How to choose a bed headboard: height, fixing and what lasts
Partilhar
The headboard is the piece of the bedroom that most people buy for its look and fewest people buy for its measurements. It is also, almost always, the last one chosen — after the mattress and the base, when two heights are already fixed and they decide which one fits.
I am Ana Cristina, Dreamura's Sleep Advisor. This guide is about the three decisions taken before style: height, fixing and structure.
1. Height: do the arithmetic before looking at photographs
A headboard is measured from the floor to the top. What decides whether it works is how much of it stays visible above the mattress — and that depends on two heights you already have.
The arithmetic:
base height + mattress height = where the visible part begins
An example with real numbers. Dreamura bed bases are 30 cm in total height. If you place a 26 cm Takumi on top, the surface you lie on sits 56 cm off the floor. With a 20 cm Kumo, it sits at 50 cm. With the 30 cm Samurai, at 60 cm.
From there, how much headboard you want in view:
- 40 to 50 cm above the mattress — the minimum for the headboard to work as support when you sit up in bed to read.
- 60 to 70 cm above the mattress — strong presence, protects the wall and frames the bed. It is the proportion that usually sits best in rooms with normal ceiling height.
- More than 80 cm above — this only works in large rooms with high ceilings. In a small room, it overwhelms.
Adding up: with a bed at 56 cm and 60 cm of headboard in view, you need a piece around 116 cm in total height.
The most common mistake: buying the headboard before the mattress. If you later swap a 20 cm mattress for a 30 cm one, you have raised the bed by 10 cm and the headboard has shrunk by 10 cm in view. Always choose in this order: mattress, base, headboard.
2. Width: the same as the bed, or wider
The simple rule is that the headboard follows the width of the bed — 90, 140, 160 or 180 cm. Dreamura headboards exist from 90 to 180 cm.
There is one variation worth considering in wide rooms: a headboard 20 to 40 cm wider than the bed, passing behind the bedside tables. It creates a textile wall and solves the problem of a lamp resting against a cold wall. It only works if you have spare space at the sides.
3. Fixing: wall or base
These are two different systems and the choice is not aesthetic.
Fixed to the wall. The headboard hangs and the bed sits against it. Advantage: there is no gap between headboard and mattress, and you can adjust the height to the centimetre during installation. Disadvantage: it requires drilling, and if you move house the marks stay.
Fixed to the base. The headboard bolts to the bed base and the whole assembly moves together. Advantage: no drilling into walls, which is the option for anyone renting. Disadvantage: the assembly becomes heavy to move, and the visible height is what it is.
Dreamura headboards are compatible with Dreamura bed bases and with frames from 90 to 180 cm.
4. Structure: where the difference in service life sits
This is the part you do not see and the part that decides whether the piece lasts five years or twenty.
An upholstered headboard is a frame with foam and fabric stapled at the back. The useful question is: what is the frame the staple goes into made of?
- Chipboard. The staple goes in and compresses the particles. When the staple is pulled out for reupholstering, the material crumbles at that spot — and the new staple no longer holds. That is why a chipboard headboard cannot be reupholstered: when the fabric wears or the colour tires, the whole piece is thrown away.
- Solid wood. The staple goes into the fibre and comes out without destroying anything. The same frame accepts new fabric several times over its life.
The seven Dreamura headboards have a solid wood frame, are upholstered by hand and can be reupholstered. Three-year warranty.
This is not a manufacturer's detail. On a piece that stays in the same spot for ten or fifteen years and takes hair oil, cream and friction every night, the difference between being able to change the fabric and having to change everything is the difference between one purchase and three.
5. Fabric: why water repellency matters here
The headboard is the only piece in the bedroom in direct, daily contact with hair and skin, with nothing in between. It has no cover, no sheet, and it does not go in the machine.
A water-repellent fabric is not waterproof — it is a fabric where liquid stays on the surface long enough to be wiped away with a cloth before it soaks in. Dreamura headboards use a water-repellent fabric, in four colours.
The seven Dreamura headboards
All in four colours and with the same construction. What changes is the design. Prices in the 140 cm size.
| Headboard | Design | For | Price (140) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Plain, no visible seams | Rooms where the headboard should not draw attention | 329 € |
| Osaka | Six rectangles, geometric | Contemporary look, defined lines | 349 € |
| Kyoto | Four vertical lines | Minimalism with some texture | 459 € |
| Yokohama | Seven vertical lines | Same idea as the Kyoto, denser rhythm | 459 € |
| Nagano | Tufting without buttons | Subtle texture, without the weight of the classic | 469 € |
| Nagoya | Classic button tufting | Rooms with a traditional line | 499 € |
| Toyama | Curved silhouette | When the headboard is the piece that defines the room | 499 € |
In 90 cm, prices start at 259 € (Tokyo). Made in Portugal, free delivery in mainland Portugal.
The right order to decide
- Mattress — it decides the bed height and the comfort. It is the only piece that affects your body.
- Base — it decides the rest of the height, and whether there is storage underneath.
- Headboard — with both heights fixed, you already know the size you need.
If you are putting the bedroom together from scratch, the complete bedroom bundles already bring the three pieces matched.
A headboard is chosen with a tape measure before it is chosen with the eyes. The arithmetic is simple: base height plus mattress height, then how much you want in view. Anyone who does that sum first rarely gets the rest wrong.
— Ana Cristina, Sleep Advisor
If you have doubts about the size, call me. I settle it in ten minutes: +351 21 150 95 04.
Frequently asked questions
How tall should a bed headboard be?
It depends on the height of the base and the mattress. Add the two to find how high the bed surface sits and add what you want in view: 40 to 50 cm for support while reading, 60 to 70 cm for strong presence. With a 30 cm bed base and a 26 cm mattress, the bed sits 56 cm off the floor.
Should the headboard be wider than the bed?
Matching the width of the bed is the usual option — 90, 140, 160 or 180 cm. A headboard 20 to 40 cm wider works in large rooms and passes behind the bedside tables.
What is the difference between a solid wood headboard and a chipboard one?
Service life. In chipboard, the staple crumbles the material as it is pulled out, so the piece cannot be reupholstered and goes to waste in one piece when the fabric wears. In solid wood, the same frame accepts new fabric several times. Dreamura headboards are solid wood and can be reupholstered.
Is the headboard fixed to the wall or to the bed base?
Both options exist. On the wall it lets you adjust the height to the centimetre but requires drilling. On the base it does not drill into walls, which matters to anyone renting, but it makes the assembly heavy to move.
Why is the headboard fabric water repellent?
Because it is the only piece in the bedroom in direct, daily contact with hair and skin, with no sheet or cover in between, and it does not go in the machine. A water-repellent fabric keeps liquid on the surface long enough to be wiped away with a cloth.
How much does a Dreamura headboard cost?
From 259 € in the 90 cm size to 499 € in the 140 cm size, depending on the model. There are seven designs, all in four colours, made in Portugal, with a 3-year warranty.
