Buying a bedroom furniture set takes thoughtful planning that includes choosing the right style, functionally and price of your items. In addition to your personal tastes, the square footage of your bedroom, as well as the amount of storage space you have, will dictate what pieces you need to buy. Take time to consider how you’ll use your bedroom furniture set to help guide you in your shopping and eventual purchase.
Your Needs
As you being your planning, write a list of your needs. You will spend approximately one-third of your life in your bed, and may want to focus on that piece of furniture, rather than making the more decorative pieces take center stage in your planning. In addition to sleeping, you’ll need to consider storage. If you have limited closet space, you will want to buy taller dressers or chests with larger and deeper drawers. You may need a bed that lets you store items underneath it. If your bathroom isn’t suited for applying your makeup each morning, you may need a functional, well-lit vanity. If you plan to watch TV in bed, you may want to hang a flat screen on your wall opposite your bed, or on top of or inside a piece of furniture placed there.
The Bedroom Pieces
Once you have your functional needs determined, write a list of pieces of furniture that provide you what you need. Include the features each piece needs, such as mirrors, lighting, ability to hang clothes and other functional aspects. In addition to your bed, you may need a nightstand or two, one or more dressers and chests, an armoire or wardrobe and a vanity. If you need more space to hang clothes, an armoire or wardrobe include a clothing rod behind one or two doors. You can add more storage with a trunk, settee, bench, chest, shelves or low table at the foot of your bed.
You may wish to build your bedroom set around your bed, since it’s such an important piece of furniture. If you go with a four-poster bed, you may limit your décor to a more traditional style. If you go with a more contemporary design, you may lose the storage space underneath. Your available space may also limit your bed choices.
Room Size
Measuring your room exactly will help you choose the correct size pieces for your room. Place string or other markers on the floor to guide you in determining what size your furniture will be. Make sure to walk between pieces of your imaginary furniture to make sure you leave enough space to practically and comfortably navigate your bedroom — that large bed or armoire you fall in love with in the store may lose its charm if you need to spend the next few years turning sideways or tiptoeing every time you pass it. Make a layout of your floor plan and bring it, with the exact measurements of your furniture pieces to the store, so you can stick to your plan.
Measure the space for your bed, then use an online sizing chart to determine what bed size or sizes you can purchase. If you plan on purchasing two beds, determine how much room you want between them when you create your floor plan. This will help you purchase the correct size beds, as well as the night stand you put between them.
Your Storage Needs
Storage is key in many bedrooms if the closet isn’t a large walk in. Marry form with function by placing a steamer trunk at the end of your bed for storing sweater or other seasonal items. An armoire and tall, deep chests of drawers let you store more clothes without crushing many items into smaller spaces. Buy a bed with legs or built-in drawers underneath to maximize your storage options. Your vanity should contain at least one pedestal of drawers if you need maximum storage.
Adding Future Pieces
If your budget won’t allow you to buy all of the pieces you’d like, consider your ability to make future purchases when you buy your bedroom set. If you are buying a closeout because it’s a great price, think about how easy it will be to add pieces to the bedroom in the future that match. Unique colors may be difficult to match years down the road.
Budget
Make an effort to buy what you need, rather than what you can afford. If you need extra storage and a vanity, but your budget won’t let you buy these items new, consider buying used. You can find many, beautiful and functional pieces of furniture at estate sales, in resale shops and online.
Additional Resources
Bedroom Furniture Buying Guide