This is fabulous!! I love love love stories of thrifty craftiness. Thraftiness? Criftiness? Keep up the fab work!!

Super cute, and she has great taste in music…love The Hold Steady posters over the bed!

oh i just love it!

Very cute! I love the pillows as well (especially the blue dot pillow).

I like how the fabric still looks a little like stereo speaker mesh. Cool idea.

Great example of reusing furniture parts.

I LOVE those Decoder Ring prints! I was bidding on them at a silent auction at school last year. Unfortunately, I was outbid. They’re for the band The Holdsteady.

So fun! Love the subtle way to incorporate all kinds of great music into the room in a beautifully designed way.

I feel like the dark fabric makes the headboard disappear. The shape of the wood is REALLY interesting but you can’t really see it because of the dark fabric and the fact that the wood is kind of dark. I would switch out the fabric to a lighter shade and it would be perfect.

Anyone know where the blue dots pillow came from??

This is so creative! Beautiful work!

The zig-zag of the wood and the fabric compete for attention. hmmmm….
when you go to sell your house your realestate agent will ask you to ‘make it less personal.’

now THAT is cool!

Love Love Love The Hold Steady print!

Impressive! Just love your “before & after” features.

Yeah… that “make it less personal” comment was silly. Making our homes personal is the whole point. I do agree that a little more contrast would be better. The shape of the wood is soooo cool, but it kind of gets lost in the final product.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Courtney, I totally know what you mean about the dark print. I chose it because it blends with everything else in the room, but it’s been nagging me too. I might switch it out for something light gray or off-white. We’ll see…could make a nice winter activity!

P.S. Dots pillow is from Target a few years ago.

I love this idea and commend the work, but agree that there is too much competition between the elements.

i wouldn’t change a thing!! it’s an awesome print (i heart joel dewberry) and the darker color makes the zig-zag alluringly understated and brings out the blues in the room!

I LOVE Harvey, the happy tabby. Love console stereos, too.

Love the headboard, but do feel that the background is competing a bit. I think a fabric in light blue or duck egg would look stand out against the richness of the timber. What a find!

I like the idea, but the fabric (at least in these pictures) looks too much like pegboard or chair caning.
As for the house-selling comments- no, you’re not selling the headboard, which is the point. You are trying to sell the house, and things that are loud/personal/unconventional detract from the *house* and should be avoided for a quick sell, esp. in this tough market. just sayin’

I love this! i want one :)
the bright blue against the dark brown is beautiful

Wowwww! That looks greatttt!
What a neat idea!!!

That is very cool.

Interesting piece of wood to turn into something fantastic and unique, I’d love one with bright yellow and white fabric :)

This is really cute! I am very jealous of the Hold Steady posters. I wanted to buy them so badly but they’re out of print :(

I just wanted to put my two cents in….I vote for a lighter fabric as well. Love to see this redone wherein the wood really stands out. I’m thinking medium toned grey or grey-blue fabric.

Lost in translation…sorry for the misuderstanding on my previous comment about ‘less personal.’
The reinvention of the wood item makes a GREAT head board – it is STRONG on it’s own or with a simple backing. Knowing when to EDIT is part of good design. Sorry again. I remember the ‘critique’ process from my old art classes..and it is tough when you think what you created is amazing but the opinion is ‘what sells’ like on the TV show ‘Project Runway.’

Sorry again. My point of View on what ’sells’ or is maketable was ‘like’ an analogy on ‘good design.’ I clearly understand this is a someone’s personal ‘craft’ or DIY project. My intent was to be constructive not destructive. I am strong believer of the design/edit process…and it takes time and fresh eyes. We all get better over time…like me and my weak writing skills.

just for the record I LOVE this site.
I look at it everyday…the sneak peaks into the homes is awesome.

I feel like the unique shape of the wood gets lost in that busy fabric. A solid colored fabric would highlight it better.

I feel the beautiful Chinese-inspired fret work is getting lost because the pegboard is the same color. I would paint either the fret work or the pegboard a contrasting color to make it stand out. Or I would just hang the fret work by itself.

i love the frame alone; it’s so stunning! i also love the wall color (dove grey?) before the jump i was totally imagining it hung on the wall by itself, possibly painted a beautiful off-white.

It is a beautiful piece and a fantastic re-use of the old stereo! I agree that it is a great frame that could stand alone- but maybe that is the next stage of the project- when you tire of the backfabric, switch it out! Or hang the frame alone above the bed as a “headboard”.

I think it’s the first time s I prefer something before than after…

i think this is gorgeous! it’s a wonderful and inspirational idea.

What an eye for design! I am trying to develop this myself and am amazed by these pieces and your creativity! I love the blue in the fabric and how it plays on the wood of the head board. you did a fabulous job! Thank you so much for sharing. This just inspires me to keep trying!

I want to do a headboard project myself…what a cool idea!

is it a full moon? all the rude comments today are making me dizzy! thank you for a wonderful day of before and afters! they’re all super great :O)

I adore the before and afters. I just wish I was skilled enough to do something that would qualify.

My friends and I were joking that I should enter this as my before and after: http://www.gnomeangel.com/before-after-tattoo-coverup/

But I’m not sure skin art is quite in the subject matter here – much like the home selling comments?!?!

Anyways, love the retro feel of this one! Just wonderful.

the pattern of the fabric is really pretty but I feel it is just to much for this project, it steals form the beauty of the frame.

really I’ve become a bit dissapointed with this before and afters, most of the time I think they just ruin stuff, other times they just add a coat of paint, or reupholster with fabric that doesn’t match the pieces at all just for the sake of making more contemporary… is it really worth it to feature those?

sorry if that came up a bit mean, but it is what I think… otherwise I love design sponge as much as I ever have, and I am a really old reader too!

I think the headboard would look great if she just kept the piece as it was “before” but painted the wall behind it a solid, high impact color.

Of course, to each her own!

meh. not enough contrast for me. Losing all the interest in the wood work.
But always happy something is getting re-used!