Short answer: For most bedrooms, we would choose a chenille or a performance fabric: both are rated at 48,000 Martindale rubs, and both have covers on our Ara bed that come off for machine washing. If you want the toughest surface, our Aquaforte Velvet is rated at more than 200,000 Martindale rubs. If you love a textured look, our bouclé is rated at 15,000 Martindale rubs and has a removable, machine washable cover, though we advise spot cleaning instead to maintain its look, and the looped surface suits a quiet bedroom better than a busy one.
A headboard is the part of the bed you lean on, rest your head against and see first when you walk in. That makes touch and appearance as important as durability. The sections below walk through each fabric on our Ara bed, what it feels like, how it wears and how you clean it.
On This Page
- How should you choose a headboard fabric?
- Our Ara headboard fabrics compared
- What does each fabric feel like on a headboard?
- How do you clean an upholstered headboard?
- Which colour palettes work best for a calm bedroom?
- How do the headboard shape and finish change the look?
- Which fabric suits pets and kids?
- How do you build a minimalist bedroom set?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our bedroom collection
How should you choose a headboard fabric?
Start with three questions: how does it feel, how will it wear and how will you clean it.
- Touch: you lean on a headboard with your back and head, so a soft surface matters more here than on a footboard or side panel.
- Wear: the Martindale rub count shows how many rubs a fabric takes in a lab test before it shows wear. Higher means more abrasion resistance. A headboard sees less friction than a sofa seat, so a moderate count can be enough for an adult bedroom, which is general advice, not a product specification.
- Cleaning: look for a removable cover, then check whether it can go in the washing machine. Washable does not mean stain-proof, so wipe spills quickly.
- Colour and texture: a smooth fabric looks calm and tailored, while a looped or ribbed fabric adds depth and shows more light and shadow.
Our fabric guide and our explainer on performance fabric go deeper on how each family is made.
Our Ara headboard fabrics compared
Our Ara bed comes in eight fabric colours across five fabric families. The table lists the rub counts and the care steps from our product page for each.
Our Ara headboard fabrics compared
| Fabric | Ara colours | Martindale rubs | Look and feel | Cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Fabric | Flax Haven, Silken Sand | 48,000 | Light warm neutrals | Machine wash cold on a gentle cycle, air dry, avoid bleach and high heat |
| Chenille | Sage, Cobblestone, Espresso | 48,000 | Soft texture in deep green, mid grey and very dark brown | Wash cold on a gentle cycle, air dry, avoid wringing, bleach and high temperatures |
| Aquaforte | Snowdrift | 78,000 | Stain- and water-resistant fabric in white | Wipe spills with a damp cloth, or machine wash cold on a gentle cycle and air dry |
| Aquaforte Velvet | Crumble | More than 200,000 | Velvet finish in a warm greige | Removable cover; see the product page for care |
| Bouclé | Cloud | 15,000 | Textured loops in a warm white | Removable, machine washable cover, but we advise spot cleaning instead to maintain its look: follow the care instructions on the product page |
Our performance fabric page and our Aquaforte page explain those two families in more detail.
What does each fabric feel like on a headboard?
- Performance Fabric: Flax Haven and Silken Sand are light warm neutrals that keep the headboard looking clean and understated, which suits a tailored bedroom.
- Chenille: a soft texture in three tones. Sage is a deep green, Cobblestone a mid grey and Espresso a very dark brown, so one fabric spans deep, mid and dark rooms. Our velvet and chenille page shows the family.
- Aquaforte: our stain- and water-resistant fabric, offered on the Ara in Snowdrift, a clean white. It suits a bedroom where spills are likely, such as a child's room.
- Aquaforte Velvet: a velvet surface with the highest rub count of the five families. Crumble reads as a soft, warm greige.
- Bouclé: the most textured option, with a soft, sculptural look. The loops can catch a cat's claws, and at 15,000 Martindale rubs it is our lowest-rated fabric, so we suggest it for a calm, adult bedroom.
We suggest ordering swatches first. A fabric reads differently in your own light, next to your own walls and bedding.
How do you clean an upholstered headboard?
The covers on our Ara frame and headboard are removable, which makes cleaning practical. Check the care steps for your fabric:
- Chenille and Performance Fabric: machine wash the cover cold on a gentle cycle and air dry. Avoid bleach and high heat, and for chenille avoid wringing as well.
