The Ultimate Guide to Headboard Shapes
Keystone, Stepped, Ogee, and Peaked Headboards
When the curves and cutouts move from the corners up toward the highest arch of the headboard and form ornate “shoulders” — did you know that headboards can have both shoulders and arms? 🙂 — you can get lovely shapes like these!
The shape we call “keystone” has a large arch or square in the middle with either flatter or curved sections to either side — you could consider it the dressed-up cousin of the simple camelback shape.
The most commonly popular keystone headboard shape combines a short scooped corner with a short stepped edge leading into the keystone arch, like these:
This variation is more cloud-like, with curved corners building to a curved arch — perfect for these twin girls’ headboards!
Or you can get a little bit fancy and add in a couple of peaks like these:
Or flatten out the curve on top to look more like one of these:
The graceful curves of this scooped keystone style are perfect for a neutral headboard against a bold wall:
but it also looks lovely in a bold pattern on the headboard itself!
A stepped headboard has square or rectangular “steps” going up either side.
And the addition of a couple of curves makes it even sweeter!
Top it with a triangle and we’ll call it a peaked headboard.
Doubles always welcome 🙂
And bring those lovely side curves (shoulders) up to a point and create an ogee or pointed arch shape — it resembles a teardrop and is a great way to add the modern Moroccan style that is so popular!
Ready for more lovely headboard shapes? Keep reading!
See more headboard shapes and styles on the next page –>
IN THIS POST | Guide to Headboard Shapes
page 1: introduction to sizes and styles
page 2: basic flat (rectangle) headboards
page 3: circle, arched, and camelback headboards
page 4: scooped, inset, and beveled headboards
page 5: keystone, stepped, ogee, and peaked headboards
page 6: combination ornate headboards
Hi Cassity and Justin my name is Rick and I am recently retired and I want to hold a head board and I want it to have a scalloped head board but I would like for it not to be upholstery but to have a wooden panel with a wooden molding to go across the top of the head board I also do not want this the molding to have any end grain showing at all I have some experience at
cabinet making an I did it for all living over 44 years ago I also have I fairly well stocked woodshop to work at So U would also build this piece of furinture with the use of all the different types of major pieces of equipment available to me So I will also look at building this out of 3/4 – inch Walnut plywood plywood and the molding would be made out of solid walnut So any ideas u would have about this would be greatly appreciated Oh I will also try to download a pic of a head board that I like the shape of but where the upholstering is I would have the walnut plywood there Thank you Rick
I am redecorating a bed room and have found your information on heights and widths of headboards most helpful. I am hoping you can help with some ideas with using a footboard for the headboard… My daughter has given me the footboard to her queen bed that she is no longer using. I am struggling to attach pictures, but I can share that the back edges are flat just the legs are too short. Also my email address is all lower case.