Bedroom Sets Buying Guide

Today, the bedroom has become more than just a room with a bed in it. It has become a place to relax and read, sit and watch a movie, or surf the internet.

Because of its evolution away from a mere place to sleep, bedroom suites have taken on a life of their own. Gone are the days where consumers purchased a basic bedroom suite and held on to it for years. Instead, consumers are enjoying a trend in bedroom suites that provides not only flexibility and choices, but greater style and comfort than ever before.

Previously, bedroom suites were purchased as a unified set -- all pieces matching or coordinating and bought at the same time from the same manufacturer's collection. However, today's consumers are trending toward furniture that allows for more flexible living. In turn, manufacturers have responded by providing consumers with more choices in terms of bedroom furniture pieces and more options in how they put those pieces together. Now, the so-called bedroom suite is more likely to be comprised of several different pieces selected from five or more different collections. Think of it as an a' la carte furniture menu of sorts.

Today when choosing your bedroom suite, it is acceptable to mix and match manufacturers as you like. After all, the few people who venture into the privacy of your bedroom are not likely to recognize the furniture's designer and comment on the fact that you've mixed one with the other. Instead, the design and style is what will draw their attention. Secondly, feel comfortable in mixing expensive pieces with cheaper items. If done correctly, these contrasting items can actually enhance each other and save you a little money on your decorating budget. However, do try to avoid selecting more than two different types of materials, i.e. wood, stone, brass, etc. It's acceptable to mix multiple woods from the same color family, but avoid mixing, for example, wood, stone and brass elements in the same room. Finally, avoid viewing your bedroom suite as "set in stone" or unchangeable once you've chosen it. Consider it to be more of a work in progress that is always changing. As pieces age, or your urge to redecorate increases, give a second thought to throwing out the whole set. If you love your sleigh bed or lingerie chest, keep it and replace the others with complimentary pieces.

While as little as twenty years ago, decorators would have rarely used multiple woods in one room, today you might find three or four woods in the same color family that truly blend well together. Don't be afraid to experiment! In short, decorate to suit and express your own personal style.

Master bedroom suites usually involve some combination of a bed, dresser, chest, night stand and mirror. A typical bedroom suite will usually have at least one of each, if not more depending on the space. Other popular bedroom suite pieces include loveseats, chaises, large chairs, and area rugs. When selecting pieces, much of the decision will boil down to comfort and style, in that particular order.

Beds

Newer homes have been blessed with larger bedrooms. As the rooms have gotten larger, it appears so have the beds which have become more elaborate and luxurious in design. There is a wide range of bed designs to choose from such as platform, sleigh, four poster, futon, canape, daybed and loft styles. However, while mattresses are available in six sizes, the American consumer typically tends to favor only two sizes. Thus, most bedroom suites typically include a bed design that comes in only one of two sizes: full/queen or king.

Nightstands

Usually, nightstands come in two basic styles. One that comes with drawers and another that comes with doors. That doesn't mean though that your selection is limited. Manufacturers have a variety of styles in their collections.

Dressers

Dressers come in a multitude of shapes and sizes. The smallest is called a "Drawer Dresser" because visually, the prominent feature one sees is the drawer. The largest dresser is called a "Door Dresser", and as you can guess, so named for the fact that the doors, located in the center of the piece, are the focal point. When selecting a dresser, the biggest factor to consider is whether you prefer more/smaller drawers or fewer/larger drawers for your clothing or storage needs. More expensive dressers tend to offer more drawers than a comparably sized moderately-priced dresser. Ironically, some less expensive dressers are designed to look as though they have more drawers than they actually do. Be sure to take a close look when selecting one.

Chests

Chests have to be one of the more versatile pieces of bedroom furniture. They can store everything from socks and t-shirts to televisions and computers. The smallest chest is called a "Lingere Chest" which is narrow with many drawers. It is ideal for the clothing items for which it was named. A larger piece known as a "Door Chest" is designed with deeper drawers, pull out trays and adjustable shelves. The largest type of chest is known as a "Armoire" or "Wardrobe". It has two or four doors and can come with everything from a simple clothes rod to a more elaborate interior wiring system or adjustable shelving to hide your home entertainment center.

