Creating a Coastal Headboard

In these tough economic times you can still do a lot to decorate your home with really 'big time' coastal appeal by using some very inexpensive items. To create a fantastic coastal 'headboard', start with some weathered old shutters. You can leave them very weathered or give them a coat of white, sage green or other stain color of your choice. Searching for old shutters can be a lot of fun - bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it!


Fasten enough panels together to approximate the width of your bed (there are several ways to fasten the panels but you might want to try small hinges). The joined shutters can then be affixed to the wall to form a 'headboard'.


You'll then want to decorate the shutters for a 'decked out' coastal look by hanging shell adorned wreaths, garlands, or other ornamental shell decorations from the shutters - but be careful, a little adornment goes a long way! You could opt to use something more 'Nantucket' like skinny Nantucket wall baskets filled with silk hydrangea hung from alternating shutter panels. Another option is to hang small 10" wreaths on every other panel for a stunning impact or opt for one 24" wreath and hang it in the center of your 'headboard'.





You can even go for a really simple look by hanging 6-7" finger starfish from the shutters with fishing line. Hang them at different lengths so you end up with touches of starfish here and there covering the shutters.


Be sure to visit Blue Barnacles - Nautical, Coastal and Tropical Decor for all your coastal, nautical and tropical decorating needs.