The Best Teen Headboards

Life's a Beach

• Pull the beach gear down from the attic for a room that is reminiscent of big waves and summer fun. Hang a single surfboard above the bed or line several in a row. You can hang one vertically, and arrange beach memorabilia beside it. Add snorkeling gear, flip-flops, a favorite beach towel and snapshots to complete this eclectic headboard collage.

License Plates

• Peruse the flea markets for old license plates. Search in particular for plates from the states your teen has lived in or visited at some time in his life. Include plates from states he hopes to visit in the future and, if possible, license plates from foreign countries. Hang these vintage plates on his wall above the bed to create a colorful license plate headboard.

Chalkboard

• Paint an area the width of your teenager's bed and 4-feet tall with chalkboard paint, which now comes in almost every color imaginable, so you aren't limited to just black or green. Once the area has dried, screw wall molding around it to "frame" it. This headboard becomes an ever-changing piece of artwork for your teen's room. From autographs from her friends to doodling or large chalk renderings, it is an interactive piece she can take pleasure in for years.

Head of the Class

• Take the high school memorabilia that you and your teen have collected, and place them in a larger-than-life shadowbox. Make a 5-foot tall shadowbox with 1 x 4s that are the width of the bed. Frame a hinged door that your local glass company can measure for glass, and attach it to the box. Line the inside with felt. Put school programs, academic honors, awards, jerseys and pom-poms inside the shadowbox, and continue to add to it throughout the remainder of the high school years.

Album Covers

• Make old LPs new again when you use them as a headboard for your teenager. Allow her to pick through your old collection, or visit a vintage record shop and pick albums with funny titles or layouts. Frame a large piece of plywood that fits 12 to 16 album covers in it snugly. Top with Plexiglas, and hang it above the bed.