What's in this collection
The headboards here are upholstered panels in fabric and velvet, covering a range of heights from standard to tall high-headboard designs. They're intended as standalone pieces: the headboard only, designed to work with a base you already have or are buying separately.
The most natural pairing is with a divan bed. Divans are typically sold without a headboard, since customers often prefer to choose one separately to suit their room. A standalone headboard gives you that flexibility: you choose the base for its storage and support properties, and choose the headboard for how it looks. The two decisions don't have to be made as one.
Headboard styles include plain panelled designs and buttoned options with deep or bubble-buttoned detail across the face. Plain panelled headboards are the more versatile choice and work well against most wall colours and room styles. Buttoned headboards have more visual texture and make a stronger statement. Both are available in fabric and velvet upholstery.
How standalone headboards attach
Most upholstered standalone headboards attach to a divan base via a pair of metal struts that slot into headboard bolt holes on the back of the base. The headboard stands on the struts, which can usually be adjusted in height to position the headboard at the right level relative to the mattress. The process is straightforward and doesn't require any specialist tools.
The key thing to check before ordering is that your base has headboard bolt holes. Most UK divan bases do. If your base is an older model or a non-standard design, it's worth checking this before buying. Some standalone headboards can also be fixed directly to the wall rather than to the base, which gives a cleaner look and removes any wobble, but requires wall fixings and a bit more effort to set up.
If you're buying a new divan alongside a headboard, it's worth confirming the two will work together before ordering. Give us a call if you're unsure and we can help.
Choosing height and style
Headboard height is one of the more significant choices in a bedroom, because a taller headboard changes the proportion of the room and the visual weight of the bed in a way that a lower one doesn't.
A standard-height headboard sits roughly level with or slightly above a seated person's head. It finishes the bed without dominating the wall. This suits lower ceilings, rooms with wall features or windows close to the bed position, or anyone who prefers the headboard to support the room rather than lead it.
A tall or high headboard, typically in the 70-inch range, extends well above pillow height and makes the bed the clear centrepiece of the room. It works best in rooms with reasonable ceiling height and enough clear wall space at the head of the bed, since a tall headboard crowded by a low ceiling or a window immediately above it can look awkward rather than impressive. In a room that can carry it, a tall upholstered headboard gives the bedroom a finish that's genuinely hard to achieve any other way.
For the full picture of how high headboard frames look in a room, the fabric beds and velvet beds collections show complete frames with tall headboards in situ, which gives a better sense of the proportions than a headboard-only photograph.
Spreading the Cost
Finance is available on many of our headboards, subject to status. It's worth knowing about particularly if you're buying a headboard alongside a divan base or a mattress as a combined purchase. Details are available on the website and we're happy to discuss options before you order.
Why buy from Shawcross
We're a Manchester-based furniture retailer with a physical showroom, and we deliver nationally across the UK. For a headboard, where fabric finish and visual scale are important, coming in to see options in person is worthwhile if you can manage the trip. Colours and pile quality in velvet are genuinely difficult to judge from product photographs, and the height of a tall headboard in a real room can look quite different from what you'd picture from a product page. You're welcome to come in without any obligation. Give us a call beforehand to check whether specific styles are currently on the showroom floor.
