The headboard is the piece that says the most about a bedroom. It is the first thing you see when you walk in, it frames the bed and sets the style of the whole room. So if you want your bedroom to breathe calm, it is worth choosing it with the same care as the mattress or the bed linen.
In Mediterranean style, the headboard does not try to impress: it keeps you company. Natural materials such as wood, rattan, linen or plant fibres, raw and sand tones, and simple shapes that let light and texture do their work. Now that autumn reaches the Costa del Sol and we feel like turning in earlier, it is the perfect moment to rethink it.
Here are 7 Mediterranean-style headboard ideas, with photos of real homes published in interior design magazines and the pieces from our shop to get each look.
In this article
Get the look
In the photo above, a large solid wood structure acts as headboard, with neutral textiles and aged-metal lamps. This is how to bring that calm into your bedroom:
1. Solid wood: the headboard that also organises
In this house in Menorca featured in Nuevo Estilo, an imposing solid wood structure works both as a headboard and as a wardrobe dividing the bedroom from the en-suite bathroom. It is a perfect idea for large or suite-style bedrooms: the bed feels sheltered, the space is organised and the wood adds warmth without needing anything else.
If you would rather avoid building work, you can get the same effect with a generously sized wooden headboard or a bed with a solid frame. Choose woods with visible grain —teak, oak, pine or mango— and natural or oiled finishes, never glossy. And remember that wood appreciates simple care: here we explain how to look after natural wood furniture.
Key idea: a large, simple wooden headboard is worth more than a small, fussy one. In Mediterranean style, less but better.
2. Rattan and natural fibres: lightness and freshness
Rattan is the Mediterranean material par excellence. A rattan or cane headboard lets light through, looks visually light and adds that handcrafted texture reminiscent of homes in Ibiza or the Greek islands. It works just as well in a beach house as in a city flat that wants to feel lighter.
To keep it from feeling too summery in autumn, pair it with washed cotton or linen bedding in earthy tones and a wool throw at the foot of the bed. If you want to learn more about this material, we have a guide to rattan and natural fibres at home.
3. Linen upholstery: autumn's embrace
When the weather cools, you want something soft to lean on while reading in bed. A linen upholstered headboard is the cosiest option: it softens the bedroom, dampens sound and goes with everything. In this seafront house in Sancti Petri (Cádiz), the upholstered headboard is dressed with beige linen bedding and made-to-measure cushions, and two ceramic pendant lamps replace bedside lamps.
Choose raw, sand or stone tones and fabrics with a natural texture; avoid shiny velvets and heavy buttoned designs, which belong to other styles. If you are after that hotel feeling, our article on a hotel bedroom at home will help.
Get the look
A natural-toned upholstered headboard, light bedding, linen cushions and ceramics by the bed:
4. A rug as a headboard
It is one of the simplest and most charming ideas: hang a natural-fibre rug —jute, esparto or coir— from a wooden batten behind the bed. Its irregular texture adds relief and warmth, and its rectangular shape frames the bed just as a traditional headboard would. Hola Living describes it as a headboard “with a Mediterranean spirit”, and we could not agree more.
Choose a rug slightly wider than the bed (about 20-40 cm more), flat-woven and light. Indoor-outdoor rugs in plant fibre or with a jute look are ideal because they are light and barely shed. And if you tire of it, you can always put it back on the floor: our article on rugs that transform a home has more ideas.
Get the look
To recreate this headboard, look for natural-weave rugs in sand tones. Our favourites from Rols Carpets and Alfombras KP:
5. Wooden slats and panels
Another way to dress the wall is with wooden slats that climb up the wall and even frame its whole perimeter. The result is warm and enveloping, and works especially well if you coordinate the wood of the headboard with bedside tables and finishes in the same tone, as in this project by Strada Interiors.
If you do not want a custom job, a slatted or panel wooden headboard achieves a similar effect. Add wall lights, which free up the bedside table and give warm light for reading, and white bedding so the wood takes centre stage.
Get the look
Wood on the wall, matching bedside tables and wall lighting:
6. Whitewashed built-in headboards
This is the most Mediterranean headboard of all: a whitewashed or micro-cement built-in low wall, sometimes with a ledge that doubles as a bedside table. On the ground floor of the Menorca house, for example, L-shaped built-in headboards wrap around the single beds. It is a very Andalusian country-house or Balearic solution, cool in summer and easy to maintain.
How to dress a built-in headboard
- Texture: lime, mineral paint or micro-cement in off-white or sand.
- Top ledge: 10-15 cm deep for a book, a candle or a terracotta vase.
- Textiles: linen cushions and a cotton bedspread to soften the masonry.
- Light: wall lights or ceramic lamps, never cold spotlights.
For more ideas for the rest of the room, in Mediterranean-style bedroom: 7 keys we go over colours, textiles and lighting.
7. Sizes and placement
A beautiful but poorly proportioned headboard shows straight away. These are the measurements worth keeping in mind before you buy:
Measurements to remember
With low ceilings, a wide, low headboard is best, as it visually stretches the wall; with high ceilings, you can go taller or use a vertical rug. And if your bedroom is small, choose light materials such as rattan or cane: here are more tips for small bedrooms.
Quick checklist
- Choose a natural material: wood, rattan, linen or plant fibre.
- Work out the width: the mattress plus 10-20 cm.
- Coordinate the headboard with the bedside tables and bedding.
- In autumn, add texture: linen, wool and washed cotton.
- Light it with wall lights or ceramic lamps with warm light.
- Less but better: one star headboard and few objects around it.
Frequently asked questions
What size headboard do I need for a 150 cm bed?
Ideally a headboard 160 to 170 cm wide, so it sticks out slightly on each side of the mattress. For a 135 cm bed, 145-150 cm; for a 180 cm bed, 190-200 cm.
Rattan or upholstered headboard: which is better?
It depends on how you use it. Rattan is light, fresh and very Mediterranean, ideal for warm climates and small bedrooms. Linen upholstery is more comfortable if you read or watch series in bed and adds more warmth in winter.
Can I put up a headboard without drilling the wall?
Yes. You can choose a headboard that attaches to the bed frame or simply stand it on the floor against the wall. Another option is a rug hung from a batten resting on the bed itself or on a ledge.
At Pino & Jacaranda we believe the bedroom is the most intimate refuge in the home, and that a good headboard, made from noble materials and chosen calmly, is what turns it into a place you always want to come back to.
Because a good rest also starts with what you see when you switch off the light.
