Master Bedroom With Sunburst Pleated Headboard

They do the job a pair of side tables and lamps usually do, but recessed into the wall so nothing sticks out past the bed. Each niche is backed with a small pebble-textured mosaic, which gives a bit of grip and shadow against the smooth panelling. The soft light inside is enough for a phone or a glass of water at night without a bright overhead.

A flat false ceiling with a warm strip of cove light tucked along one edge, so the glow washes down the wall instead of glaring from above. A wood-blade ceiling fan hangs at the centre with a small cluster of frosted glass shades under it. Recessed spotlights fill in the rest. It is layered light, not one harsh source.

The floor is a pale grey marble-look stone in large pieces, polished enough to bounce the ceiling light around a fairly enclosed room. The walls are panelled in a soft beige with raised rectangular moulding, the kind that adds depth without any colour or pattern. Together they keep the room quiet so the headboard is the one thing you notice. The pale palette does mean marks and dust are easy to spot.

A low platform bed leaves the tall headboard room to do its thing. If the frame stood higher, it would cut across the base of that sunburst fan and shorten it. Low frames also make a smaller room feel less packed, because your eye travels over them rather than being stopped. The base here is plain and pale, which keeps all the attention on the wall behind.

Yes, and it scales down well. The sunburst pattern can be tightened so the fan is narrower and still fills a shorter wall. The real decisions are the depth of the padding and whether it sits inside a panelled frame like this one or hangs as a single upholstered board. A framed version eats a few inches on each side, so in a tight room the plain board is the safer pick. Fabric choice matters too, since a light velvet marks faster than a mid-tone weave.

It needs a little care, more than a wooden one. Velvet in a pale shade shows dust and the odd mark, so a soft brush or a vacuum with an upholstery head every couple of weeks keeps it looking right. Pleats trap a bit more dust in the folds, which is the price of that fan shape. Spills should be blotted, not rubbed. If a panel ever wears out, a built-in headboard can be re-covered in place without touching the wall.

Three things, mostly. The upholstery is the biggest, because a pleated sunburst needs more fabric and more hours than a flat panel, and the pattern has to be set out by hand. The wall panelling around it is the next line, priced by how much wall you cover and the depth of the moulding. The lit mosaic niches add a small amount for the tile and the wiring. Nobody can give a fair figure without the wall size and the fabric, so price the fabric first.