of the headboard) to help release some tension in the fabric. Staple the fabric with a staple gun and as tightly as possible.

diy, diy headboard




diy, diy headboard

diy, diy headboard

6. Hang the headboard on the wall.

We used a french cleat mounting hardware kit that could hold up to 200 pounds. We may update that hardware soon depending on how this one holds up. (Update 1/1/2022 – So far, this hanging method has held up.) You could mount to the wall if you’d prefer too. 

 

 


This project was so worth the time and energy. I would definitely do it again! The headboard looks so great thanks to the beautiful fabric. I knew if I would tackle this project I wanted it to look very nice. That’s easier said than done when it comes to DIY projects. However, with Ashley Lasseigne’s luxury fabric, I pulled off a custom look for an unbelievable price. My headboard costs came in right around $170. You can’t beat that for a king size upholstered headboard! Feel free to use fabric that you love and make your headboard a piece of furniture you love!

Please be sure to check out Ashley’s original designs. She also uses her designs for original art, custom shawls, clutches, and even scarves. You can tell she loves what she does and I’m so happy I could include some of her work in my space. 

Watch this Instagram video to see how I changed out the fabric again!

What do you think of my DIY headboard? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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