Not much of the headboard shows once you put on a box spring and plush mattress. Make the bed with the pillows and you can barely see the headboard. There needs to be some adjustment option to make the headboard variable heights. If you look at the picture on the web page, you can tell there is no box spring under this mattress. 
Leather quality is good and the jewel buttons are all still in place; have had it 3 years. Just wish I could see it.