BookmarkBedroom Furniture
Be sure to check out our Shopping Mall to locate Furniture Retailers and Furniture Manufacturers who carry bedroom furniture and Mattresses. As you begin to shop for bedroom furniture, you will soon notice that most stores have two separate bedroom departments: Master Bedroom and Youth.
Youth bedroom furniture is differentiated from master bedroom furniture by the scale and design of the case pieces (dressers and chests), the frequent use of laminates on their tops, and the sizes and configurations of the beds. The following overview discusses bedroom furniture options in greater detail to aid you in your bedroom design and purchase decisions.
Master bedroom
Master bedroom furniture can be broken down into five categories: beds, dressers, chests, night stands and mirrors. The typical suite includes one each of the above pieces of bedroom furniture, with possibly two night stands. Let's examine your options in each case...
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Beds
Beds have gone from being the focal point of bedroom furniture, to being almost insignificant in recent decades, and back again to play a role of major importance in bedroom furniture today.
As master bedrooms are becoming larger and more important, beds are trying to keep up through their scale and elaborateness. Not long ago your only choices within a particular collection of bedroom furniture may have been simple panel headboards. Today, you can expect to find at least two dramatic beds (the addition of a footboard and connecting side rails differentiates a "bed" from a headboard). In bed designs, other materials such as iron or cane are often utilized to provide an accent or contrast with the wood pieces in the bedroom furniture.
The sizes of beds are the cause of frequent confusion. While mattresses are available in six sizes, the beds offered in master bedroom furniture groups are typically available in only two: Full/Queen and King.
The width of the headboard and footboard determine the overall size of the bed, the length of the bed is determined by the length of the side rails. The full/queen bed comes with 80-inch rails for queen and 75-inch rails for full. The bed is scaled to be used with a queen mattress, which is the most popular size in bedroom furniture. The width adjustment for a full size mattress is accomplished with an extra set of rail slots set in about three inches on each side of the headboard and footboard posts. As long as you use a comforter or heavy spread you probably won't notice the width discrepancy.
When it comes to king size beds, things get a bit more complicated. Most of the world considers the Eastern King to be the standard king size of bedroom furniture. To Californians and their neighbors, the California King reigns supreme. By virtue of the fact that most bedroom furniture manufacturers are based on the east coast, king beds in most bedroom furniture collections are designed to fit the Eastern king mattresses. What are your choices if you happen to own a California king mattress set in regards to purchasing a bed?
1. If you can purchase the Eastern king headboard and footboard along with queen side rails you'll end up with a long enough bed for your mattress that is about 6" wider than it needs to be. Be sure to get the center rail that is necessary to support the two box springs of your mattress set.
2. Find a bed from a bedroom furniture company based on the west coast - a somewhat limiting option, especially if your bedroom furniture tastes run towards the more traditional designs.
3. Buy a new mattress set. In most bedroom furniture markets you have a choice of which king size you want, although you may have to wait a little longer if it's not the standard size for your area. Alternately, two standard twin mattress sets are the equivalent size of an Eastern king. Keep in mind that if the bed has a canopy of any kind, switching the side rails with those from another size bed is not an option.
Fortunately, once you've selected the bed, the balance of your decisions are relatively simple.
Dressers
Your choice of dressers in a bedroom furniture collection can be viewed in terms of their size. The smallest dresser is called a "Drawer Dresser," as visually you see only drawers. The largest dresser is called a "Door Dresser", named for the door(s) in the center of the bedroom furniture piece, which typically conceal pull-out trays or shelves. In choosing a dresser, think about whether you prefer more/smaller drawers or fewer/larger drawers for your storage needs. You will find the more expensive bedroom furniture offer more drawers on a comparable size dresser. Less expensive dressers are designed so that they appear to have more drawers than they actually have.
Chests
The chest has become the most versatile piece of bedroom furniture. Choosing a chest involves more than just visual preference. Today, the chest is home to not only socks and T-shirts, but televisions, stereos and computers as well. As a result, your bedroom furniture choices are more interesting than ever.
