of course, when i asked why? and what kind should we get? oh and DID YOU BREAK THE BED? i lost all traction. (also, when i told him my camera wasn't working he said "let's just buy a new one". so perhaps this is a money-grows-on-trees phase? i'll take advantage of it where i see fit.)
i know some couples are DIY teammates, holding the ladder for one while the other hangs a new curtain rod. giving each other exaggerated high fives after a picking out the perfect shade of paint. but that's not us. sean rarely helps me with house-related projects. i mean, if i need his help and ask nicely, he's usually happy to lend a hand. but i dream up most of the projects (or, you know, find them on other blogs) so i like to see them through.
ok the truth is, i'm a control freak and have zero patience. sean has no interest in home improvement. for the sake of our marriage, we find things to do together that don't involve power tools.
anyway! my first thought when i started the bedroom makeover, like six years ago, was to make my own upholstered headboard. there are some fantastic looking beds out there that look semi-easy to make.
i'm a little worried about keeping it clean. is that weird? so then i thought- what about a leather upholstered headboard? you know, easily wipe-able (i realize i'm making our sleeping habits sound disgusting but we've got dogs! and i spill things!) and i imagined something like this vintage-ish sofa reincarnated as a headboard.
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i searched around the webs for a leather upholstered headboard and the results weren't pretty. like, literally - everything that popped up was ugly. i have a hard time visualizing things so i really like to work off a photo, at least loosely.
for now, it's back to square one. actually, since we've both already decided that we want a new bed, i feel like we are beyond the usual step 1 for any project: convince sean we need whatever it is that i want. (often this step is skipped and i proceed directly to: do it.)
Lol your Sean sounds a lot like my Nick. He has no interest whatsoever in 1) home decor or 2) spending money. I've had your same concerns about fabric headboards, as well. You could make a slipcovered one but it seems like that wouldn't really go with your style. Maybe an outdoor fabric? I like the leather too though, especially if it was a great color like that sofa.
ReplyDeleteMy parents just purchased a nice looking leather upholstered headboard from Costco the other day. I tried to find it online for you to see it but Costco.com doesn't have the same stuff as actual Costco (so annoying sometimes they are like 2 different worlds). But if you have a membership they might have something worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can completely empathize with you. My husband provides little to no support in the home improvement realm and mostly just snarky comments. I love a tufted headboard. I agree with Charlotte that you might look into outdoor fabric. They have some pretty good looking ones, and stuff just slides right off it. Also, leather is uber expensive, which you might already know. I'm also not sure how big single hides come in. You might have to end up with like pleather or something.
ReplyDeleteI made an upholstered headboard years ago for our guest room. It's pretty easy to keep clean (though, we don't have dogs on furniture, so I suppose that could be a factor). I used a really heavy canvas type fabric. My sister in law (her blog is SuttonGrace.blogspot.com) did a tufted headboard last year that looks great and she did a tutorial if you want some help. I want Jon to be in a "money grows on trees" phase. He's NEVER in that phase.
ReplyDeleteHmm, our lives seem strangely parallel.
ReplyDeletei love that we all have the same type of husband. because if someone comments that they are married to the equivalent of john of young house love (dude loves his decor and i'm a tad jealous), i will kick them off the blog. it's nice that you guys are also navigating home stuff partner-less. girl power!
ReplyDeletealso, i'm going to check out outdoor fabric! excellent suggestion everyone!
and laura- i'm scared of cosco. but i've heard there are totally awesome deals to be had there on the most unexpected things. so i should probably be in love with it, hmm..
ah! You are not alone. I have a 'Sean' myself. He's tall - 6'5" so is great for helping... if and when I can convince him. Changing light bulbs is his DIY of choice and even that can be a challenge at times ;). But he cooks, so I'll take it. Can't wait to see the new headboard when you get to it. Funny post!
ReplyDeleteJust saw your comment about John at YHL. I think we are all jealous! If we could all have a John can you imagine how productive we'd be!? (we'd keep the current men but just add John in for all that he offers). That way no one is offended and us ladies get to do some serious DIY and decor. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteafter I finish reading this I have to go liquid sand a door that your dad stained for me. It's the wrong color, something I think he should have realized but.....I will fix it and redo it and try hard not to say anything. It's actually been on his list of things to do for over a month but he keeps avoiding it.
ReplyDeleteelaine - yes! johns for everyone! (in the appropriate, decorating-related way, of course).
ReplyDeletehow funny! your sean sounds just like MY sean. zero, absolutely NO interest in home improvement. while i have a minimum of three projects going on at one time.
ReplyDeleteWow...just checked out Young House Love...I hate them. Katy is somewhat crafty and I struggle through home improvement, but we never like to work on the same projects....ever.
ReplyDeleteI made our headboard out of a suede-ish fabric. Very happy with it...and have two cats. Bill and I work somewhat well together on projects...he builds, I stain, paint, and sew. He maintains that he can't grasp how "flat" fabric becomes a piece of clothing or, in this case, a headboard. He did, however, build a beautiful built-in platform bed with lighting and shelving. He LOVES a good project...and I see dollar signs when he's in the mood!
ReplyDeleteA leather upholstered headboard would be awesome! Good luck with the inspiration or finding one!
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend and your husband sound similar. I do all of the work myself and he lets me pretty much do what I want. It works out best that way.