Skip to content
Home  → Beds | Single, Double, King Size, Ottoman  → High Headboard Beds

High Headboard Beds

Some bedrooms get to a point where everything in the room is right except the bed. New paint on the walls, decent bedding, the right lampshade, and...
Some bedrooms get to a point where everything in the room is right except the bed. New paint on the walls, decent bedding, the right lampshade, and the bed frame from five years ago that made sense in a different flat now looks small and out of place. A high headboard is usually the thing that fixes it. Not because it's the most expensive piece in the room, but because a headboard that fills the wall behind the bed makes the bed the focal point it was always supposed to be. The room stops looking assembled and starts looking considered.
The frames in this collection are upholstered fabric beds with headboards in the 70 to 72-inch range, covering smooth panel designs and deep-buttoned Chesterfield styles, and including some frames with ottoman under-bed storage. They sit within the wider beds collection alongside more standard headboard heights, and they're unambiguously a master bedroom choice. Not every room can carry a high headboard, which is worth establishing before you buy. Finance is available on many of these frames, subject to status.
We deliver nationally across the UK, with most frames arriving within 7 to 14 days. Our Manchester showroom carries a selection of high headboard beds and it's genuinely one of the more useful showroom visits to make, because headboard height at scale is hard to judge from a photograph. Get in touch any time if you'd like help before you order.

This collection is empty

View all products

What's in this collection

The frames here share one defining characteristic: the headboard is tall enough to be the dominant visual element in the room rather than a background detail. Within that, there are two meaningful variations. On headboard style, the split is between smooth upholstered panels and buttoned designs, most commonly deep-diamond Chesterfield buttoning. A smooth panel at this height looks clean and architectural. A buttoned headboard at this height has more texture and warmth and suits a more dressed, traditional bedroom aesthetic. If the buttoned style is what's drawing you, the buttoned beds page covers that in more detail.

On frame type, some of the frames in this collection include ottoman under-bed storage, where the mattress platform lifts to reveal a large storage cavity beneath. It's a combination worth knowing about: a high headboard frame with ottoman storage gives you both the visual statement and a practical solution to limited wardrobe space in the same piece. For more on how ottoman storage works day to day, the broader fabric beds collection covers the full range of frame types.

What a high headboard actually does to a room

The most straightforward effect is that it makes the bed the focal point. In a room where the bed sits against a plain wall, even a well-decorated bedroom can feel like it has a missing anchor. A headboard that reaches 70 or 72 inches high changes that. The wall behind the bed is no longer empty background. The bed becomes the piece the rest of the room relates to rather than something that happens to be in it.

The second effect is more practical. A well-padded high headboard is genuinely comfortable to sit up against. If you read in bed, watch television in bed, or spend any time sitting upright before you sleep, the difference between a headboard that reaches your mid-back and one that supports your full back and shoulders is noticeable. Standard-height headboards are fine for lying down, but many people find they're too low to be useful for anything else. At 70 inches, with good padding, the headboard is still supporting you when you're properly sitting up.

Making sure the room works for it

A 70-inch headboard on a standard base puts the top of the frame at around 180cm from the floor. In most UK bedrooms with standard ceiling heights that's well within clearance, but it's worth measuring the wall height at the specific point where the head of the bed will sit before you commit. A sloping ceiling above the bed, a low window directly behind it, or a decorative cornice that drops the usable wall height can all create problems that don't show up until the bed is in the room.

Wall width matters too. A high headboard on a king or super king frame is a substantial piece in the horizontal as well as the vertical. In a room where the bed sits between two windows or two doors, check that the headboard width won't visually crowd the openings on either side. The bed needs a bit of breathing room on each side of the headboard for the proportions to read well.

The honest truth about whether a high headboard makes a room feel smaller is that it depends on the room. In a bedroom with high ceilings and good natural light, a tall headboard draws the eye upward and makes the room feel grander. In a room that's already low-ceilinged or narrow, the same frame can feel oppressive rather than impressive. If there's any doubt about whether your room can carry a high headboard, measure carefully, or come into the Manchester showroom and ask us. It's a question we help people with regularly and it's much easier to answer with the actual room dimensions in front of us.

Spreading the Cost

Finance is available on many of our high headboard beds, subject to status. These frames represent a meaningful investment in a room that most people spend a significant portion of their lives in, and spreading the cost makes sense if you're buying a frame and mattress together or furnishing the bedroom across several pieces. Details are on the website, and we're happy to talk through the options before you order.

Why buy from Shawcross

We're a Manchester-based furniture retailer with a physical showroom. For high headboard beds in particular, a showroom visit is worth more than it is for most other pieces. The difference between a 70-inch headboard and a standard one is genuinely difficult to appreciate in a product photograph, and whether a specific frame will work in your room is a question that's much easier to answer in person with the dimensions to hand. If you're considering a high headboard for a master bedroom and you have any uncertainty about room fit or proportions, come in. It tends to settle the question quickly.