The smallest chest is the "Lingerie Chest". Narrow, with many small drawers, it functions as its name implies. The "Drawer Chest" is larger overall, and comprised of deeper drawers. The "Door Chest" is larger still, and is designed with deep drawers on the bottom and two doors on the top. Behind the doors you will find a combination of pull-out trays and adjustable shelves. The top portion can usually be modified to accommodate a small (19") TV or stereo system.
Finally, the ever popular "Armoire" or "Wardrobe" is your largest chest. A grand piece of bedroom furniture on the outside, they are designed with either two or four doors. A simple clothes rod designates the furniture as a "wardrobe" and is typically the least expensive option.
The addition of TV/stereo features including a pull-out swivel tray for the TV, pocket doors that slide back into the piece of furniture, interior wiring and adjustable shelves give you the luxury of concealed electronics in your bedroom. An armoire with this configuration is called an "Entertainment Cabinet" and has become a separate category unto itself.
The latest incarnation of the Armoire, and still somewhat rare, is the "Computer Armoire". As its name implies, the inside is designed to accommodate the components of a personal computer. Features may include a surge protector, drop-down work table and sliding keyboard tray. Look for this piece in the Home Office rather than Bedroom Furniture department.
As with the dresser, the night stand selection is usually limited to two; one with drawers and one with doors. Enough said.
In selecting a mirror, the scale of your dresser is of primary importance, as typically it is upon that which it will be located. Two mirrors are usually offered in a bedroom furniture collection. The simplest is the single mirror - scaled to be used over the drawer dresser. The more elaborate is the "Tri-Mirror". Designed in three hinged adjustable sections, this is the largest mirror and works best mounted onto the door dresser. Other mirror options sometimes available are "Dressing Mirrors" that sit on top of the drawer chest and full length, and "Cheval Mirrors" that stand on the floor. The latter is considered a bedroom furniture accessory.
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Once the domain of thematic designs such as "nautical" or "cowboy," furniture designed for today's kids is more flexible and enduring than ever before. While splashy colors and whimsy can still be found, styles that will grow with them through high school and then do service in the guest room are the hands-down favorites when the baby-boomers outfit the bedroom furniture of their kids.
Dressers, chests and desks
Most youth bedroom furniture is designed as "wrap" groups, meaning that most of the case pieces are exactly the same depth (18") and height (30"). The top surface of these wrap bedroom furniture pieces is typically not wood, but a matching laminate such as Formica, substituted for durability and cleanability.
The smallest chest is a three drawer piece called a "Bachelors Chest". This chest is merchandised by most bedroom furniture companies to be an excellent value in relation to the other pieces of bedroom furniture. The "Six Drawer Dresser" and "Single Pedestal Desk" (with drawers on one side only) are next in size and price, and hutches are made in two sizes to fit on top of these pieces of furniture. A corner piece is often available to fill the dead space created in most corners. This piece of bedroom furniture can also function as a desk with the advantage of a large surface area, but with little storage.
In addition to these wrap pieces, a tall drawer chest and night stand round out the group along with a single mirror to hang over the dresser. Look for the construction to be similar to master bedroom furniture pieces in the use of joinery, wood solids and veneers. Drawers should operate smoothly and easily and the hardware should be scaled for small hands. Avoid bedroom furniture with sharp corners whenever possible.
NOTE: There are bedroom collections available with smaller scaled free-standing pieces not designed to "wrap", which are also appropriate for youth or guest rooms. With wood tops rather than laminates, these can be a good choice in the long run as they tend to look less juvenile. However, they require the care given "grown-up" furniture and you can expect to pay a bit more for them as well.
As in the master bedroom, beds have become the focal point of kids' bedroom furniture as well. Today there are numerous configurations available, many of which can be adapted over time to suit your changing needs. For example, the traditional bunkbed, in most cases, can be broken down into two daybeds. Storage and pull-out trundle units are also frequently available to fit under the bed. The latest youth bed design combines elements of a bunkbed, desk and storage chest in one space saving unit called a "Loft Bed". But beyond cute or even functional, sturdy is the word of the day when selecting a child's bedroom furniture. All bed styles will come in twin size, with a select few also available in full (double).
BedroomFurnitureMart.com offers a great selection of beds, mattresses and other bedroom furniture for your home.
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