Mirrors

When selecting a bedroom mirror, the scale of your dresser is an important determining factor. There are two common types of mirrors: a single and a tri-mirror, which usually is a three-hinged mirror with adjustable sections. A tri-mirror is large and is often mounted onto a dresser. There are also other mirror options that are suitable for a bedroom suite, including full-length dressing mirrors that sit on top of a drawer chest and cheval mirrors that stand on the floor.

Bedroom suites room the gamut when it comes to style. Designers and decorators toss a variety of terms around to describe a particular look. Terms such as Traditional, Contemporary, Modern, Garden Cottage, Uptown Urban, Exotic and Retro are just a few terms used to describe a particular style of bedroom suite. While terminology can vary, and is up for interpretation, there are common style strands that emerge.  Here are few examples:

Modern: A design style that usually features one or more different styles.

Contemporary: A style that mixes many different styles.

Antique: A traditional look that uses turn of the century-styled furniture.

Country House Style: A rustic, touch-of-country design.

Retro: Defined as anything from the 1920s glam period to the funky psychedelic look of the 1960s.

Boudoir/Exotic: Considered to be over the top in terms of style and luxury, some even think of it as inspirational.

Minimalism: As the name suggests, "less is more". It is described as a pared-down look that uses neutral colors.

There are several bedroom suites to choose from in the $1000 to $2500 price range. Depending on your style preference, you can find reliable suites crafted from a variety of woods and metals. A bedroom suite in the $2500 - $5000 price range is typically going to ensure better craftsmanship and a wider selection of designs and styles from which to choose. Additionally, there is usually a wider selection of individual bedroom pieces to choose from in the higher-price range of products. The $5,000 and up price range will garner you a selection of high-quality, distinctly unique bedroom suites that can provide you with some of the world's best designs that speak to a consumer's desire to express their individuality.

The wide variety of manufacturers have ensured that there is a selection of bedroom suites in every possible price range so that it doesn’t matter what your budget is, you'll be able to find beautiful pieces of furniture that fit your particular style.

Azura
Always ready to meet clients’ needs and adapting to the newest in market trends, Azura has become a leader among furniture manufacturers. They describe their furniture as having a contemporary look, beautiful finish and colors that blend in harmoniously with today’s contemporary designs. They provide Well-built furniture that is fast and easy to assemble.

Crawford of Jamestown
Founded in 1883, Crawford of Jamestown is an established, family owned manufacturer of quality solid wood furniture. Crawford has a wide selection of hardwood furniture that will complement any room in the house. Many of their collections offer a broad array of pieces to choose from. Crawford is also recognized as a “Style Leader” in the bedroom room industry. Some of their choices include American Traditional, Stately Queen Anne, Classic Country, Modern Eclectic, Shaker, Victorian/English, and Sophisticated Rural.

Eastern
Eastern - The Furniture Company has remained family owned and operated since 1957. They take great pride in offering their clients exquisite collections from around the world, from distinctive traditional to fine contemporary home furnishings.

Legacy Classic Furniture
Legacy Classic Furniture had a vision to create a product line that appealed to everyone. Today, with more than 25 collections they are well on their way to wooing Americans with furniture that appeals to those looking for style, reasonable prices and functionality.

Lifestyle Solutions
Lifestyle Solutions prides itself on specially crafting furniture to the highest standards of quality and design for the standards of discerning purchasers. Their goal is to create timeless furniture that will enhance the customers' lifestyle today and for many years to come. To that end, their bedroom pieces are an example of timeless craftsmanship and muted colors united to form a backdrop of a serene, rich and abundant life.

Powell Furniture
Founded in 1968, Powell has been a leading importer of design driven, high quality products for nearly 40 years. The company's success is a result of its service-oriented culture, broad product offerings, multiple sourcing and an industry wide reputation for reliability, integrity and honesty.

Thunderbird Furniture
Since 1954, Thunderbird Furniture has crafted fine furniture. They take great pride in their craftsmanship and modern technology combined with quality materials to ensure that their furniture provides years of enjoyable service. Thunderbird offers multiple finishes, a broad selection of pieces, and benefits that are recognized to satisfy the discriminating consumer of today.