If the bedroom were used solely for sleeping, it would be the simplest of rooms to furnish, needing no more than best bedroom furnitureedroom furniture money can buy. But it is the place for storing clothes and personal effects, where you dress and make up, drink early morning tea, and read or watch television late at night. More than that, it often has to double as a study/workroom, a children’s playroom and, in small ‘studio’ flats, as living room as well.
Bedroom furniture that performs so many roles must be flexible: in a bedroom study, for example, a desk with drawers and a wall-mounted mirror above would be more useful than a specialized dressing table. For those who eat breakfast, write letters, or watch TV in the bedroom, an additional table is needed. Good storage is always essential and you should never underestimate the space you will need for out-ofseason clothes, blankets and linen, as well as books, records and other odds and ends. Space must also be found for those items such as a radio, reading light, alarm clock, toiletries and so on which are best kept on view.
If you are starting from scratch, you are free to choose from either built-in or freestanding ra freestanding ranges. Built-in bedroom furniture, which can be fitted into odd corners or angles, is often a good buy for small and oddly-shaped bedrooms. Larger or more regularly-shaped rooms can take advantage of the flexibility that a freestanding arrangement can offer. Combining the two options can give you the best of both worlds, particularly if you have existing pieces existing pieces to incorporate.
Before buying bedroom furniture, shop around for sizes and shapes to suit your bedroom, and colours and finishes to complement the look you want to achieve: stripped or varnished pine for a cosy cottage bedroom; rich polished mahogany in a large Victorian home; cool white melamine or pale blonde ash for simple masculine rooms; pastel drag-painted wood for a more romantic, feminine air.