12.14.2011

Bed Makeover - Upholstered Headboard and Footboard

We've owned our bed for about 8 years. We bought it soon after we moved into our house because we really wanted a queen sized bed. That seemed HUGE after many years of sleeping in full-sized bed. Honestly, I still have no interest in a king. I feel lost in a king - especially if Handy Hubby is away for a night or two. The bed was one of our first real furniture purchases and I loved it at first sight. We bought it at a used furniture store which no longer exists here. It was marked down to $400 as I remember although I probably have the receipt. It's a Lexington bed so definitely good quality and I loved the mix of woven rattan and slightly distressed wood.


Over the past year or so, I've started pining for an upholstered headboard. Ever since I made the headboard in our guest room (more on that here), I have loved the look and wanted one for myself. I still loved the shape of our bed but the woven portion was not really fitting in with our room anymore.

So, I started with the footboard which has the same paneling, because it's smaller and easier to access. Both the headboard and footboard have a wood backing which is screwed on. I wanted to avoid removing the backing on the footboard because I feared it would not fit over the fabric, and it would be visible because the mattress does not fully cover the footboard. Kind of hard to explain but stick with me.

So, I decided to try my luck at cutting a piece of cardboard to fit into the space, and then upholstering the cardboard. I had no plan for how to actually attach it which is probably why this project has been in the works for about six months. My goal for both the head and foot was to preserve the original panel in case I ever wanted to switch back to that. You never know so best to keep all options open in the future.

Here's my cardboard - a free moving box. Very thick and sturdy so perfect for this project.


Next I made the template with newspaper and cut the cardboard to fit.


I then upholstered the cardboard with 2 layers of quilters batting, and attached it using very conventional duct tape! It worked.

The fabric is actually 2 Ikea linen curtain panels for a total cost of $20. Incidentally, they are the same type of panels that I used on my porch last year. More on that here.


After some maneuvering, the panel did actually fit into the space but I was worried it would pop out, so I was able to put a few small nails in which you cannot see. 

And here's the result...


I'm totally smitten! Now I was inspired to do the head board but I knew I would have to take off the back panel. I procrastinated for another couple of weeks, then I dug into it one afternoon last week while my son was taking his nap.  

I had to fully remove the back panel (heavy!!) and wrap the new batting and fabric over the rattan woven part of the bed. 


It was relatively simple - like recovering a dining chair.  


I had to enlist Handy Hubby to help me lift it back into place. Fortunately my fabric was thin so it fit!  (Sorry about the dark shots - we had to do this after the kids went to bed.) The back was not pretty but it won't be seen by anyone but the wall.


In the end, the headboard was a quicker project than the footboard. I may end up reupholstering the footboard if it ends up popping out or falling apart (duct tape!), but for now it is totally adequate.

And here's the final result!




And the before one more time...



This makes me love our bedroom even more. Of course, I wish  the bed got made like this magically every morning but a girl can dream.

Back to wrapping gifts now...