We deliver nationally across the UK and our team is happy to help at any stage before you order.

High Headboard Bed FAQs

How high is a high headboard, and what does that look like in a room?

The frames in this collection have headboards in the 70 to 72-inch range. Seventy inches is a fraction under 180cm, which is roughly the height of a tall adult standing up. On a standard bed base, the top of the headboard sits at around that height from the floor.

In a room with standard ceiling height, that leaves comfortable clearance. In practice, the headboard fills a meaningful proportion of the wall behind the bed, which is exactly the point. For reference, a typical piece of art hung above a bed might be 60 to 80cm tall. A 70-inch headboard is more than twice that from floor to top, and it's in contact with the base rather than hanging mid-wall, so it reads as much more substantial. If you've only seen high headboards in lifestyle photography, the scale in person tends to be more impressive than the images suggest.

Will a high headboard work in my room?

The two things to check are ceiling height at the head wall and the width of the wall behind the bed. On ceiling height: measure at the specific point where the headboard will sit. The top of a 70-inch frame sits at roughly 180cm from the floor, so you need clear wall height above that before you hit a cornice, coving, or sloping ceiling. Most UK bedrooms with standard ceiling heights have adequate clearance, but rooms with lower ceilings, alcoves, or sloping sections above the bed are worth measuring carefully.

On wall width: a high headboard on a wider bed frame is a substantial horizontal piece as well as a tall one. If the bed sits between two windows, two doorways, or two built-in wardrobes, check that the headboard won't crowd those openings. The bed ideally needs a few centimetres of clear wall on each side of the headboard for the proportions to look deliberate. A headboard that butts right up to a window frame or a wardrobe edge tends to look like the wrong size for the room even if it technically fits.

If there's any real uncertainty, the most reliable option is to bring the room dimensions to the Manchester showroom and talk it through. It's a question we deal with regularly and the answer is usually clear within a few minutes.

Is a high headboard actually comfortable to lean against, or is it mainly a design choice?

Both, honestly. The visual case is obvious: a tall headboard makes the bed the focal point of the room in a way that a modest one doesn't. But the practical case is real too, and it's one of the reasons high headboard beds are particularly popular with people who spend time sitting up in bed.

A standard headboard typically reaches somewhere between your lower and mid back when you're sitting upright. Useful for propping yourself up slightly, but not comfortable for extended reading or watching something on a screen. A 70-inch headboard, with adequate padding, supports your full back and shoulders when you're sitting properly upright. The difference matters if you read before sleeping, work from bed occasionally, or have a television in the bedroom. It's not the reason most people initially choose a high headboard, but it tends to be something they mention once the bed is in the room.

Does a high headboard make the bedroom feel smaller?

It can, but it doesn't have to. In a room with good ceiling height and natural light, a tall headboard draws the eye upward and makes the space feel more expansive rather than enclosed. The headboard gives the room a vertical dimension it often lacks when the tallest piece of furniture is a wardrobe. In a well-proportioned bedroom, the effect is the opposite of cramped.

Where a high headboard can feel wrong is in a room that's already working against itself: a low ceiling, poor natural light, or a narrow width that leaves little clearance either side of the bed. In those rooms, the headboard can emphasise the constraints rather than distract from them. The honest advice is to measure carefully and be realistic about what the room can carry before you commit. A modest headboard in a room that suits it looks better than an imposing one that overwhelms the space.

Do high headboard beds come with storage?

Some do. Several frames in this collection include an ottoman base, where the mattress platform lifts on a gas mechanism to reveal a large open storage area underneath. It's a useful combination for a master bedroom, where both the visual statement and the practical storage are often priorities. The ottoman cavity is well suited to spare bedding, seasonal items, or anything bulky that doesn't have a natural home in the wardrobe.

If storage is important to you alongside the headboard, it's worth filtering the collection for frames that include the ottoman base, and checking which direction the lift opens before you order. Most open from the foot of the bed, but some open from the side, and that determines how the bed can be positioned in the room. The ottoman beds page covers the practical details of how the lift mechanism works if you'd like more on that before deciding.

How does delivery work, and can I see high headboard beds in person first?

We deliver nationally across the UK. Once your order is placed you'll receive a confirmation, and we'll be in touch closer to the time to arrange a delivery date that suits you. Bed frames are delivered in components and assembled in the room, so the height of the headboard isn't a factor in getting it through the door or up a staircase. Delivery is typically within 7 to 14 days. If there's anything specific about your property worth mentioning in advance, let us know when you order.

If you'd like to see high headboard beds in person before you commit, our Manchester showroom carries a selection and you're welcome to come in without any obligation. For this particular type of bed, a visit is more useful than for most other purchases. The scale of a 70-inch headboard in a room, and whether it will work in yours, is a question that a showroom makes answerable in minutes. Give us a call beforehand if you'd like to check whether a specific frame is currently on the floor.