Never underestimate the power of a beautiful upholstered headboard. One of the simplest ways to transform a bedroom, it introduces colour, texture and comfort while making the bed the room's natural focal point. Whether you prefer timeless linen, luxurious velvet or bold printed fabrics, the right headboard can define the entire room. Here we explore six beautiful fabric options, popular headboard styles and practical care advice.
Quick summary: Upholstered headboards are one of the most versatile and comfortable ways to refresh your bedroom design. This guide covers six key fabric types - velvet, linen, faux leather, printed velvet, tropical prints and classic florals - along with how each fabric choice affects the look, feel and maintenance of your headboard. Whether you prefer plush, cushioned elegance or a relaxed, natural finish, there is an upholstered headboard style to suit every bedroom aesthetic and colour scheme. The article also covers care and maintenance tips to help your fabric headboard last for years, including how to handle professional cleaning, regular vacuuming and the importance of back support and comfort in day-to-day use.
Upholstered headboards you’ll love
We are seeing a real resurgence in upholstered headboards and there truly is a style for everyone, from sleek contemporary designs to shapely oversized pieces that make a bold statement within a room. Button-tufted and buttoned headboards remain hugely popular, delivering a plush, comfortable feel that suits every bedroom style. Buttoning can range from classic diamond patterns, perfect for traditional interiors, to more understated contemporary designs featuring just a handful of buttons for a cleaner, more relaxed look.
Wingback headboards are wonderful for creating an enveloping, cosseting feel, while upholstered sleigh beds offer the chance to show off a fabric at both the top and the bottom of the bed. Fluted designs work brilliantly with an elegant plain such as a velvet, and we are also loving wide, low-slung panelled headboards that invariably include more than one fabric – and incorporate everything from lighting to bedside tables.
Of course, choosing the style of your upholstered headboard is only part of the decision. The fabric you select plays an equally important role, influencing not only the overall look of the room but also how the headboard feels and performs over time. Do you want a luxurious, cocooning finish or a more relaxed, natural aesthetic? And is practicality a priority, with a fabric that's easy to maintain and clean?
The Best Fabrics for Upholstered Headboards
Luxurious Plain Velvet
Velvet is perfect for bringing a sense of plush elegance to bedroom design, and a lot of modern velvet fabrics are also extremely robust, featuring clever stain resistant finishes that make them well suited to busy homes.
Plain velvet fabrics are wonderful for emphasising shapely pieces: think a gorgeous, fluted design in an Art Deco-inspired scheme or an oversized, curvy headboard in a jewel-like hue to make a bold focal point within a room. Pictured here is Moleskin in Gold, an invitingly soft velvet in a mellow shade of gold that proves the perfect foil to tones of teal, forest green and coral pink. We kept the headboard simple to suit the relaxed feel of the scheme, but exaggerated the height to ensure it is the key feature within the space.
Natural Linen
The possibilities with linen headboards are endless, from a breezy design featuring a slipcover in a plain tumbled linen – the ultimate in relaxed, low-maintenance living – to more sophisticated pieces that showcase a beautiful print. Don't forget that trims can subtly elevate an upholstered headboard. Studs, piping or a contrasting border all add a tailored finish, as shown here, where the beautifully rounded headboard from our good friends at The Headboard Workshop is outlined with navy piping. The linen print is Buttons in Pond, a highly versatile, small-scale trellis design. We opted to pull the mid blue and ochre tones of the print into the bedlinen, cushions and throws for a look that is considered and colourful, in a subtle way.
Faux Leather or Leather
For a touch of old school charm, a leather headboard is hard to beat. Faux leather has the advantage of being wipe clean and therefore incredibly easy to maintain, while natural leather will patinate beautifully over time, with the odd scuff or scratch simply adding to the appeal of the piece. A very simple leather headboard can create a modern feel, as can a fluted or panelled design, while detailing such as buttoning can pull you down a more traditional path. Our Saddle II collection of leathers comes in a collection of timeless earthy hues. It is also a more sustainable choice, made using leather offcuts from the fashion industry that would otherwise have gone to landfill.
Colourful Printed Velvet
The ultimate in luxury headboards must be a printed velvet design. An eye-catching patterned fabric that is beautifully soft to the touch will elevate a headboard and turn it into a true statement piece. Try playing with the shape of the headboard to enhance the pattern of the fabric: the curves of this arresting design – made by The Headboard Workshop – nicely chime with the shapes within the exuberant Oriental print, Kami in Jade, bringing a sense of exoticism to the scheme. Note how the fabric’s colours inspired the rest of the palette, from the cushions to the wall colour.
Taste of the Tropics
Tropical prints instantly create a sense of escapism. Exotic foliage, birds and bold botanicals transform a headboard into the focal point of the room while bringing warmth, colour and personality to the space.
This arresting scheme sees an oversized, shapely design showcasing our beautiful Miji linen print, which is carried over to the curtains. The walls, linen valence and rug all pull out the deep orange background colour of the fabric, creating an immersive space that feels truly enveloping. Note the piping on the headboard, which adds a crisp finish to the piece.
Timeless Florals
When choosing a fabric headboard, there is nothing quite like a classic floral for bringing a timeless feel to a room. At once familiar and reassuring, traditional florals invite the joyfulness of nature indoors, creating a connection with the world outside. Team the floral with a classic headboard shape for a traditional scheme or, for an edgier feel, choose a more unexpected design, such as a curvy piece or an oversized winged headboard. The contrast of classic and modern is a pleasing one, as witnessed in this scheme where an elegant linen print, Kitty in Aqua Leaf, has been used to upholster the headboard and footboard of a pared-back four poster bed. The bed frame’s bold turquoise hue adds to the subtly modern feel of the room.
Care and Maintenance of Upholstered Headboards
Just like sofas and armchairs, upholstered headboards need professional cleaning from time to time, but regular vacuuming will help limit that need. A well-fitted headboard also provides back support when sitting up in bed to read or simply relax.
Velvets usually have stain repellent finishes while wool fabrics inherently repel liquids; many linen fabrics are machine washable, but this is only useful if you have opted for a slipcover style for your headboard. Avoid spot treating a fabric headboard as this may easily leave a mark. Leather can benefit from a good quality cream cleaner to keep it in good shape, and a gentle suede brush can be used on suede.
Whether the headboard is fixed to the wall or the bed frame, remember that a well-secured headboard also provides wall protection against scuffs and wear. Regularly check that screws have not become loose. Also consider headboard size when purchasing – from double to super king, the correct headboard size ensures a proportionate, polished look for the room.
As well as creating a sense of character and warmth, a fabric headboard is a wonderful way to anchor your bedroom design and colour scheme, bringing colour and pattern into the heart of the bedroom decor and making the bed the centrepiece of the space.
Bear in mind, too, that a headboard is the item of upholstery that requires the least amount of fabric, so this is perhaps your chance to go for a more expensive fabric you have been coveting, teaming it, say, with a more affordable fabric for the curtains. And if you have a treasured piece of fabric that isn’t quite wide enough for your king size bed, be creative – perhaps you can add borders either side in a contrasting fabric to create a design that is truly your own. A little imagination will go a long way…