Headboards in Single, Double and King Size
A headboard is bought for one of two reasons: because the bed came without one, or because the one it came with is not what you want to lean against. Either way, the size has to match the bed exactly, so that is the place to start.
Everything here is upholstered, which is the practical choice on the one piece of bedroom furniture your back and head are actually in contact with.
King size headboards
A king size headboard fits a 5ft (150cm) bed. It will not sit right on a double, which is 6in narrower, and it will leave a gap either side of a super king.
This is the size where the headboard does most to the room, because it is the widest thing on the wall behind the bed. A tall one turns the whole wall into the bed; a lower one keeps the bed as furniture in a room rather than the room itself. Worth thinking about before ordering if there is a window or a light switch behind.
Double headboards
A double headboard fits a 4ft 6in (135cm) bed, the standard adult size in the UK.
It is the size most often bought as a replacement rather than as part of a set, usually because a divan or a plain frame came with something thin and hard. An upholstered one changes how the bed is used more than how it looks: it makes the bed somewhere you can sit up and read without a stack of pillows behind you.
Single headboards
A single headboard fits a 3ft (90cm) bed. The same size covers a spare room, a child's room, a box room and the top of a divan single.
On a narrow bed a padded headboard earns its place quickly, because a single is more often used for sitting up in than a double is: it is the bed people read in, work in and watch things in.
Upholstered headboards in grey, cream and velvet
Fabric is what separates these from a plain wooden or slatted headboard, and the difference is felt rather than seen. Padding takes the hardness out of leaning back, and it takes the noise out of a bed pushed against a party wall.
Grey is the forgiving choice: it sits with any bedding, and bedding changes far more often than a headboard does. Cream and the paler neutrals lift a darker room but show more where hair and hands rest along the top edge. Velvet catches the light and shifts colour as you move past it, which gives a large flat panel something to do.
How headboards fit
There are three ways a headboard attaches, and it is worth knowing which you need before ordering rather than after.
Strutted headboards have two vertical legs that bolt to the fixing points on a divan base. This is what most divan beds take. Floor standing headboards have legs that reach the ground and are held in place by the bed pushed against them. Wall mounted headboards fix to the wall behind the bed and touch the bed frame not at all, which suits an ottoman base or any bed whose frame has nowhere to bolt to.
Check what your bed offers before you choose. A divan base has bolt holes; a wooden frame usually does not.
Headboard FAQs
What size headboard do I need?
The same size as your bed. Single fits a 3ft (90cm) bed, double fits 4ft 6in (135cm), king fits 5ft (150cm). A headboard from the wrong size will either overhang or leave a gap.
How do you attach a headboard?
By bolting struts to a divan base, by standing it on legs behind the bed, or by fixing it to the wall. Which applies depends on the headboard and on what your bed has to fix to.
Can you fit a headboard to any bed?
Not automatically. Divan bases have bolt holes and take strutted headboards. Wooden and metal frames often have none, in which case a wall mounted or floor standing headboard is the answer.
Are upholstered headboards better than wooden ones?
For leaning against, yes, which is what a headboard is for. Wood is harder wearing and can be refinished; fabric is comfortable and quieter, and cannot be renewed once the covering wears.
How tall should a headboard be?
Tall enough to sit up against without your head going over the top, which is roughly the height of your shoulders when propped on pillows. Beyond that it is a decision about the room, since a tall headboard dominates the wall behind the bed.
How do you clean an upholstered headboard?
Vacuum with a soft brush attachment, paying attention to the top edge and any seams. Blot spills rather than rubbing, and test anything wet on the back first.