Cornice boards are very versatile. They can look contemporary or traditional. They can help dress up a window or be used over a bed. Most of all, they are very easy to make. Most of the cornice boards below were absolutely no-sew projects.
My daughter wanted a canopy over her bed. Instead of using heavy wood or MDF (which quite frankly just made me very nervous to put over her bed) I used styrofoam. Styrofoam is an amazing product. It weighs next to nothing and you can use basic white glue and pins to complete an entire project. I took several pieces of styrofoam and both glued and pinned them together, the same that I would have if I were using boards and nails. I then wrapped batting around the entire cornice. The cornice pictured above is only 12" high. I wanted a longer look so I folded fabric toward the bottom of the cornice fabric in half and then using a lid to a margarine container traced a half circle on the wrong side of the fabric. With wrong sides together I sewed on the line I had drawn. After it was sewn I cut away the edges. I turned the fabric back to the right side and wrapped the cornice board, connecting it using straight pins in the back. I glued the pink pom pom trim on. I hung it using two picture hangers and "U" shaped pins.
This cornice board is even easier to make. This one is completely no sew. I followed the steps as above, but without any special designs to sew and cut out. The fabric is pinned to the back and sides of the styrofoam. For the edges you just wrap it like you would a gift. The rick rack trim is pinned on using straight pins as are the butterflies and flowers.
In my kids playroom, I have again made a simple cornice board using styrofoam, batting and fabric. The roller shade below the cornice was made by purchasing a kit from JoAnn's Fabrics. The kit was super simple to follow and the results are great. Especially for a play room where you may not want long drapes or anything that could be a safety hazard.
Above is a cornice board in my master bathroom made using MDF. I decided that I wanted to see if it looked more professional to use MDF. Let me share with you some things I learned. First, the fabric you see in the picture is a silk. When you use MDF you have to use a staple gun (which you can purchase at any home improvement store...well worth having to recover chairs etc). When I used the staple gun and put a "run" in the silk in a few spots. Not such a big deal since most of the fabric gets attached in the back. However when I went to attach the trim, I had to use a hot glue gun. The first time I went to staple the trim...a run in a fabric. I also don't know if I would use silk on a cornice board. As you can see from the picture it wrinkles a little bit. It's not really noticeable in person, but in the pictures it really is. With MDF you are able to get a bit of a tighter wrap on the fabric. In my opinion, there is minimal difference in the look of the two.
I hope I have inspired you a little bit to try making a cornice board at home. If you have any pictures you would like to share please send them my way and I will post them. Thanks.
-Judy