Velvet Bed Frames

Why velvet on a bed?

Velvet changes color as you move past it, because the pile lies in a direction and reflects light differently along and against that direction. On a headboard, which is a large flat area seen from every angle in a room, that gives depth a flat woven fabric cannot. It is also dense, so it feels solid to lean against rather than thin over foam.

Does velvet mark?

It shows pressure marks, but most of them are not damage. Where the pile has been crushed the fabric looks darker or lighter, and brushing it back with a soft brush or your hand restores it. Real staining is a different matter, and velvet is no better or worse than other upholstery there. The practical answer is that a velvet headboard shows handling and recovers from it.

How do you clean it?

Vacuum with an upholstery attachment in the direction of the pile, never against it, and do it regularly rather than deeply, since dust sitting in the pile is what dulls the color. For a spill, blot immediately with a dry cloth and do not rub, because rubbing crushes the pile permanently in that spot. Check the manufacturer code before using any liquid cleaner.

What sizes and heights?

Full, queen, king and California king, with queen the most common here. Headboards run 35 to 87 inches high, which is a very wide spread: the low end is a plain platform headboard and the high end is a four poster or a tall tufted panel. Measure the wall behind the bed before choosing anything above about 55 inches, since a tall headboard will cut across a window.

What is underneath the fabric?

Most of these are velvet over solid wood, with engineered wood, plywood and metal used on others. What is underneath matters more on an upholstered bed than a visible-frame one, because you cannot see the structure: the rails still carry the whole load through their bolt holes whatever they are wrapped in. Construction: engineered wood and MDF on select models.

Do you need a box spring?

Not on the platform frames here, which have a slat deck built in and take a foam, hybrid or latex mattress directly. Check the slat spacing, since gaps over about three inches let a foam mattress sag. On an upholstered bed a box spring also raises the mattress and can hide the lower part of the headboard, which changes the proportions.

What colors work with velvet?

Velvet reads richer than the same color in a flat weave, so a shade that looks safe on a swatch will be stronger on a headboard-sized area. Keep bedding plain and let the headboard carry the color. Linen and cotton bedding sit well against velvet because the matte texture contrasts with the pile; satin next to velvet tends to look overdressed.