The headboard is a piece of furniture

Furniture

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...

 that attaches to the head of a bed

Bed

A bed is a large piece of furniture used as a place to sleep, relax, or engage in sexual relations.Most modern beds consist of a mattress on a bed frame, with the mattress resting either on a solid base, often wooden slats, or a sprung base...

. In previous times and in older less well insulated buildings they serve(d) to isolate sleepers from drafts and cold walls. To do this the headboard is made of wood which gets less cold than stone or brick, and constructed to allow space from the wall (via thicker end pieces) so that falling colder air can sink to the floor rather than onto the bed (as it would if the bed were pushed directly against the wall). Today in better heated and better insulated buildings its most basic function may be to retain the pillow

Pillow

A pillow is a large cushion support for the head, usually used while sleeping in a bed, or for the body as used on a couch or chair. There are also throw pillows , which are pillows that are purely decorative and not designed for support or comfort...

(s) and other bed linen

Linen

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....

s. A headboard might be strictly utilitarian, but frequently has aesthetic value and a decorative focus for a bedroom

Bedroom

A bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...

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A headboard may also be utilized to provide a wide variety of other functions, such as providing simple storage, various comfort conveniences (such as sitting up to read or watch television), or incorporation into the critical care functions of a hospital bed.

It may often, but not always, be complemented by a spragging board at the foot of the bed, again with a function to retain the bed linen or extend the decorative function of the headboard but also to provide the occupant(s) purchase for the feet.

Headboards are made of different materials such as wood and/or metal. Different types of styles are applied to the creation of headboards. You can find detailed craftsmanship such as a wooden headboard with wrought iron designs.