Dreamy Headboards

Soft, stylish, and as whimsical as you want, headboards are enjoying a heyday. "They're so versatile. By varying the fabric and the shape, you can use them in any kind of room," says designer Barry Dixon, whose headboard designs are as diverse as his client roster.

When designing a headboard, Dixon considers the dimensions of the room, the view from the window, the existing furniture, and the mood the client wants the room to project. But his first priority is always practicality. "The padding and fabric not only absorb cold temperatures, but they also cut down on noise, so you can talk on the phone late at night without disturbing anyone," he explains. Here, we show four headboards that Dixon created and how they work in each room.

Clever Curves

This room looks out on the ocean, but it's small with low ceilings, and the client needed a king-size bed. With these considerations in mind, Dixon designed a headboard to evoke the shape of cresting waves, using a plain fabric that matches the wall color to keep it from overpowering the room and to make the room feel larger. Floor-to-ceiling curtains "create the illusion of height with a busy pattern to draw the eye to the view," he says.

He used crisp, light bedding ( "like the beach") and dressed it with several layers of pillows, "so the bed almost feels like a sofa in a room that didn't have enough space for one," he says. Dixon provided two bolsters, in the same fabric as the headboard, so the clients wouldn't have to move one big roll when turning down the bed. He finished the look with two chairs at the end of the bed. "The chairs echo the curvilinear forms of the headboard, as a footboard would, but they're more practical," he says. "You can sit on them or turn them around and put a tea tray on them. At night, you can put the extra pillows on them."

Creating Contrast

The room above had dark furniture and dark, textured wallcovering, which Dixon chose because they provide a visual tie to a stone wall just outside the window. But the room needed more light and femininity, so he designed a large headboard, covering it with off-white wool for maximum contrast with the walls. Using a shallow tuft button (which looks more modern and less Victorian than a thicker tuft), he created visual plushness while subtly echoing the quilting pattern on the bed. Then, he framed the headboard with the same off-white curtains that he used on the windows and topped the bed and windows with dramatic matching cornices. "The windows are small," he says, "so I used big cornices and put them as close to the ceiling as I could to give them more height." He put the cornice over the bed at the same level to create the appearance of an extra window.

CREATING COMFORT AND STYLE IN THE BEDROOM

• Tie your room together by repeating the fabric. "You can edge the draperies with the fabric from the bed, repeat the fabric from the curtains on the pillows, or pick up the colors of the bed and curtains elsewhere in the room, but one way or another, you want to tether them together," explains designer Barry Dixon.
• Vary the shapes of your accent pillows, but avoid using accent pillows that are the same shape as sleeping pillows, which should match the sheets.
• "I use bolsters on anything bigger than a twin bed because they let the pillows sit forward, creating more depth and allowing you to see more of the headboard," he says, "and they bring the eye down, which adds an extra layer of interest."
• Always provide guests a place to put accent pillows, other than on the floor. Include a chair, chaise, or chest in the room for storing extra pillows at night.
• Use bedside chests that are higher than the mattress so the lamps can illuminate a book for someone who is reading in bed. "I always make sure there's good reading light," says Dixon.

Cozy Retreat

The nook in this room formerly held a desk, but Dixon saw an opportunity to design "a realm within a realm, a cozy place to nestle." He started by padding and upholstering the alcove -- all four walls, the ceiling, and the headboard -- using a simple embroidered fabric that picked up the color in the rest of the room while contrasting with its busy pattern.

Dixon created an arched headboard to echo the arched entrance to the nook and trimmed it with nailheads to keep it from disappearing into the wall. He papered the outer walls with the same pattern as the drapery fabric and added matching curtains inside the opening of the alcove, which both delineated the sleeping space and brought it into harmony with the rest of the room.

Welcome Guests

Dixon often uses padded headboards in guest rooms. "The headboard is inevitably the focal point in any bedroom, and just by looking at a padded headboard, your guests know that you've thought of their comfort. As soon as they walk in, their minds are set to relax." The room to the left had wonderful 12-foot ceilings but otherwise lacked distinction. Because it would be used as a guest room, Dixon wanted to create a mood that would welcome men and women, children and adults. For the twin headboards, he chose bold, heraldic stripes in a feminine cassis color and a curved shape that comes to a point at the top. He gave them height for extra drama.

He built antique lanterns into the modern headboards, picking up the bronze of the lanterns in the nailhead trim, and selected a vertical shape that mimics the shape of the headboards. Dimmers on each lamp allow one person to stay up while the other sleeps. "I use the highest wattage a lamp will take, so at 100 watts, it's good for reading; at 15 watts, it's mood lighting; and at 5 watts, kids can use them as night-lights," he says.

This is vintage Dixon. When he designs a headboard, he thinks of everybody. And everything.

RULES OF THUMB FOR PADDED HEADBOARDS

• Make sure that the headboard is the right height in proportion to the wall. "A headboard looks best when it goes two-thirds or three-fourths of the way up the wall. If it is any taller, it leaves a dead space at the top, and at the halfway point, it cuts the space in two and looks static," explains Barry Dixon.
• The width should exceed the width of the mattress by 2 inches on either side, 1 1/2 inches for twin beds. "This gives you an inch for bedding and a little extra space to rein in the total effect," he says. "It also makes the headboard slightly more dominant than the bed."
• When working with king-size beds, Dixon advises, "contrast the width of the bed with height in the headboard, and use the opportunity the extra width gives you to do more with shape."
• When upholstering a headboard, don't skimp on the cushion. Dixon uses cotton batting over 2 to 2 1/2 inches of foam.
• The bottoms of lights or other fixtures mounted on a headboard should be at least 36 inches above the mattress. "This allows a tall person to sit up in bed without hitting his head and leaves room for pillows," he explains.

RESOURCES: Barry Dixon, Barry Dixon, Inc., 504/341-8501, www.barrydixon.com