How much does a bedroom really need, beyond a place to sleep and a place to store your clothes? You’d be surprised. With the right piece of furniture, the place you sleep and dress can turn into a private hideaway where you can read, relax, and ready yourself for the day. Consider the humble bench, which can provide your bedroom with a touch of class and utility. Here’s how to choose a bench for your bedroom.
Measure, Measure, Measure
Before you install any piece of furniture, make sure you have the space for it. There’s nothing more disheartening than picking out a cute bench that can’t get through the door of the room for which it’s intended. Get out the tape measure and measure the doorway and room, particularly around the area where you intend to install the bench. Not sure where it’ll look best and do the most work? You can’t go wrong setting it up at the base of your bed or beside a window.
It Takes Style
Pick the piece that works best with the room’s décor. Lighter and cheerier rooms do well with a lighter-colored wood or metal bench, while a more sedate and stately room could benefit from a darker-stained and rustic handmade solid wood bench. Of course, you can always drape a bench in blankets, pillows, and other coverings. Pick a style and stick with it. Consider how it complements your bed. Matching the look of the bed’s headboard and footboard is fine, but it might work better to choose a bench in contrasting materials and colors. In this case, mixing it up could be the way to go.
Consider Your Shins!
No joke—this part is less about fashion and décor and more about your personal safety. As with any new piece of furniture, you’ll need to get used to something being where it wasn’t before (and you’ll need to prepare yourself to potentially run into it the first few weeks). Consider how heavy the bench is and its height in proportion with your shins and toes. A good rule of thumb is to buy a handmade solid wood bench that fits within the width of your bed so that there isn’t any overhang on either side that can potentially catch or trip you up. It simply looks better too. A bench is an accessory piece and shouldn’t dominate the scenery.
What’s It All About?
Here’s one final piece of advice on how to choose a bench for your bedroom: consider what it can do beyond providing a comfortable place to sit and pull on your shoes. If you place it by a window, the right bench can provide a great little reading nook. Need storage for clothes, blankets, pillows, or more? Look into getting a bench with a secret compartment you can easily access. You can even make it a cat or dog bed, though they may decide to do that on their own! Benches are multifunctional furnishings; take advantage of that fact!