How to make a fabric bedhead

A beautiful bedhead is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Making your own is simple and you’ll love the lift it gives to a bare wall space. Choose fabric to match your bed linen or else opt for a bit of contrast by using a length of striking patterned material.

You will need

18mm-thick piece of MDF, timber or chipboard; wadding; fabric; staple gun. MDF, timber and chipboard are from hardware stores, wadding and fabric are from fabric stores.

Step 1. Measure the width of your mattress and gauge how high you would like the bedhead to be . Ours (left) is 1.3m high and 1.4m wide.

Step 2. Buy the timber, MDF or chipboard from your local hardware store – they should be able to cut it to size for you. You’ll need enough wadding and fabric to overlap the board by at least 10cm on all sides.

Step 3. Lay the wadding on a flat, firm surface, then lay the board on top. Ensure the wadding is pulled tightly and evenly across the face of the board then use the staple gun to staple the overlaps to the back of the board. Lay your chosen fabric on a flat surface and place the wadding-covered board on top. Ensure the fabric is pulled tightly and evenly across the board then staple to secure.

Step 4. Our bedhead simply sits between the bed and the wall, but you may want to secure yours to the wall, using a wall stud.

Photograpy: Scott Hawkins. Styling: Alice Denney.