Headboard Ideas From Our Favorite Designers

Design all-stars Sarah Richardson, Candice Olson and David Bromstad know how to put the finishing touch on a bedroom. Be inspired by their stylish approaches to treating the head of the bed.

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May 29, 2015

By: H. Camille Smith

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Photo By: Design by Sarah Richardson

Easy Being Green

Bet you couldn't tell this sunny bedroom is actually located in a basement. Sarah maximized the small amount of natural light with plenty of crisp white in the room's walls, bedding and flooring. A bold, graphic wallpaper adds textural interest while the custom, arched headboard in a cheery green shade really pops.

Too Hip to Be Square

David covered an accent wall in sculptural, laser-cut mahogany to create a dramatic backdrop for the room's nightclub-inspired round bed. Minimal twin headboards, covered in the same sleek, white vinyl as the rest of the bed, provide a comfortable spot for lounging without visually competing with the focal wall.

Ready for Romance

Candice knows how to spark a flame in the bedroom. She recommends starting with a soothing color palette paired with the right amount of soft lighting to create a restful sanctuary. A built-in fireplace and massive crystal chandelier enhance the room's romantic feel while an oversized, upholstered headboard takes advantage of the soaring vaulted ceiling.

Subdued Sophistication

Richly textured, neutral fabric surrounded by a raised walnut frame is a refined choice for this streamlined bedroom. Sarah combined soft gray with pale cream for a look that is evocative of old Hollywood yet is still fresh and modern.

Big on Style

To David, color is the root of great design. He expresses his theory by brightening up this airy bedroom with large paintings in saturated shades of orange and blue. A substantial tufted headboard, that encompasses both nightstands, makes the bed a soft place to land at the end of a long day.

Fresh Take on Floral

A feminine, curvilinear design makes this custom headboard a real attention getter. The large-scale abstract floral pattern Sarah chose is both youthful and classic. Pillows in coordinating colors finish the look.

Romantic Retreat for Globe Trotters

Candice created this master suite to celebrate a young couple's love of far-off locales. To contrast with the room's many exotic souvenirs, she kept the bed traditional with a plush, custom headboard upholstered in rich charcoal-gray velvet framed by silver nail-head trim.

Country Charmer

A richly patinaed brass bedstead is the natural partner to a vintage handmade quilt in Sarah's country house. Her inspiration for this bedroom was actually the paisley pattern used on the pillows — the bed's warm golden hue complements the tightly patterned fabric perfectly.

Work With What You Have

A study in light and bright contrasts, Candice incorporated the homeowner's existing espresso-stained wood headboard into the new attic master suite by balancing its dark tone with plenty of white accented by cheery pear green.

Fresh Take on a Classic

A traditional four-poster frame visually anchors the bed in this soaring, vaulted bedroom. Bright pops of citrus green and yellow add modern verve to the room's timeless style. Design by Sarah Richardson.

Light It Up

This teen's bedroom is truly a mini apartment — a lounge area, desk and sleeping space all flow seamlessly together. To define the bed, Candice suspended tiny pendant lights over the headboard which was given a fresh coat of steely blue paint to work with the room's hip, masculine vibe.

Timeless Room for a Little Girl

Sarah pairs pillows made from a vintage chenille bedspread with a decidedly feminine headboard covered in a modern take on country floral. Sarah recommends that when decoraing a child's room to not make it too juvenile because kids will too quickly outgrow it.

Moorish Masterpiece

The oversized spherical posts are the star of this bed. So, in place of a traditional headboard David hangs one of his original paintings and adds comfort with Moroccan-inspired pillows piled in an asymmetrical fashion.

Space-Saving Design

Scaled to tuck under the windows in Sarah's summer cottage, this headboard, covered in an exuberant floral fabric, adds just the right pop.