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Small-Space DIY: The Two-for-One Headboard at The Quist

The Quist small bedroom twin beds with sliding headboard. Luke Atkinson photo.

Two twin beds pushed together equals a king-size bed (“super king” by UK standards). With that simple equation in mind, Harriet Churchward and Matt Pescod of The Quist—see The King of Treehouse Hotels in the UK—came up with a clever headboard that allows them to offer guests an inviting bedroom with either two twins or a king-size bed.

The secret to the design? A pair of upholstered headboards are suspended on a wood hanging pole, and can, like the mattresses, either be pushed together or apart. Take a look.

Photographs by Luke Atkinson, courtesy of The Quist (@the_quist_treehouse).

The Quist small bedroom king bed with sliding headboard. Luke Atkinson photo.
Above: The hanging headboard idea was introduced in a mood board created by Sophie Rowell of Côte de Folk, who consulted on the design of The Quist’s other bedroom, the top-floor Tent Room (see it here). “We went in a different direction in that room,” says Harriet, “but I found this to be a great solution for a bed that needed to be convertible from twin to super king.”
The Quist small bedroom twin beds with sliding headboard. Luke Atkinson photo.
Above: The familiar hanging headboards are modeled after old-fashioned leather gym mats. Harriet felt all leather would be “too chilly for bedtime,” especially paired with the room’s thatched ceiling, and decided to add color by using Upholstery Denim procured online from The Cloth Shop. The headboards were made to Harriet’s specs by Shane Allard Upholstery. The striped coverlets are from Australian line Society of Wanderers. “Set up as twins, the beds are waiting for a couple of young adventurers to jump into them at the end of the day,” says Harriet.
The Quist small bedroom king bed with sliding headboard. Luke Atkinson photo.
Above: The headboards are designed to hang flat and slide easily: Matt hung them on a dowel incorporated into an overhead shelf he built. Realizing that leather hanging loops (made from The Quist’s dining nook cushion leftovers) wouldn’t support the headboards on their own—they’d stretch—Harriet had her upholsterer reinforce them on the inside with webbing material: “there’s a bit of physics to ensuring the headboards stay in position.”

Note that Harriet sized the headboards “high rather than wide” to leave room for wall-mounted bedside lights: Original BTC’s Hector Pleat sconces.

The Quist small bedroom sliding headboard Luke Atkinson photo.
Above: The finishing detail: piping made from The Cloth Shop’s Embroidered Cotton, also used as blinds (see above), adds “a folksy touch.”

The Quist is located in Herefordshire, England, on the grounds of an 800-acre historic estate. For a tour, see our post: The UK’s Top Treehouse Hotel.

More headboard inspiration:

A bedding option to ponder: Mine and Yours Duvets, The Scandinavian Sleep Secret.

N.B.: This post was first published on Remodelista on June 16, 2023.

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