Make a chic cane headboard in a matter of hours

cane headboard ikea hack

I recently did a series of mini IKEA hacks. The first one is a cane headboard and it only takes a few hours to make. It is very easy and looks gorgeous in the bedroom.

cane headboard DIY IKEA hack

Below is a list of materials and a few brief steps.

Materials:

IKEA IVAR
Cane webbing

Tools:

Scissor
Stapler

DIY cane headboard

Step 1

When working with cane webbing it needs to be wet, so you can fold it.

webbing

Soak the entire webbing in water for at least 30 minutes.

If you don’t have a bathtub that is big enough, you can do one end at a time. After soaking, pat dry the cane with a towel to get rid of excess water.

Step 2

Cut the cane webbing to fit the IVAR frame. Do ensure you have enough material to fold around the edges of the frame.

webbing DIY IKEA hack
Step 3

Use a heavy-duty staple gun to fasten the webbing onto the back of the frame. Pay special attention to the corners to get a neat tuck.

cane headboard DIY IKEA hack
Step 4

Hang up on your wall with screws. Even though it is a relatively lightweight headboard do still take precautions to fasten the screws to wall studs.

cane headboard DIY IKEA hack

And admire your DIY cane headboard.

See the full tutorial on Caroline’s blog.

~ by Caroline

More DIY Headboard Ideas

#1 Framed up rattan headboard

In Caroline’s hack above, the cane webbing takes centerstage. The other option is to hang it with the IVAR pine wood panels framing the natural wicker texture. You’ll need a 20″ x 70″ IVAR side unit for a standard double bed frame. Get the taller IVAR (20″ x 89″) if you have a larger bed size. 

rattan headboard
Photo: Burkatron

Trim down the legs of the IVAR side unit, which essentially turns it into a simple wood frame. Then get your staple gun out and start stapling the cane webbing on the back of frame, keeping the fabric taut as you go. 

To create a unique headboard, give the frame a brush of wood stain to highlight the natural color of pine. You can also layer on a coat of spray paint to give the rattan headboard a totally different look. See the tutorial here.

#2 Woven headboard with canvas rolls

After a year of waking up in the middle of the night because my 3-year-old had hit his head on his FJELLSE headboard AGAIN, I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix the situation. 

woven headboard
Photo: Lara Wilhelm

Three rolls of autumn orange canvas, a staple gun, scissors and the IKEA FJELLSE bed (TARVA would work as well) and voilà! This is a super easy project that anyone with an open wood headboard like the IKEA FJELLSE, NEIDEN or TARVA can do. See the full tutorial.

You may also like these hacks with rattan

#1 BILLY with cane wicker doors

billy wicker doors ikea hack

Kathryn has always loved cane furniture and missed out on the IKEA STOCKHOLM 2017 cabinet when it was released two years. Since then, she has been searching for a similarly affordable alternative without success. So went this BILLY arrived in her home, her second chance had come. See more of Kathryn’s cane furniture doors.

#2 Rattan doors for the EXPEDIT (or KALLAX)

rattan doors for expedit / kallax

This is an old hack of mine. I had an EXPEDIT TV shelving unit and wanted some BRANÄS drawers for it. However, for some of the cubbies a door was better suited, so I had to do a small hack. I hacked the rattan doors for the EXPEDIT but it will work for the KALLAX too. See more the EXPEDIT rattan doors.

Jules Yap