Choosing the right bed – some useful tips

Recommendation points

• Dimensions
• Material
• Mattress
• Style

Unfortunately, due to the small size of typical apartments and the need to combine in one room, for example, the functions of a living room and a bedroom, we increasingly refuse to buy a full bed, being content with sofas that fold out at night..

Of course, this option allows you to save space in the room, but in terms of convenience, beauty and a special atmosphere of relaxation, an ordinary sofa cannot be compared with a bed. In addition, the huge selection of beds existing today will allow each customer to choose a model according to taste, financial capabilities and size..

Choosing a bed is a responsible task, because you will spend a lot of time on it, and the quality of sleep often depends on the comfort of the sleeping place. What should you look out for first when purchasing this piece of furniture for your bedroom? What models are manufacturers ready to offer us today??

In a small bedroom, the bed will become the main, and sometimes the only piece of furniture, so you should pay special attention to its choice.

Dimensions

The first thing to decide for yourself when going to a furniture store is what size bed you need. There is a generally accepted classification of beds by their size and today manufacturers offer us the following choices:

1. Single bed. In Europe, such items are considered pieces of furniture 200-210 centimeters long and only 90 to 100 centimeters wide. In America, beds are usually called single beds 190 centimeters long and 99 centimeters wide. In our country, such sleeping places are usually purchased only for a nursery or a guest room, since it is very difficult for an adult, especially accustomed to sleeping on his back or stomach, to fit comfortably on a narrow bed. However, this is a global trend and such sleeping places are not very popular, being considered teenagers..
2. One and a half bed. This is also a sleeping place for one person, but much more comfortable. If desired, the “lorry” can accommodate two people, but “in close embrace.” The traditional sizes of a one-and-a-half bed in Europe are 210 centimeters long and 140 to 160 centimeters wide. American manufacturers offer two options for “one and a half” – Double (aka Full) 137.2 centimeters wide and 190 centimeters long and Queen, which is a fully-fledged sleeping place for two, measuring 203.2 by 152.4 centimeters.
3. Double bed. The most popular option, since usually this piece of furniture is bought in the bedroom of a married couple. In the European version, a full double bed has the same standard length of 200 or 210 centimeters and a width of 180 centimeters. Americans operate with the term “king size”, offering several options – StandardKing, EasternKing, King – their dimensions are 203.2 centimeters in length and from 193 to 198 centimeters in width. There are also Western American models (produced in Western states) – WesternKing and CaliforniaKing. They are longer – 213.36 centimeters, but slightly narrower – 182.9 centimeters.

Beds no more than a meter wide are usually used only in children’s rooms or as an additional bed for guests

If desired, on a one-and-a-half bed, of course, you can accommodate two people, especially if its width exceeds 150 centimeters. But still, such a sleeping place is usually intended for one person.

The “royal” sleeping bed of almost square size will take up a lot of space, but it will definitely be comfortable for two to relax here

It is clear that it is easy to choose between a single and a double bed – it all depends on its functional purpose. But to figure out whether a bed 160 centimeters wide will be enough for you two, or is it worth choosing a “king” size, sometimes it is difficult. It is easy to carry out “tests” in a furniture store – you need to lie on the mattress in your half and bend your arms so that your index fingers touch each other on your chest, and your elbows are spread as wide as possible. Do your elbows fit on your half of the mattress or will they interfere with your loved one? Can you comfortably roll over from side to side without interfering with each other? After such an experiment, it is much easier to solve the problem with choosing a bed size..

However, your desire to sleep at ease on a king-size bed can become an impossible dream when faced with the real dimensions of a tiny bedroom. Therefore, it is certainly worth studying the standard sizes, but before going to the store, you still need to walk around your room with a measuring ruler in your hands.

Will a double bed fit in the center of the room to provide a passage on each side? Or will you have to move it to the wall and climb over the sleeping “other half” at night? Perhaps ten centimeters will not play such an important role in a comfortable stay, but will it make it possible to install the bed in the right place and free up space for the bedside table? Resolve all of these issues at home by consulting family members and carefully measuring the future location of the bed..

In such a bedroom, you definitely cannot put a double bed in the center. And if you choose a King size model, then there will definitely not be room for a single bedside table.

Material

A traditional bed has a solid base and headboards and a mattress. We will talk about mattresses a little below, and now we will consider options for materials from which the base of a bed is most often created today. So, modern sleeping furniture can be made of the following materials:

1. Metal. Wrought iron beds are unusually durable, beautiful and reliable, however, such furniture will not fit into every interior, and not all customers like it. The cost of such a bed depends on whether it is a factory product or created by a master according to an individual order, as well as the complexity of openwork forging.
2. Solid wood. Expensive, very beautiful, reliable, but rather heavy and expensive beds made of natural wood are considered elite furniture. Their price, external parameters, as well as features of operation and maintenance depend primarily on the type of wood itself – you can choose relatively inexpensive and lighter pine or larch, or you can choose strong oak or exotic and incredibly expensive mahogany.
3. MDF. This material is used for the manufacture of beds in the middle price category. They are quite reliable, they will last at least ten years, while they look noble and have a uniform texture. MDF can be laminated or veneered. Laminated has an unnatural shine, and veneer imitates wood more successfully, but it costs more.
4. Chipboard. Chipboards are today the cheapest material for furniture production, so such beds are in demand precisely because of their availability. Chipboard is usually also laminated, which gives it a more attractive look. However, you can distinguish such beds from wooden ones at first glance. In addition, it is difficult to assemble and disassemble chipboard products – this material is not “friendly” with screws and nails. If the product has to be disassembled and reassembled repeatedly, then its appearance will definitely be spoiled. The average life of chipboard beds is seven years.

