How to Choose Bedroom Furniture

Did you just move into a new home or are you thinking about redecorating your current bedroom? Well, you may be looking for new furniture, but before you make any decisions, there are a few things you should consider. What is your budget? What style do you prefer? And what is the size of your bedroom?

Once you have answered these questions and a few more, you will be able to find the perfect bedroom set for your needs and wants.

What to consider before choosing new bedroom furniture

Budget

This is one thing we have to take into consideration when decorating a room even though we don’t really want to. I would suggest you start by setting a maximum spending amount and then subtracting a percent from it (maybe 10-20%).

This will be your cushion money and ideally, you will not spend it. However, if something unforeseen happens or you really fell in love with a certain piece that is a tad expensive, you can use it.

The reasoning behind all of this is that setting aside a sum of money and kinda forgetting about it, will help you stay within your original planned budget.

Now that this is out of the way, think about what will influence the costs of your new bedroom furniture. Usually, it’s a combination of quality, brand, style, and whether is custom ordered or bought from the store.

For example, I noticed that classic or vintage furniture styles tend to be more expensive than modern or Scandinavian items, while custom-ordered sets obviously cost significantly more than mass-produced items.

As for the quality aspect, my suggestion is to invest in the things that really matter like your bed frame and mattress. These directly impact your sleep quality and comfort, so you wouldn’t want to skimp on them.

I just replaced my 5-year metal bed that would give us bad back pains (the box spring was also made of metal and it bent out of shape with time) and that horribly scratched my floor with its middle legs.

modern black and white bedroom
Modern, black and white bedroom

Design style

Before doing any kind of furniture purchase, take a moment to think about what style you’d want your new bedroom to be. There are plenty to choose from classical to shabby chic or everyone’s favorite (thank you Ikea!), the Scandinavian style.

Just do some online searches for inspiration before deciding.

But as I said before, the style you choose can also influence the total cost, so it’s a good idea to also do a bit of research on furniture prices in the style you like before totally committing to it.

Also, since we’re talking about design style, please don’t buy entire sets. You may be tricked into thinking they look good, but usually, they don’t. Rather mix and match individual furniture pieces. Yes, it’s a bit more time-consuming, but the end result looks so much better.

yellow bedroom
Trying a yellow accent color in my apartment bedroom (I settled for blue in the end)

Color scheme

Another thing that you need to think about before you do any kind of shopping is the color scheme. Yes, accents are usually given by textile items like drapes, bedding or rugs, but dark furniture dramatically changes a room in comparison with a light one.

I also recommend taking into consideration your other rooms. While you definitely don’t need (and usually shouldn’t!) to follow the exact same color scheme as in the rest of your home, it might look a bit weird if you have white furniture in your bedroom and dark, almost black furniture in your living room.

For example, the bedroom of my current apartment is decorated in a white-grey-dark blue color scheme, with bits of black and natural wood. My open space living room on the other hand sports a natural wood, white, teal, and yellow combination, with the occasional specs of black.

As you can see the color schemes are not identical, and while there are some recurring colors, they are not used in the same proportion. Natural wood is present in small amounts in my bedroom (the legs of my nightstands, some wall frames, a decorative tray), but it’s the main star in my living room.

Of course, you can be bolder than me (to be totally honest I kinda played it on the safe side), but make sure you have some elements that will tie everything together for a cohesive look (the nursery or the child’s room can be an exception though).

feminine bedroom decor

Bedroom size

One of the things that matter the most when choosing new furniture for your bedroom is its size. Large items will make an already small bedroom look even tinier and cluttered, while small pieces will look lost in a big room.

To avoid buying inappropriate furniture in regard to your bedroom size, make sure you thoroughly measure the dimensions of your room beforehand.

Not only that but also think about how much walking space you want to have. As a rule of thumb, you should leave at least 25 – 30 inches (63 – 76 cm) of free space around your bed.

I’m actually guilty of buying the wrong size of furniture for my bedroom before, though it was by mistake: instead of a queen-sized bed (63in/160cm), I ended up getting the king-sized version (71 in/180cm).

And while you might think that it’s not a big difference, well it was enough for it to look disproportionate and make the room seem smaller. Not to mention the fact that I always seemed to bump into the footboard as I walked around the bed.

Now I finally got a Queen and while I didn’t notice a downgrade in comfort, I’m really loving the extra space and the fact that it fits the room so much better size-wise.

Lastly, color and shape matter as well! Dark furniture will shrink a room, while light items will usually make it look larger. And while you can still use dark colors in your bedroom even if it’s small, do try to use them sparingly, for example as accents.

Also, elevated furniture is preferred when possible when dealing with smaller bedrooms. This is because it leaves more free floor space which in turn tricks the eye into thinking that the room is larger than it really is.

PRO TIP: A great way to visually enlarge a room is to use mirrors!

Functionality

When decorating a room, we often tend to focus a lot on the aesthetic side of things and kind of forget about functionality. Think about how and for what you will use the furniture and shop accordingly.

For example, is there enough space for the closet doors to fully open? If not, then maybe you should go with sliding doors or no doors at all. Do you intend to work from your bedroom? Then add a desk with a comfortable chair. Is the room too bright in the morning and this ruins your sleep? Install light-blocking curtains.

Comfort

Comfort is another important thing to think about when buying furniture for your bedroom. First of all, I strongly encourage you to see and try your bed and new mattress in person! After all, you spend so much time in it, that it is vital to make sure you like how it feels.

Second, add other things that will enhance your comfort: maybe some smart lighting, a bedside table, a quality rug, a wireless charger for your phone, nice bedsheets, etc.

bed with storage
Bed with storage underneath

Storage needed

How much storage you need is another aspect to take into consideration before choosing new furniture for your bedroom.

Oftentimes, a closet is not enough, so you can supplement by buying a bedside table with drawers, a bed with storage underneath, making use of shelves, or getting an extra chest of drawers. Also, keep in mind that open storage space usually takes more work to keep organized.


In conclusion, before you run off to the furniture store or start browsing online, take some time to think about what you need and want from your new bedroom.

With just a bit of planning, you can make sure your new purchases will serve you well from both a functional and aesthetic point of view.

Thanks for reading!

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3 Comments

  1. It’s great that you highlighted that the amount of storage you want is a factor to consider when selecting new bedroom furniture. Since I’ve been considering purchasing new bedroom furniture sets to liven up my home, I’ll definitely heed this suggestion. Simply put, I believe that the next new year merits being ushered in in a brand-new setting.

  2. I am on your side when you said that size is among the most important considerations when selecting new bedroom furniture. It’s also so true that little things will appear lost in a large space, while large stuff will make an already tiny bedroom appear much smaller and more cluttered. My best friend just moved into her new condo and I’m helping her buy bedroom furniture so I’ll definitely keep your helpful tips in mind. Thanks!

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