Wall-Mounted Headboards: Width, Height and Position

A separate headboard needs its own measurements and mounting plan. Its overall width does not tell you which bed bases will fit beside or beneath it, and its full height is different from the amount you will see above the mattress. Start with the bed you intend to use, then compare the headboard, wall and bedside furniture together.

Two wall-mounted headboards to compare

The Eichholtz Ditmar and Trapezium both have cream bouclé upholstery. Ditmar has a straight top and vertical channel stitching; Trapezium has a scalloped outline. Their overall dimensions are close. Compare their outlines and the position of your bed alongside the measurements.

Centimetres are converted from the product pages' inch measurements using 2.54 cm per inch, rounded to one decimal place. These are overall dimensions, not bed-size labels or measurements of the opening at the bottom.

Check the bed base and the lower opening

Both product photographs show an opening at the lower centre. Its internal width and height are not specified on the product pages. If your bed base needs to sit within that opening, request those measurements before ordering; the headboard's overall width cannot establish compatibility.

Measure the outside of the bed frame, including any projecting rails or existing headboard. For a simple layout illustration, a 232 cm headboard centred behind a 170 cm-wide frame extends 31 cm beyond each side of the frame. That calculation helps you plan the wall arrangement; it does not confirm that the base fits the opening.

Mark the proposed outer edges on the wall and add the bedside tables, lamp shades and sockets to your plan. Decide whether the headboard should visually sit behind the tables or finish beside them, and check that controls and drawers remain accessible.

Plan the height above your mattress

Measure from the floor to the top of your mattress, with any topper in place. Then compare that level with the proposed top edge of the headboard. The difference is the height that will show above the mattress; the full product height alone cannot tell you this. Allow for pillows when judging how much of the upholstery and outline you want to see.

Check nearby windows, sloping ceilings, wall lights and artwork against the complete outline. For depth, ask for the installed projection including the mounting arrangement before deciding the bed's final position; the listed product depth is only one part of that check.

Use the instructions for the exact headboard

The manufacturer's Ditmar assembly instructions (PDF) and Trapezium assembly instructions (PDF) show a bracket fixed to the wall, with the headboard hung over it. They do not show the headboard bolted to a bed frame.

Confirm that the installation method suits your wall and that the fixings are appropriate for its construction. Follow the instructions supplied with the exact product and ask a suitably qualified installer if you are unsure. A headboard's appearance or width is not evidence that it can use another model's fittings.

Browse our bedheads and headboards, or use the bed-frame measurement guide if you are also choosing a complete bed.