If you’re itching for a bedroom refresh or are starting from scratch, it’s worth carefully considering the star of the room: your bed. While choosing the right mattress will help you get a better night’s sleep, selecting the right bed can dramatically shift the aesthetic and even the use of your bedroom. Whether you want an upholstered bed with a plush headboard for evenings spent reading in bed, an option with extra storage for a small bedroom, or a statement-making canopy bed to add architectural charm, choosing the best material and style for your budget can feel like an overwhelming decision. The silver lining? With smaller direct-to-consumer furniture brands and popular big-box retailers offering perks like quick shipping, easy assembly, and warranties, shopping online for the bed of your dreams can be done without leaving your home.
What to Consider Before Buying a Bed Frame
To ensure you’re keeping the most important factors of choosing a bed in mind, we tapped interiors expert Delyse Berry. Berry specializes in sourcing home decor, furniture consultation, and creating strategic layouts, so she understands the importance of laying a good foundation for your bedroom design by choosing the right bed.
When considering whether to go with a low-profile bed or something a bit taller and grander, Berry suggests thinking about the height of your favorite chair. “Ideally, you want the height of your bed to be the height of a comfortable chair height. This can vary slightly based on someone’s height but averages around 18–24 inches from the ground,” Berry says.
She also thinks about the scale of the room. “If the room is smaller, consider lower beds and lighter colors, and for larger spaces, play with height and darker finishes,” Berry advises. Aside from the room’s scale and height level, she also recommends thinking about how the other pieces in the room will work with the bed. “If your bedside tables are wood or black, having the bed frame in a different finish would be very complementary,” she says. “Choosing the right linens and accent pillows will marry it all together! We love finishing a bed with linen and a few vintage fabric pillows.”
To narrow down your choices, we’ve curated a selection of our favorite beds in a variety of styles and price points. For each option, we’ve listed key features for whom the bed would be best for and those who might want to avoid it, along with important details like materials, color options, and dimensions. (Prices and dimensions for queen size beds are listed for continuity.) Keep reading to see which beds made the cut.
Expert Featured in This Article
Delyse Berry is the cofounder of interiors and real estate firm Upstate Down.
— Additional reporting by Anvita Reddy