- Aquaforte: wipe spills promptly with a damp cloth. For a deeper clean, machine wash cold on a gentle cycle and air dry.
- Bouclé: the cover is removable and machine washable, but we advise spot cleaning instead to maintain its look. Follow the care instructions on the product page.
- Aquaforte Velvet: the cover is removable; follow the care instructions on the product page.
The foam, plywood panels, steel frame and hardware underneath cannot go in the washing machine, so only the cover gets washed. Washing also cannot repair a thread that has been pulled by a claw. Compatible replacement covers are sold separately, so you can refresh the colour later without replacing the bed. Our Ara customisation guide explains how the headboard, frame and covers fit together.
Which colour palettes work best for a calm bedroom?
A calm palette keeps contrast low, so nothing in the room competes for attention. As general advice, not a product specification, pick two or three tones that sit close together and let texture do the work.
- Light and airy: Snowdrift (white) or Cloud (warm white) with Silken Sand or Flax Haven in the bedding and curtains.
- Warm and earthy: Crumble, Flax Haven or Silken Sand, which all lean toward sand and greige.
- Soft and muted: Cobblestone, a mid grey, or Sage, a deep green, paired with off-white linens.
- Dark and cosy: Espresso, a very dark brown, in a bedroom with plenty of daylight or warm lamps.
Lighter fabrics show marks more easily, so a lighter colour in a household with pets or kids is a reason to choose a washable cover and keep it clean.
How do the headboard shape and finish change the look?
Fabric is one choice and shape is another. Our Ara bed has four upholstered headboards, and the dimensions below are for a Queen.
How do the headboard shape and finish change the look?
| Headboard | Height | Queen width | Look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | 35.1 inches (89.25 cm) | 73.1 inches (185.6 cm) | Curved, modern, versatile |
| Square | 35.1 inches (89.25 cm) | 73.1 inches (185.6 cm) | Straight lines, classic |
| Pillow | 36.6 inches (92.94 cm) | 69.5 inches (176.6 cm) | Plush cushions for sitting up |
| Extended | 40.3 inches (102.25 cm) | 115.6 inches (293.7 cm) | Wide, hotel-inspired statement |
You can also choose a seam finish. Regular seam is clean and understated, and French seam is softer and more relaxed. Channel tufting adds repeated vertical detailing, and it is offered only on the Extended headboard, in selected colours such as Sage, Snowdrift, Cloud and Cobblestone. Flax Haven and Silken Sand are not offered with it, and the configurator shows the options for Espresso and Crumble, so check it before you plan around it.
Which fabric suits pets and kids?
Pet suitability is our own assessment, and no fabric is claw-proof. In our view, Aquaforte Velvet and chenille are the stronger choices for pets, because of their higher rub counts, and the chenille cover can be machine washed. Aquaforte helps with spills in a child's room. Bouclé has the least forgiving surface, because loops can catch claws.
Cleaning matters as much as the fabric. A removable cover lets you wash away hair and everyday marks, and a replacement cover is an option if a thread is pulled. Our guide to the best bed frames for pets and kids covers scratches, drawers and care in more depth.
How do you build a minimalist bedroom set?
Keep the pieces few and the tones close. A Round or Square headboard with a regular seam gives the cleanest silhouette, and a Cloud, Snowdrift or Silken Sand cover keeps the colour quiet. Add a mattress and bedside tables, then keep bedding in the same colour family. For more on choosing the pieces, read our bedroom furniture buying guide. You can start from our bedroom collection and build a set one piece at a time.
Our recommendation
Choose the fabric by what the bedroom has to put up with.
- Best all-round choice: chenille in Sage or Cobblestone, or Performance Fabric in Flax Haven or Silken Sand. Both are rated at 48,000 Martindale rubs and both have washable covers.
- Busy household, pets or kids: Aquaforte Velvet in Crumble, rated at more than 200,000 Martindale rubs, or Snowdrift Aquaforte at 78,000 for spill resistance.
- Soft texture and a quiet room: Cloud bouclé, knowing that it is rated at 15,000 Martindale rubs and has a removable cover that we advise spot cleaning rather than machine washing, to maintain its look.
- Statement headboard: the Extended headboard with channel tufting, in a colour that allows it.
Explore our bedroom collection
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.