How to Choose the Right Bed for Your Bedroom

Beds – we all love them, don’t we? Getting a good night’s rest is paramount to living a productive and healthy life. It’s important to choose a bed that fits your lifestyle and sleeping preferences. You also want a bed that’s comfortable to lounge in on the weekends.

Choosing a bed is kind of like choosing a sofa. There’s so much to consider about this central and important piece of furniture that it can be quite stressful. Beds are often the focus of a bedroom because they are usually the largest piece of furniture that goes inside one. Because we use them on a daily basis, we really can’t get away with making the wrong decision and just living with it, the way we could with an accent chair or side table.

If you’re thinking about buying a new bed, then this article will help guide you through the process of selecting the right bed for your bedroom and lifestyle habits!

Bed vs. Headboard

The first step in your bed buying process is to determine whether you would like a bed or a headboard.

Beds are great at ensuring a consistent style of design on the whole piece of furniture from the headboard to the feet. They sometimes require a bit more coordination for the installation and logistics. If you want to move a bedroom bed, it’s usually tougher because you would need to take it apart (if you can) and then move each part separately.

On the other hand, headboards will require an attaching a separate bed frame to hold the mattress. Headboards are easier to move around than beds. You can purchase a bed frame that hides underneath your mattress so that the headboard is the only item that you see around your bed. Relocating a headboard and bed frame is typically easier because all you have to do is detach the headboard from the bed frame itself. You can also change out your headboard pretty easily if you want to change the decor style of your bedroom!

Beds are a bit more luxurious and give the bedroom a more complete look. Some people opt for beds in their master bedroom as it is the largest, and headboards in the secondary bedrooms which have less space.

Types of Beds

Platform Bed: Platform beds are great because they don’t require a box spring. They come in a variety of styles to suit your bedroom decor theme. Platform beds typically sit very low off the ground so you’ll have to buy risers if you need room for storage underneath your bed. Because of their boxy nature, platforms are often associated with mid-century modern design. It is often made of wood and finished in a warm brown hue.

Canopy Beds: Canopy beds are great for bedrooms with high ceilings. Canopy beds feature four poles at each corner of the bed connected by four beams. The beams are sometimes left bare and other times, sheer curtains are hung from them, giving privacy to the bed itself. This is definitely one of the larger choices for a bedroom so make sure your room is quite spacious!

Poster Beds: Poster beds, or four-poster beds are made with four poles at each corner. Poster beds date back to the 16th century. The posters at each corner are typically curved, giving them a traditional look.

Bed Materials

Your bed or headboard can be made out of many different materials. Here are a few common ideas for what kind of bed to choose for your home:

Metal Bed

A metal bed is great for a farmhouse bedroom. They give a vintage appeal and look. It is also much easier to clean and take care of than a fabric headboard which tends to attract dust!

Bed Accessories

Once you’ve decided on a bed, there are a few bed accessories you’ll need to consider purchasing.

Box Spring: Box springs are commonly used for support and height for your mattress. They raise your mattress up so you are not getting in to bed at a very low height from the ground.

Mattress: Of course, you can’t purchase a bed without thinking about the mattress you will put on it!

Bed Sheets: Several sets of bed sheets will be necessary for your bed, as well. We recommend purchasing linen or cotton sheets for the spring and summer, and flannel sheets for the cold winters!

Pillows: It’s a good idea to buy at least two pillows for each bed in your home!

Experts agree that getting good sleep is one of the single best ways to maintain and improve our health. A mattress is a huge factor in our ability to sleep well, yet many people overlook its importance and keep using a mattress that fails to provide enough support and comfort.

How to Choose a Mattress

A new mattress can be a sizable investment, but taking this step can unlock your ability to sleep better. As with any major purchase, you want to make sure that you choose wisely.

To help you get a handle on how to choose a mattress, we break down the key information piece-by-piece. With this guide, you’ll have the knowledge to find a top-performing mattress with the right firmness and features to suit your needs and deliver great sleep night after night.

Mattress Types

If you’re just getting started looking for a new mattress, you’ve probably noticed that the number of options can be dizzying. A helpful way to get your bearings is to start by thinking about mattress types.

Almost all mattresses can be identified as one of five types — foam, innerspring, hybrid, latex, or airbed. Innersprings are the most well-known and traditionally were the mainstay in homes nationwide. In recent years, though, other mattress types have surged in popularity.

These other mattress types have expanded their reach primarily by offering a more dynamic performance. They’ve also become more affordable and accessible with the growth of the online mattress industry.

Knowing the basics about each of these types can serve as a foundation upon which you can continue your search for the best mattress.

Foam: Foam mattress is made entirely with foam and no coils. They tend to provide above-average contouring to the body, pressure relief, and motion isolation, making them a good fit for side sleepers and couples. Among foams that are used in these mattresses, memory foam is the most well-known.

Innerspring: An innerspring mattress has a coil-based support system and few other layers. While the coils offer some support, innersprings often lack in pressure relief. Their sleeping surface is bouncier and has limited motion isolation. With a lower price point, these are more popular among budget shoppers.

Hybrid: Hybrids have two central elements: an innerspring support core and a substantial foam comfort system. The comfort layers can include foam or latex, and sometimes will even include a shorter layer of coils (called micro-coils). These mattresses provide a blend of bounce and contouring with low heat retention and can be a good fit for sleepers in any position depending on exactly how they are built.

Latex: When all of the layers of a mattress are made with latex rubber, some call it an all-latex or true-latex mattress. For simplicity’s sake, we just use the term latex mattress. These offer top-notch bounce and durability with moderate contouring. When made with natural and organic latex, they are a top pick among eco-conscious shoppers.

Airbed: Airbeds are built with an air chamber as their support core. A pump — controlled by a smartphone or remote — is built into the mattress to add or remove air with the push of a button, giving sleepers the utmost in firmness flexibility. Couples love airbeds because each side can be set to a different firmness level.

What’s a Pocket Spring Mattress?

A pocket-coil or spring mattress has metal coils or springs, each wrapped in fabric. Pocket spring beds allow the coils to respond with the shape and weight it feels. This is the main difference between pocket spring and open coil mattresses.

Beds with pocketed coil systems differ from traditional spring beds. Innerspring beds feature generalized support, while pocket springs offer targeted support. These beds even have a memory or latex foam comfort layer to add a bit of cushioning to your bed. This kind of pocket spring bed is known as a hybrid mattress.

Pocket Spring Mattresses

Pocket spring mattress responds better to pain from pressure points than innerspring mattresses. They also reduce motion transfer so you can sleep soundly throughout the night.

Combination sleepers are better suited for pocket spring beds. The coil layers provide your bed with plenty of bounce. The added responsiveness makes it easier to switch sleeping positions. Plus, pocket spring beds promote proper spinal alignment.

Couples can also appreciate a pocket coil mattress. Not only does the design promote good posture, but it also isolates movements. One partner’s movements won’t disturb the other’s rest.

The downside of purchasing a pocket spring bed is they do not contour to your curves. Furthermore, some layers consist of wool and other fibers. This can create an environment for allergens and dust mites to settle and grow. The invasion of allergens can ruin your mattress.