Painted Headboard Ideas
Headboards aren't an absolute necessity, but having one will give your bedroom a decorator's touch. Whether your bedroom is traditional or contemporary, a painted headboard can lift your mood using different colors and design techniques. Read on for ideas for painting your headboard.
Shabby-Chic Style
Choose a shabby-chic finish on your headboard for a bedroom decorated in cottage or country style. Start by painting the headboard a color that complements your bed linens, walls and trim. Allow the paint to dry before applying a second coat. After the second coat dries, sand the edges and corners of the headboard slightly down to the wood base to give your headboard that shabby-chic, worn-in look. Apply a clear finish to seal it. Also consider a crackling medium, which will give your headboard the look of aging paint. To use this medium, apply a solid-color base coat, which will show through when the top coat dries. For example, start with a blue base coat, and let it dry. Apply a coat of crackling medium, and after this dries apply a cream-colored paint shade. This will activate the crackling medium and reveal the blue base coat underneath it. When this dries, paint on a clear coat of varnish to seal the surface.
Faux Denim Finish
Paint your headboard in a faux denim finish for a casual look in a teen's bedroom, for example. Apply a base coat of paint in a light shade of blue or cream. Let it dry, and then apply a shade of paint the color of your favorite pair of faded jeans. Before the paint dries, drag a wallpaper brush over the surface first horizontally and then vertically to create the illusion of denim fabric.
Stencil and Colored-Stain Looks
Create a nostalgic look with a garden stencil and a collection of colored paints. Try flowing botanical stencils with cascading blooms and leaves, if your headboard is large enough. Or consider layering stencil images by applying different colors, which will create richness and an illusion of depth. For a simpler approach, use a plain vine and flower stencil on a bare-wood surface, and dab on color with red, green or wood stains. Use a clear finish to seal the surface.
Trompe L'oeil Technique
Paint the illusion of a headboard on the wall behind your bed using the French technique called "trompe l'oeil," which means "trick the eye." Choose a color a shade slightly lighter than the wall color, and paint scrolls that resemble intricate wrought iron. Paint an arched shape slightly larger than the width of your bed, or create a design based on your bed linens (for example, if you have sheets with stripes and swirls, then match those colors and patterns on your trompe l'oeil headboard).
