Headboard Makeover

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 I have a beautiful, scrolled wrought iron headboard, but I was craving a change. This headboard makeover did the trick and it might just help you update an old headboard or bed frame that you are tired of. 

My situation was about more than being tired of a piece of furniture. After my divorce, I needed a change. I needed to reclaim my space and make it mine. If you are looking for a bedroom update, I hope your desire doesn’t stem from the same place as mine. Divorce is nothing I’d wish on anyone. Anyhoo – sometimes you need to change things up and if the budget is tight, this little trick is perfect for your headboard makeover!

Of course my mom was in charge of this project, because I really DO NOT care for sewing. I design the stuff and she whips it up. I am so blessed by her talents. My goal was to create a slip cover of sorts for the headboard and footboard. I really felt some cozy fabric would soften up the room, cover up the heavy wrought iron and add a feminine touch to the space. I choose dropcloth for this project for a few reasons. For starters dropcloth is so budget friendly it’s ridiculous! It comes in large pieces, which is so helpful for projects like this. I also love how worn it feels, I use it all over my house!

Instead of completely covering the headboard, I decided to leave the sides open and add sweet silk ribbons to tie the edges together. I do like the wrought iron, just not so much of it! I think this solution was a great one, at least for now. The heavy black is softened and the room feels completely different! Goal accomplished. 

If you want to try this little trick here is a brief outline of how to make a headboard slipcover. My mom made it, so I don’t have step by step photos, so sorry! 

1. Trace a pattern of your headboard using wrapping or kraft paper to create a pattern. Mom taped paper to the wall and traced half of the headboard to get the curve shape into a pattern. 
2. Trace the pattern on the dropcloth and sew the front and back together at the top. If your headboard isn’t curved like mine, you could possible have one giant piece for the whole thing, instead of having to piece the front and back. 
3. We made the front of each piece longer than the back to save on fabric. 
4. Hem the bottom of the slipcover.
5. Sew some ties on the sides, make sure to mark them and place all the ribbons in the same spot on each edge. 
6. On the inside of the back covers we added ribbon to tie the slipcover to the bedframe so it wouldn’t slip off. 
7. This project is really unique to your bed, but the concept can work on just about any headboard. Just manipulate the idea to fit your needs! 

You can see how far the bedroom has come since I started making it over in these blog posts! I’ve done all the updates myself, and if I can, you can too! Here are all the sources and tutorials I have for you:

Painted Buffet

Large Floral Wallpaper

Wallpaper Beadboard

DIY Rail Shelf

If you want to get a new bed and LOVE the wrought iron, here is a list of similar beds!