You don’t want to break the bank buying bedroom furniture. But you don’t want to break the bed because you bought cheap. You don’t have to sacrifice quality for affordability, or affordability for quality. But you have to keep your eyes open and your expectations realistic. There are plenty of furniture manufacturers out there who will be more than happy to part with your money.
Why the craftsmanship of bedroom furniture is so important
Why does the furniture in the bedroom seem to break before the rest of the furniture in the house? Because it is generally used more often and more than any other piece of furniture in the house.
Frequent use guaranteed.
For many people, the furniture in the bedroom will be in more constant use than the furniture in any other room. Even if you spend all day at work and never turn on your TV, you’ll still start and end your day in bed.
Heavy use.
No one is a lovable creature in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning.
Roll over in bed? I better hope your bed joints can take it.
Who remembers using a coaster for a glass of water in the middle of the night? If your nightstand finish is sprayed instead of a genuine varnish, you can expect the glass of water to leave some pretty nasty scars.
Your nightstand will sound good when you press the “repeat” button. If the parts are loosely screwed together, there will be some damage in a few years.
Your dresser drawers will open and slam shut. If the drawers slide on metal runners instead of plastic, you could just pull the drawer out.
Of course, you could treat the furniture delicately. If that’s possible to do when you’re tired, that would be a great way to get a lot of stress out of the room.
Considering that you can spend a third of your life in the bedroom, why not make it nice?
Discount Bedroom Furniture Quality Assessment
You can find good and bad furniture at almost any furniture store. Furniture stores tend to be a bit like car dealerships in that regard. But some stores can be worse than others.
In particular, beware of any of the new lines of bedroom furniture being sold at discount department stores. Kmart and Target, in particular, have moved into the furniture business with mixed results. According to a recent New York Times article, when a professional furniture craftsman reviewed the “designer” pieces at Target, he found every reason to believe the furniture wouldn’t last. The biggest cause for alarm: the parts that were screwed together without sticking.
When the parts are just screwed together, they will inevitably start to move a bit. As time goes by, movement will loosen the bolts. Then one day, when you hit the “sleep” button, the nightstand will collapse under it.
Materials are, of course, just as important as workmanship, at least when it comes to price. Everyone knows that hardwood costs more than particle board. But not everyone can spot particle board right away. What does oak mean”? Just because something looks like oak doesn’t mean it’s oak.
If every inch of the surface is covered with some type of veneer, check the material label on the furniture label. Every piece of furniture you buy should have some kind of label like this. If you are buying online, the part description on the website should say what the materials are. If not, take your business elsewhere.
Want a shortcut to finding well-made, discount bedroom furniture? Try to find furniture from a respected design company. An Ethan Allen table sold in one store should be as good as an Ethan Allen table sold in another. Of course, these brands are expensive. You can lower the cost by comparing online purchases just as you would for electronics or automobiles. You can even buy the furniture online and have it delivered to your home, just like in an offline furniture store.
Wherever you buy your bedroom furniture, just make sure it’s quality. After all, you will spend a third of your life in it.