Some people swear by padded headboards, essential for comfortable bedtime reading. And DIY upholstered headboards are one of the easiest projects around; for step-by-step instructions on how to make your own, go to Real Simple.

Photograph from Living Etc.; headboard upholstered in Rapture & Wright's Birds and Butterflies.

Alternatively, buy a simple headboard and create a slipcover with fabric by the yard (or a staple gun if you're in a rush).

(N.B. For more fabric headboard DIY ideas, see "DIY: Burlap Headboard.")

Below: Duck Plain Front Headboard; $225 from Home Decorators.

Below: Walton Headboard; $449 from West Elm.

For more DIY upholstered headboard ideas, see "5 Quick Fixes: Instant Headboards."