How To Style The Space Above Your Bed
The space just above your bed may be a place you never pay attention to, even though it’s one of the first things you see every morning.
Over the years we’ve noticed how some homeowners and designers have turned that dead space into a major design moment, and we’ve gathered the most inspiring examples to get your creative juices flowing. Click through for ideas that shout, “Top of the morning!”
Sculpture
A large metal sculpture is a focal point on this inky wall. The scale creates impact while the burnished finish has incredible warmth.
House & Home October 2019
A Nautical Canopy
This fresh striped fabric is perfect for spring — we love how the casual draping over this four poster bed resembles an outdoor sailcloth.
House & Home February 2010
Wood
Typically seen on the floor, this herringbone marches right up the wall for a fresh twist on paneling. Since the pattern differs from the planks on the floor, it creates a more distinctive effect and highlights the headboard.
House & Home November 2015
Pennants
A set of nautical signal flags is a cheery seaside touch in this child’s bedroom. Aside from the playful pennants, we love the cute cubby that conceals a colorful car collection.
House & Home July 2009
A Brass Rod
Nothing says French style like romantic lacy panels that envelope the bed of Jackie Kai Ellis in her Paris apartment. Borrow a little continental flair and install a rod between built-ins, then hang some breezy sheers with lots of embroidered detail and voilà, instant Parisian romance.
House & Home September 2019
A Basket
Inject some texture with a woven piece. For added je ne sais quois: drape a quilt over the headboard to give a layered, boho-chic look.
House & Home August 2018
A Throw
In this bedroom, a striped blanket draped over a rod and finished with pompoms brings height and interest to white walls and a white headboard.
House & Home March 2011
A Sunburst Mirror
This gold sunburst mirror shimmers like a brooch on gray grasscloth wallpaper and catches the natural light, much like the crystal chandelier.
House & Home December 2013
Art
In this B.C. chalet bedroom, an alpine-inspired painting is both invigorating and soothing. The neutral tones accent the wood grain of the built-in storage and completely fills the dead space of the niche for a custom look.
House & Home February 2020
Plates
An assortment of majolica plates featuring curving fish swimming through the seaweed is a cheery touch in a cottage. If you have a set of plates that don’t get any use or are heirlooms too pretty and delicate for the everyday wash cycle, this is a charming way to show them off.
House & Home July 2007
A Wall “Tattoo”
In this NYC rental apartment, it makes sense to take an urban, artsy approach — and that’s exactly what designer Colette van den Thillart did. This oversized, custom art ‘tattoo’ is a one-off that conveys humanity and movement.
House & Home January 2020
A DIY Paint Circle
Dress up an iron bed with a paint treatment to add a sense of dimension, with no bulk. “I love painting semi-circles or large circles on a wall behind a bed to create a faux-headboard, or just to accent a bed with a low headboard,” says DIY expert Alexandra Gater. She chose a chalky pink (Benjamin Moore’s Allspice) that’s not too sugary, so it can grow with a child.
Embroidered Panels
Hanging fabric in lieu of a standard headboard makes it easy to switch up the look of a bedroom. Designer Joel Bray hung fabric from a simple drapery rod for a hit of pattern in this bedroom.
House & Home October 2014
A Statement Headboard
There’s no rule a headboard has to be horizontal. Just take a gander at this tall, circular stunner, upholstered in a spring green ikat fabric. Against a solid wall of grasscloth wallpaper, this headboard easily doubles as a work of art and makes the white bedding pop.
House & Home January 2010
A Gallery Wall
A grouping of framed butterfly prints hung in a continuous line and around a corner follows the horizontal paneling in this West Coast cottage for a whimsical, dreamlike touch.
House & Home August 2016
Vignettes
A deep headboard has enough surface to act as a shelf for some pretty items. It’s easy to recreate: Hang a shelf and set up a vignette of meaningful objects.
House & Home November 2019
A Hand-painted Mural
In this B.C. bedroom, designer Ami McKay tapped artist Dana Mooney to replicate the moody coastal colors of the West Coast in this hand-painted mural. When paired with ocean blue bedding, sleeping here is like lounging next to the lapping waves.
House & Home November 2020
Woven Objects
An assortment of spheres becomes an artful assemblage above a simple bed. Layering the lightweight items lends instant boho-chic vibes and a crafty, human touch.
House & Home February 2020
An Accent Ceiling
Designer Cynthia Ferguson took a fun approach to decorating her bedroom, creating an accent ceiling with toss pillows that repeat that wavy wallpaper pattern.
House & Home September 2020
A No-Sew Panel
Here’s an afternoon project that only requires a length of botanical fabric and curtain rods — it’s like sleeping under a bower. Learn how to make this DIY No-Sew Canopy Bed for a garden feel in your bedroom.
House & Home July 2016
Stone
A backlit onyx headboard brings plenty of drama to this moody bedroom, while brushed brass table lamps and a gilded chandelier add to the warm palette.
House & Home December 2019
A Scenic Mural
This bedroom’s wallpaper mural looks hand painted, creating an atmospheric mise-en-scène. In this case, the headboard was completely skipped, so it doesn’t conceal any of the detail of the mural, which is enveloping and verdant.
House & Home May 2018
Color Bars
For a playful treatment in a child’s room, paint swaths of sorbet tones on the wall; it creates more interest than a solid feature wall, and it can be coordinated to match bedding or just reflect a personal hit of a the occupants favorite shades.
House & Home June 2012
A Stunning View
Instead of running the bed parallel to a window or facing it, let the sun stream in from above. This cottage bedroom provides a front row seat to nature’s beauty and the changing seasons.
House & Home October 2011