Robot Flowers

Please allow me to digress for a post while I share our latest project. It all started with a day at the Re-store in Ballard, where we picked out the old door that would become our headboard. We picked the door that seemed to have the most evenly-spaced and evenly-sized panels (we cut a few inches off the bottom of the door to make it even on both ends).

Jake cut three square panels out of 1/4 inch plywood and drilled four holes in both the wood panels and the panels on the door. He labeled each square of the door with a number that matched a wood panel.

Then, he hammered T-nuts into each drilled hole in the wood panels. Those would later receive the bolts that were screwed into the back of the door to hold the upholstered panels in place. Jake chose this system because the thought of just screwing the panels on from the back and having sharp, pointy screws potentially poking us was unnerving.

Once the panels were complete, it was time for me to take over. I decided to first put a thick layer of foam on to each piece to give the panels some depth and structure. Finding a place to put the huge roll of foam to be able to cut out the squares was quite the ordeal – I ended up draping the roll over a filing cabinet. But, once I had it in place, my handy electric knife (thank you, Christy!) cut them out like butter.

I covered the T-nuts with painter's tape and then used spray adhesive to attach the foam pieces to the T-nut side of each wood panel(right on top of the hardware that is shown in the picture above).

Next, I covered each foam/wood panel with a thick batting by stapling it to the opposite side.

Finally, I got to the best part of all - the amazing gray and yellow Amy Butler fabric, which Jake aptly named "robot flowers." It can be a challenge to put together bedroom decor that is the right mix of masculine and feminine, but I think this not-too-girly modern print does the trick. I stapled the fabric to the back of the panel. Note: If you want to cover a 20in x 20in square, you'll need about a yard of fabric per square. I used 2 1/2 yards to cover these three panels, but I barely had enough and having to literally stretch my fabric made the process a lot more stressful.

To finish the project, we bolted the upholstered panels onto the door. Jake created a French cleat to hang it on the wall. He took a 1 x 4 and cut into two lengthwise at an angle. He attached one piece to the wall and the other to the back of the door. Then, they come together at an angle, one on top of the other. It's secured to the wall, but looks like it's attached to the bed. All in all, it was quite the project, but well worth all the effort.