Let Your Headboard Inspire the Whole Bedroom

If you have busy wallpaper you don't want to hide, let it sing! A loud wallpaper won't always work well with an intricate headboard, but the two absolutely coordinate in this composition. And the simple black lampshades inject a little edginess.

Color, texture, pattern — a complete composition. While the wallpaper in this room isn't particularly loud, it is inarguably a pattern, but the designer didn't shy away from bringing in additional patterns and bold colors (in the bedding), texture (in the deep tufted headboard), materials (burled wood night table/vanity, high-gloss lamp base) in addition to artwork. There is a lot to look at, but it's all presented in such a way that you want to linger in the room a while to catch all the subtleties in the design.

When the headboard is a wall, the other elements in the room become exceedingly important. This room could look stark, but the soft blue curtains, chandelier in place of a traditional bedside lamp and overall lightness give this room a soft, airy feel.

Above the board. What do you do with the space above the headboard? As we saw, some people leave it bare to great effect. But if your headboard and wall are somewhat subdued, adding art or decorative items will make the room come alive.

A series of drawings, paintings and etchings give walls dimension. Designers like to work in odd numbers; one, three and five are favorites. In this composition, the patterned bedding is what makes this composition pop, breaking up the solid colors on the wall, headboard and doors.

Pair a large work of art with a large headboard, especially when the art is the prominent color feature of the room. Even the bedside lamp in this design is diminutive, allowing the art to take center stage.

One of the biggest mistakes people make with art is hanging it too high. In some cases, it's not necessary to even hang it, ensuring it stays nice and low for optimal viewing. A headboard that doubles as a shelf affords a great art-leaning ledge. The scale of the art in this design works particularly well with the height of the headboard. I also like the play of shapes: The rectangular headboard pairs well with the unusual oval night table.

I particularly like the play of scale employed in this room with twin beds. The verticality created by the striped bedding, tall headboards and central lamp brings the eye up to the small illustrations above the beds.

I love this tiny series of the three bold paintings above the large headboard. The grey and white color story gives the colorful art prominence despite its small stature.

Here's something you don't see every day: art hung directly ON the headboard for full integration of art and sleep!

Low art. It isn't a requirement to hang art above a bed. Install it next to the headboard for a more approachable height.

Fill the wall. Don't be fooled by all the minimalist talk; if you are a maximalist, go ahead and fill those walls up. All of the elements in this room — the bold headboard, bright bedding, sculptural lamps and art — create a lively composition, thanks to beautifully coordinated colors.

A small room benefits from the same elements as a larger one. The round mirror above the mansard headboard is a fun contrast, while all the textures (headboard, bedding, flooring, curtains) give the room depth and sophistication.

More: 11 Inventive Headboards