One of my favorite projects at Rosehill Cottage was the DIY grandmillennial headboard in the green bedroom. This space is the perfect retreat. From the calming green walls to the layers of green fabric and art, it’s come together in the most serene and monochromatic palette, and the bed is the pièce de résistance. And it was an affordable and easy DIY.
How to Create a DIY Grandmillennial Headboard
This Laura Ashley duvet sparked the design for this entire room. Immediately I had visions of using the same fabric and motif over and over. And, while I didn’t quite have custom drapery in the budget (a dream, right?), I could DIY a grandmillennial headboard to achieve the repetitive motif look I was going for.
First, the supplies…
Rather than order an extra duvet and use that fabric for the DIY headboard, I chose to order a shower curtain. My (correct) assumption was that the shower curtain fabric would be thicker and more durable than bedding, which seemed like the right choice for upholstery. It is a bit lighter than the duvet, but the print is exactly the same so it works. Note: the shower curtain appears to be sold out almost everywhere now — this is the one website where I found it.
For the base of the headboard, I found a cheap headboard in a shape I liked on Facebook Marketplace. I think I paid $40 for it. I did make sure it was in good condition since buying upholstery is always iffy — I’m not trying to get bed bugs here. I also opted for a lighter color, just in case there were any issues with the original fabric showing through.
I did have to buy a staple gun since I didn’t have one on hand (though it’s come in useful since I’ve done several more upholstery projects since). For the batting, I bought the thickest batting I could find, though any upholstery batting will be fine. It’s all about personal preference.
Directions: DIY Grandmillennial Headboard
The cottage was my introduction to upholstery so, trust me, this DIY is as beginner as it gets. So easy.
- Iron out your fabric. I thought about doing this after I upholstered the headboard but doing it before makes sure you’re stretching the fabric properly and not ending up with extra creases after you’re done.
- Lay your batting on the floor and then place the headboard on top. Carefully cut around the headboard, leaving several inches extra on each side. You want to make sure there’s enough to pull tightly and staple on the other side. The exact amount will vary depending on the depth of your headboard.
- Pull the batting snugly around the headboard, putting in more staples than you think you need to attach it to the backside. Fold in a way that feels natural when going around corners.
- Once you’ve finished stapling the batting, you’re halfway done!
- You’ll follow the same routine with the fabric except pulling becomes even more critical here. Pull, pull, and pull some more! You want the fabric to be as taught as possible to guarantee a polished, tailored look.
- As you work your way around corners, remember it’s more an art than a science. Tuck and fold in the way that looks best with your fabric and your headboard.
And that’s it! This is a super simple DIY that even the most impatient DIYer can tackle.
