Upholstered Velvet Nailhead Headboard

My son Robert switched rooms in December to what use to be the nursery. This room has looked mostly the same for the last 7 years. Same paint, same curtains, same dresser. The only thing that changed was the 3 three babies swapping in and out as needed. Now that the space is officially his I was ready to start tweaking the space for him. A new headboard was first on the to do list. Headboards are really very simple to make. All that was needed was:

5/8 Underlayment Particle Board ($20 but enough for 2 headboards)
Egg Crate Foam ($12)
Batting ($6)
Fabric 1.5 yds (velvet $17 per yard so $26)
Staple Gun, Staples
Yardstick, Hammer, Nail
Nailheads ($7)
Total if purchasing all materials except gun and staples $62 - Not Bad!

Most supplies were already on hand from previous projects like the kid friendly gray Sunbrella velvet leftover from recovering a sofa. The only purchases were $6 for batting and $7 for nailheads. First Mike cut the particle board to my measurements of 30" x 41".

Egg crate foam was cut to 39" x 29" to leave a 1" foam free edge along the sides and top.

The batting was laid smooth on the ground, then the foam followed with the particle board. I took some extra time to make sure the foam was lined up correctly with the board. The batting was stapled all around paying close attention to the corners ensuring a smooth fit.

Next the fabric was placed wrong side up on the floor followed with my newly "batted" board. The fabric was then cut leaving a 3" border all the way around.

Using the staple gun again, I attached the fabric with 3 staples in the center portion of each side. Then I kept on stapling, alternating opposite sides. The key for this step was ensuring a tight fit, flipping the board over frequently to check my work.

That was the easy part. I really wanted nailhead trim thinking it would no problem. Well it is pretty easy...if you like crooked lines and lots of bent nails that need to be discarded. I thought I could just measure the holes and tap my upholstery nails in. The particle board was so hard that many of the nails went in totally crooked. So I did what any normal person would do - stopped the project and felt guilty for the next three months while the headboard sat unfinished.

Finally this week I bit the bullet and completed it yeah! All I needed to do was hammer in a regular nail a bit into the board then remove it so the decorative nailhead would sink properly into the headboard. Using a yardstick I marked a small dot every 3/4" and proceeded with adding the nailheads.

Finally it is behind my son's bed. A few nailheads are missing on the side because I ran out from throwing away so many in the beginning. The next trip to the store will remedy that problem. Currently he's digging Star Wars but I think this headboard would complement whatever phase he's into next.

Since we're in his room here are a few other shots of the space.

The large painting was my husband's as a young boy and Mike's mom painted the top picture. I love seeing them hanging in my son's room. The wood ceiling circles are original to the house and the large corkboard was only $2 at a thrift store. The camouflage pillow was sewed per special request from my son. He doesn't ask for much when it comes to his room so if he wants a camo pillow, a camo pillow is what he'll get! Eventually the glider will be replaced with a desk but for now it works.

Painted Bathroom Nook

You know when you just can't take something the way it's always been in your house for..one..more..second..? That was how how I felt towards a little nook in the first floor bathroom.

While perusing Pinterest suddenly I had the urge to to paint it right that moment. It would have been cool to introduce a print or bolder color but the only thing on hand that would work was a gray paint sample from Sherwin Williams, Mindful Gray. So off I went to scrounge up supplies from the basement. Two coats and one hour later I was looking at this.

Look at that transformation! What a huge difference! What...you don't see it? In person the gray paint stands out more than these pictures. Unfortunately this small bathroom has no natural light and iphones can only take, well iphone pictures.

When placing items back on the shelves I switched a few things up. Out went the distressed metal planter from Anthropolgie replaced with various milk glass vases. Also a few books were placed between the alabaster horse bookends.

Since we're taking a peek into this bathroom for the first time here are highlights of other items in the space. After purchasing the house we replaced the grey pedestal sink with a white wash basin and polished nickel faucet from RH. I've always loved this style of sink and thought it would go well with the existing marble floor and 100 year old house.

I totally fell for this nickel light fixture on clearance from William Sonoma Home and calendar prints hang in frames from IKEA..

The walls are still SW Cottage White along with the majority of most rooms in the house. I finally feel good about this little space!