Fancy Shaped Headboards

In the bedroom, embellishments are happening via headboard silhouettes.

In the diamond business colored stones such as yellow, pink or blue are called “fancy” diamonds. In the furniture world there’s no equivalent but elaborate shapes taken from furniture and wall decoration for these upholstered headboards – none of the usual rectangles – feel like the same thing.

Delicate lines, contrast edging, and the scooped out center with its teardrop motif makes a black-and-white headboard feel especially feminine. I can almost imagine it wrapped around someone as a boat-neck, sleeveless dress. The L.A. design firm of Bonesteel, Trout and Hall matched it with a formal, skirted bedspread and striped draperies to give the room a yin-yang tension.

The swag on this title page for a set of mid-16th century grotesque Italian Renaissance prints is a motif that’s been adapted for furniture and decoration over the centuries and became popular during a mid-20th century revival.

A shield-shape center, upholstered with buttons. makes an unforgettable, sculptural headboard designed that Tilton Fenwick placed against a charming Farrow & Ball printed wallpaper wallpaper.

The roots of this style curve goes back to American Victorian sofas by Belter.

A relatively simple slipcovered headboard has a soft silhouette and less flamboyance than others, making it easy to offset or enhance the look by switching to a print fabric or less neutral color.

Queen Anne “shoulders” are the classic form in the headboard, typified by this Jeffrey Greene sofa.

As tall and imposing as the classic English wing chair from which it was adapted, headboards with a gently curving top and side “wings” have been shown by a few of the upscale furniture catalog houses. This one (in a hotel) from the lovely Dwellings blog has especially handsome nail head decoration along the top and the wings. With the extra-thick pillowtop mattress this bed is actually quite high but the scale of the headboard makes it appear normal.

(Source: Bonesteel, Trout, Hall,  Megan Yager, Tilton Fenwick, Victorian and Albert Museum, Great American Auction, Jeffrey Greene, Dwellings, Restoration Hardware)