By Alana Davey Photography by Michael Alberstat

You need:

• Stretched canvas-type frame with middle support
     (54" square)
• Nails
• Plywood (54" x 54", 1/4"-thick)
• Upholstery foam
• Dacron (or nylon fabric)
• Velvet (or a finished fabric of your choice)
• Staple gun
• 3" picture-frame moulding
• 1/2" x 1 " plywood strips
• Paint

How To:

1. Build a frame 54" x 54" with a middle support or reinforce a ready-made canvas frame with a middle support.
2. Nail the plywood sheet to the frame.
3. Layer the upholstery foam and Dacron on top of the plywood – it should line up with the edges. Wrap the velvet over top of the Dacron and foam and staple it on the underside with a staple gun.
4. Construct the outside frame using 3"-wide picture-frame moulding, mitering the corners.
5. Nail 1/2" x 1-1/2" strips of plywood to the back of the moulding, across the top and bottom of the frame. This creates a shadow box-like frame that will help keep the upholstered headboard in place.
6. Paint the frame. Let it dry before attaching the upholstered board. You may need to touch up the paint once it is put together.
7. Attach your new headboard to the wall.

First published in Wish Winter 2008