DIY Leather Headboard – One Room Challenge Week 3

Updated October, 2026

This DIY faux leather headboard was a budget-friendly way to create a custom look for our guest cottage bedroom.This week we made a vegan leather headboard. We already had a queen size bed frame. The goal was to provide a comfortable backrest that would be easy to clean and sanitize in between guests. I found a few diy posts on how to make a wall mounted headboard but in our situation the wall behind the bed is actually a “pocket” for the bathroom pocket door. This means there is nothing to adequately secure a wall mounted headboard to. Mr. HomeSpunStyle came up with a design for a freestanding headboard on legs that he then secured to the bed frame. Here’s how we made it:

Our DIY Faux Leather Headboard Project

BEFORE

Materials for the DIY Faux Leather Headboard

• A sheet of 1/2 inch plywood, cut to 30 x 60 inches by Home Depot (a queen bed is 60 inches wide)
• 3 1x3x8 pine boards for the perimeter of the headboard and various support pieces
• 2 1x4x8 pine boards to be used for the 2 legs
• 4 metal T brackets
• 2 metal U bolts
• carpet padding cut to 4 x 6
• polyester quilt batting cut to 4 x 6
• 2.5 yards vegan leather

The measurements we used for the plywood were based on the width of a queen bed which is 60 inches. For the height, we simply sat on the bed (with the mattress in place) and marked the point about where our heads hit the wall. Then we measured the distance from the mattress to the point on the wall which was 30 inches. (These measurements can be adjusted accordingly to the size of the bed frame and how high you want to go with the headboard.)

How to Make the Faux Leather Headboard

The first step was to attach 6 pieces of 1×3 pine to the perimeter of the plywood with wood screws. This was necessary to accommodate the depth of the legs. If we hadn’t done this the headboard would stick out from the wall by the thickness of the legs.

We cut 2 1×4’s to a length of 55 inches each to make the legs. This was the distance from the floor to the top of the mattress plus the height of the headboard up to the 3 inch perimeter. We then cut and screwed 3 sections of 1×3 across the center of the plywood to give it rigidity and prevent warping. We finished the structure with 4 T brackets to fully tie the legs and headboard together.

Once we had the structure built, it was time to add the padding, batting and leather.

We positioned the carpet padding over the front of the headboard, flipped it over and secured it all the way around with a staple gun. We trimmed the excess down to about 2 inches.

Then we added a layer of quilt batting in the same manner.

Finally, the last layer was the faux leather. We positioned it over the front of the headboard, wrapped the headboard around the edges and then secured it with our staple gun. Here it is important to pull the leather taut so that the end result looks professional.

Securing the Headboard to the Bed Frame

Now we were ready to secure the headboard to the bed frame. This will vary depending on your bed frame but this is how we did it. Mr. HomeSpunStyle first screwed a 1x4x60 inch board the to the two legs at the point at which the legs hit the bed frame. He then secured the board to the metal bed frame using two 1/4 inch U bolts. Finally he also screwed two 2×4 wood blocks to the legs and the bed frame to pad out the gap between the bed frame and the legs and provide added stability.

The Finished Faux Leather Headboard

Part of Our One Room Challenge Guest Cottage Renovation

This DIY leather headboard was part of our 2021 One Room Challenge, when we transformed an old pool house on our property into an Airbnb guest cottage. If you’d like to see how the project came together, you can revisit the earlier weeks here:

• Week 1: Getting Started
• Week 2: The Vibe
• Week 4: Design Tips for Small Bathrooms
• Week 5: Guest Cottage Bathroom Reveal
• Week 6: Five Easy-to-Find Thrift Store Items
• Week 7: Mini Kitchen in a Closet
• Final Guest Cottage Reveal

Thanks for stopping by!

Debra