Making your own headboard starts with a simple question: how wide and how tall should it be in your bedroom? You build the headboard itself, choose the padding and decide on the shape. We help you with the fabric and can sew the cover to your measurements in our own workroom in Östermalm, Stockholm. If you would rather upholster the headboard yourself, you are welcome to choose fabric by the metre.
Making your own headboard: start with the measurements
Start from the width of the bed. For a 160, 180 or 210 centimetre bed, you can make the headboard as wide as the mattress or let it extend a few centimetres on each side. If you want the headboard to continue behind the bedside tables, measure the whole stretch of wall, not just the bed. It helps to sketch in where the bedside tables will stand before you settle on the width.
Then measure the height from the floor. A headboard that ends just above the pillows takes up less of the wall. A taller headboard stays visible even when the bed is made up with several pillows. Note where sockets, lamps and any wall mouldings are. For a cover that we sew, we need the width, height and depth including padding. Take the final measurements only once the padding is in place.
If you have a sketch but haven’t decided on the shape, you can book an appointment and go through the measurements with us.
Upholster a headboard yourself or let us sew it
A flat board with simple corners is something you can upholster yourself. Lay the fabric over the padding, check that the weave runs straight and fix the fabric to the back. Start from the middle of each side and work out towards the corners; that makes it easier to keep the tension even. If the fabric has stripes, check that they run the right way before you fix them.
If you want a sewn cover, we take care of that part. It is particularly useful when the headboard has rounded corners or when a pattern needs to be centred. You still build the headboard itself; we don’t build frames or install headboards. We sew on our own premises in Östermalm, with no middlemen or subcontractors abroad. That means you can talk directly with us about measurements, seams and fabric placement.
Bring the measurements, and ideally a picture of the headboard’s shape, to our showroom at Sturegatan 20.
Choose headboard fabric for wear and surface
An upholstered headboard is in daily contact with pillows, hair and hands. That makes durability important, especially if you sit up and read against it. Martindale is a laboratory abrasion test, measured in rubs. It tells you something about durability, but not everything about how a fabric reacts to stains, sunlight or creasing.
If you want a linen headboard, Flynn is a plain option rated at 50,000 Martindale rubs. Its visible linen texture works well with smooth bed linen and pale walls. Heavy Linen is rated at 22,000 rubs and has a different, more pronounced linen character. Look at the weave close to a window, where the side light brings it out.
For an even surface with texture, compare Sherborne and Stratford, both rated at 40,000 rubs. They suit a headboard that should stay close to the colour of the wall, as in Harmony. See more fabrics in Harmony.
A headboard in velvet or patterned fabric
Velvet changes with the light. On a tall headboard, the surface can look darker from one side of the room than from the other. Curzon is a velvet rated at 86,000 Martindale rubs, while Velours Medicis reaches 100,000. For a headboard that is allowed to stand out against the wall, start with the colour palette in Pondus.
A pattern needs planning as soon as the headboard is drawn. A checked Galloway Plaid, rated at 23,000 rubs, makes it easy to see whether the lines are straight. Strawberry Thief has a denser motif and 20,000 rubs. Decide whether a particular motif should sit centred above the bed, and bear in mind that pattern matching can affect how much fabric you need.
If the bedroom already has patterned curtains, a plain headboard may be easier to combine. You can also read about how we work with curtains in our own workroom.
Wall-mounted headboard or fixed to the bed
A wall-mounted headboard stays put when the bed is moved. That can be practical if you want a wide headboard that continues behind the bedside tables. A headboard fixed to the bed frame, on the other hand, moves with the bed. Check what the wall or the bed frame can take before you build, and plan the fixings so they don’t interfere with the upholstery.
Choose the fabric for the shape of the finished headboard, not just the width of the bed. Thick padding changes the measurements around the edges. If you have decided to have the cover sewn by us, you can book a consultation and show us your sketch.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make your own headboard?
You make your own headboard by building a frame to the right size, adding padding and covering it with fabric. Start by measuring the bed and the wall. You can fix the fabric to the back yourself or let us sew a cover to the measurements of the finished headboard. See our fabrics.
Can you build my headboard?
No, we don’t build the headboard itself. You take care of the frame and the padding, while we can help you choose the fabric and sew the cover in our own workroom in Östermalm. Bring the width, height and depth when you visit the showroom, and we can talk about how the fabric should sit.
Which fabric works best for reupholstering a headboard?
An upholstery fabric with documented durability is a good starting point when you reupholster a headboard. Compare both the Martindale rating and the surface of the weave. Linen gives visible texture, while velvet shifts more with the light. Also consider how often you lean against the headboard. Book an appointment if you would like to compare materials.
How wide should a headboard be for a 180 cm bed?
A headboard for a 180 cm bed can be 180 centimetres wide or a few centimetres wider on each side. If it is to run behind the bedside tables, start instead from the combined width along the wall. Always measure the finished, padded headboard before the cover is sewn. We’re happy to help you go through the measurements.
