5 Headboard Trends Anyone Planning a Bedroom Makeover Needs to Know, Because "a Good Headboard Gives a Bedroom Its Identity"

Image of a red-and-white patterned extended headboard in a beige room where one wall is upholstered. The bed has white bedding with black stitching around the bottom.

When designing a bedroom, incorporating a fashionable headboard is the sort of detail that elevates your space from 'nice' to 'fabulous'. While it's easy to buy a standard bedframe and build the rest of the bedscape and room around it, it's more rewarding to opt for a more thoughtful or custom headboard. And when I say 'fashionable headboard', I mean a piece that stands out, brings the room together, and adds character. So, what does that look like in 2026?

Headboard trends are heading in a similar direction to contemporary interior design trends — they evoke a sense of personal style and character, but with a livability that is still cozy and comforting. Think tactile materials, patterned upholstery, and even tapestries or draping curtains in lieu of a traditional headboard idea altogether. Francesca Grace, a Los Angeles-based interior designer who recently designed a headboard range of her own, says, "A headboard should feel like an invitation. It should be comfortable enough to lean against with your morning coffee, but beautiful enough to make the bed feel like the heart of the room."