Colorful Rug Headboard How-To

Last summer, I bought a slew of rag rugs made from Indian sari material. I thought I was going to join them up to make one giant floor rug, but alas, that plan was flawed. In my closet those poor rugs sat, until, one day, I had an epiphany and decided to mount them on the wall and make them into a headboard.

This is not my first time at the headboard-making rodeo. Actually, this is my second time in less than six months. However, I think this is the one. No, really—this time, I mean it. Who knew those rugs made from saris I bought last summer would make such a great headboard? I didn’t.

I moved into my new house about 10 months ago. The master bedroom was a big, blank slate, and the people I bought the house from had slightly different taste in home decor than I do. What they did know is that this room needed a king-size bed. My old queen had to go, and so the search for a king-size headboard began.

My first attempt at a headboard was this button-tufted number. I thought I wanted a traditional headboard—then decided I didn’t, and tried to pump up the funk factor by re-covering the buttons in fabric cut from a vintage muumuu. You can check out the whole tutorial on my blog.

As much as I loved the headboard, it was just not setting me free. Luckily, it looks great in my daughter’s room, where it makes her sideways twin bed look like a day bed. So all was not lost, but this move left the master bedroom naked.

The first thing we did was to make sure the rugs were straight and centered. With a pencil, I marked a spot on the wall where the center of my bed would be. From there, using a level, I drew a line out from either side to act as a guide for the top of my rug.

Next I made my poor mother climb a ladder and hammer the rugs to the walls. In my defense, when not taking pictures, I was below her, holding up the weight of the rugs.

Using small nails along the top trim, we hung the rugs evenly. Once things were straight and where they were supposed to be, we went back in with a staple gun to really make sure those suckers were not going anywhere. We stapled throughout the rug—but, because of the texture, you can’t see any staples.

I wanted the rugs to be wider than my bed, so that they were also behind my bedside tables.

Please note my thrifted Swiss Alps wagon wheel bar cart bedside table and our vintage (had them since childhood) alarm clocks.

Store-bought headboards that tickle my design fancy are far and few between. Luckily, cute rugs are easier to find.  Now I am on a quest for amazing throw pillows.  Suggestions anyone?  This post originally appeared on BlogHer.  Check out all my other DIY posts there!

Posted April 28, 2014 & filed under BlogHer, Crafts, Home Décor Crafts, Home Decorating.