There are also more exotic options for bedding materials, such as rattan, bamboo, plastic, tempered glass and even concrete. However, they have not received wide distribution, they are, rather, the original models “not for everyone” and are made most often as a clear example of the achievements of modern design.

Wrought iron beds are distinguished by their heavy weight, openwork headboards and a long service life.

This bed is made of bamboo. Very beautiful and unusual, and this amazingly durable material will serve for a very long time

A bed made of natural wood is also gradually becoming exotic, being replaced by cheaper MDF and chipboard

Chipboard furniture is the most inexpensive option, while it looks quite decent

An important point – class E1 chipboard contains less than 10 grams of formaldehyde recognized as harmful to health per 100 grams of material, and chipboards of class E2 can contain up to 30 grams of these resins also per 100 grams of material. Particleboard of class E2 is officially forbidden to be used in furniture production, therefore, in order not to risk your health, this nuance must be clarified when buying. For a nursery, it is better to choose cribs made of Super E class chipboard, which is approved for use in furniture production in Europe.

Mattress

Let’s make a reservation right away that the option when the base of the bed is a single unit with a sleeping place is far from the best. If the mattress wears out and becomes uncomfortable, you have to replace the entire piece of furniture, while in the case of a separate mattress, you can leave a decent-looking, reliable base and save money.

Cotton mattresses have long become a hopelessly outdated option, today we are talking about fillers such as:

1. Spring block. The most comfortable are mattresses with independent springs, each of which is sewn into a separate cover. They perfectly adapt to the shape of the body and do not put stress on the spine. Resilient, not too stiff, reliable and durable, they are ideal for a double bed. If the spring blocks are connected, that is, they represent a dependent system, then a dent may form under a heavier person, where its second half will gradually “roll down”.
2. Latex. It is a natural material – foamed rubber tree sap extract. Does not cause allergies, is durable, breathable. The only drawback of latex mattresses is the price, which is at least 16 thousand rubles.
3. Coconut fiber, felt, foam rubber, batting and even horsehair and sea grass – all of these fillers can be used in springless mattresses.

Sectional spring mattress

As for the upholstery of the mattress, the most reliable, but also the most expensive, are jacquard fabrics; cotton can be used in combination with synthetics. It’s just that synthetic materials in the upholstery will make the mattress not the best choice. Quilted mattresses are considered the most reliable and comfortable, and it’s also good if the sleeping place has two sides – the usual summer and winter, with a layer of natural wool.

There are both water and air mattresses, but in our country they have not yet become widespread. And for a water bed, you have to create special conditions at all, so this is definitely not the most popular option..

And finally, there are no orthopedic mattresses! Yes, it is true, in Europe, sellers would be very surprised at a request to find an orthopedic mattress. There are sleeping accommodations with or without orthopedic properties. Moreover, one and the same mattress will have such useful properties for a person with a weight, for example, up to 90 kilograms and a healthy spine, but not for a person with other parameters. So in this case everything is very individual..

Ideal if you also have an orthopedic base under your latex or innerspring mattress, which allows you to adjust the firmness of the berth and adapts to your body shape

Style

This criterion, in contrast to all of the above, depends little on external conditions. The choice of external parameters of the bed is solely a matter of taste for the owners. If you want a royal bed with a high headboard, upholstered in fabric – do not deny yourself such a pleasure! If you like the delicate curls of wrought iron products – find a suitable bed with such a headboard. Do you prefer minimalism? Then you can find a laconic bed without a headboard and decorations at all..

It is useless to advise when choosing a bed style, if you like it, you need to take it. Just, again, remember that the external parameters of the bed should be in harmony with the interior design of the bedroom itself. Although, in the case of such a large-scale purchase, you can change the style of the room decoration, bringing it closer to your new original, ultramodern or classic furniture.

In addition, the appearance of the bed can be drastically changed with textiles. A bright, colorful bedspread will turn even austere, classic furniture into an element of country-style decor. And under the mass of pillows and a lush bedspread it will be even difficult to see how exactly the sleeping bed itself looks like.

The bedroom is minimalist and the bed should have the same straight shapes and laconic finishes. Decorations in this case are unnecessary.

A solid and respectable bed is ideal for a classic or English bedroom interior. However, in this modern room with a minimum of decor, it also looks very good.

An ordinary modern bed without frills and additional decorations

If the bedroom is large, you can choose such a round bed, which will definitely become the main element of the interior. By the way, this is a clear example of the importance of textiles – it is impossible to see the base under the long bedspread, and the pillows have replaced the headboard.

And yet, when choosing a bed, remember that having a capacious laundry box hidden under the mattress is not a luxury, but a great way to save square meters and get additional storage space. And such a box will definitely save time for cleaning the bed in the morning. Drawers can be retractable, that is, “move out” on different sides of the bed, but more often manufacturers create one roomy box that opens by lifting the mattress.

In a small apartment, not using the huge space that remains under the bed is a real crime. A lot of things will fit into such boxes, and bed linen will always be at hand

Along with a sofa in the living room, a wardrobe in the hallway and a kitchen set, the bed remains one of the most significant pieces of furniture in every apartment or house. A sleeping bed is bought for more than one year, therefore, so that after the first night spent on a new bed, not to be disappointed in the purchase, the selection process must be approached with full responsibility.