Wooden Bedroom Furniture: A Classic Choice
Wooden bedroom furniture is furniture made from wood, and it has been the classic choice for bedrooms for hundreds of years. A wood bedroom feels warm and natural, because wood has a grain, which is the pattern of lines in the wood, and a colour that changes gently over time. Wooden bedroom furniture sets often include a bed frame, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, and bedside tables, all in the same wood and the same finish, so the room looks matched and tidy.
Oak is the most popular wood for bedroom furniture in the UK. Oak bedroom furniture is strong, hard-wearing, and it has a pale honey colour that suits both modern and traditional rooms. Solid wood bedroom furniture is furniture made from solid pieces of wood, not from chipboard or a thin wood-effect covering, and it can last for many years. Solid oak bedroom furniture is the same idea in oak, and it is heavier and harder than most other woods, so it does not mark easily. Real wood bedroom furniture is furniture made from real wood, not from plastic or a printed wood effect, and it can be repaired, sanded, and re-polished if it gets marked.
Oak Bedroom Furniture and Oak Bedside Tables
An oak bedside table is a small table that sits beside the bed, and it is one of the most useful pieces of bedroom furniture. You put your phone, your book, your glasses, and a glass of water on it. An oak bedside cabinet is the same thing with a cupboard door or a drawer, so you can hide things away. Oak bedside drawers are bedside tables with drawers, and they give you a place to keep small things out of sight. A white and oak bedside table has a white body with an oak top, and it suits rooms that want a light, fresh look. An oak bed side table is the same piece of furniture, and it is usually sold in pairs, one for each side of the bed.
Oak bedside tables set of 2 means two matching bedside tables, one for each side of a double bed. Solid oak bedside cabinets are bedside cabinets made from solid oak, and they are heavier and more hard-wearing than flat-pack tables. A wood bedroom side table is a bedside table made from wood, and it is the same idea as an oak bedside table, but in a different wood or finish. A wooden bed side table is also a small table for the side of the bed, and it is often the first piece of wooden furniture people buy for a bedroom.
Oak night tables are the same as bedside tables, and the name comes from the old idea of a table you use at night. An oak bed set is a matching set of oak bedroom furniture, usually a bed, a wardrobe, and bedside tables in the same oak finish. Oak bedroom sets are the same idea, and oak bedroom furniture sets are the full matching set for the whole room. Solid hardwood bedroom sets are sets made from solid hardwood, which is wood from a slow-growing tree like oak, and they are the most hard-wearing sets you can buy.
Wooden Bedroom Furniture: The Honest Pros and Cons
Wooden bedroom furniture has real advantages. It is strong and hard-wearing, and a good wooden wardrobe or chest of drawers can last for decades. It looks classic, and it suits almost any room. It can be repaired if it gets marked, and it ages well, with the colour deepening gently over time. A bedroom set wood finish brings warmth to a room, and wood bed furniture suits traditional rooms as well as modern ones.
But wooden bedroom furniture has real problems too. It is heavy, so it is hard to move. It can be expensive, especially in solid oak. It can mark if you put a hot cup on it, and it needs care to keep it looking good. And a wooden bed frame can feel hard and cold, with sharp corners that hurt if you bump into them in the dark. A wooden headboard is hard to lean on when you read in bed, because there is no soft padding.
Upholstered Beds: Soft, Warm, and Comfortable
An upholstered bed is a bed covered in fabric, with a soft padded frame and headboard. The most popular upholstered beds are divan beds and ottoman beds. A divan bed is a bed with a fabric-covered base, often with drawers underneath, and a matching headboard. An ottoman bed is a bed with a large storage space under the mattress, lifted by a gas lift, which is a piston that helps you lift the heavy mattress with one hand.
Upholstered beds are softer and warmer than wooden beds. There are no sharp corners, so you will not hurt your shin in the dark. The padded headboard is comfortable to lean on when you read or watch television in bed. And the fabric comes in many colours, from soft grey to rich blue, so you can match the bed to your room.
Kensley Home sells divan beds from £130 and ottoman beds from £250 for many of our most popular ottoman models, plus free delivery and pay on delivery. See our divan beds. See our bed frames
Wooden Furniture vs Upholstered Beds: Which Lasts Longer?
Solid wood furniture can last a very long time, and a good oak wardrobe can last for decades. But a bed is different from a wardrobe. A bed is used every night, and the part you touch most is the headboard and the frame. An upholstered bed frame is made from a strong wooden frame covered in fabric, so it is just as strong as a wooden bed, and the fabric can be cleaned or replaced if it gets marked. A divan bed base is also made from a strong wooden frame, covered in fabric, and it can last for many years.
The honest answer is that both last well, but they age in different ways. Wood ages by changing colour and picking up small marks. Fabric ages by fading and picking up dust, but it can be cleaned, and a new headboard can change the whole look of the bed without buying a new bed.
Wooden Furniture vs Upholstered Beds: Which Looks Better?
This is a matter of taste. Oak bedroom furniture looks classic and natural, and it suits a room with wooden floors and plain walls. An oak bedroom with a matching oak bed, wardrobe, and bedside tables looks calm and tidy. Wooden bedroom furniture sets give a room a matched, finished look.
Upholstered beds look soft and welcoming, and they suit a room that wants warmth and comfort. A divan bed in a soft grey fabric, with a tall padded headboard, makes a bedroom feel like a hotel room. And an upholstered bed works well with wooden furniture too: a fabric bed beside an oak bedside table is a popular mix, because the soft bed and the warm wood balance each other.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose wooden bedroom furniture if you love the look of natural wood, you want furniture that lasts for decades, and you are happy to pay more and to move heavy pieces. An oak bedroom furniture set is a good choice for a room you plan to keep the same for many years.
Choose an upholstered bed if you want a bed that is soft, warm, and comfortable to lean on, with no sharp corners, and with storage underneath. A divan bed with drawers or an ottoman bed with a lift-up base gives you storage that wooden furniture cannot give you, because the space under the bed is used for storage. For most people, in most homes, that is the better choice.
You do not have to choose one or the other for the whole room. Many bedrooms mix the two: a soft upholstered bed, a wooden bedside table, and a wardrobe. The bed is the piece you touch every night, so comfort matters most there. The wardrobe and the bedside tables are the pieces that hold your clothes and your books, so strength matters most there.
Why an Upholstered Bed Is the Better Choice for Most People
Wooden bedroom furniture is a fair and honest choice, and oak furniture is beautiful and hard-wearing. But a wooden bed frame is hard, cold, and has sharp corners, and it gives you no storage. An upholstered bed is soft, warm, and comfortable, it has no sharp corners, and a divan or ottoman bed gives you storage under the bed. It is also cheaper than a solid oak bed, with divan beds from £130 and ottoman beds from £250, plus free delivery and pay on delivery.
Kensley Home sells upholstered beds and bed frames, and we believe they are the better choice for most families. You can see our divan beds. You can see our bed frames. If you need a wardrobe to go with your bed, you can see our bedroom wardrobes
Summary
Wooden bedroom furniture, especially in oak, is strong, classic, and long-lasting, and it suits a calm, traditional room. Upholstered beds are soft, warm, and comfortable, with no sharp corners and with storage underneath. For the bed itself, the piece you use every night, an upholstered bed is the better choice for most people: it is more comfortable to lean on, safer in the dark, and it turns the empty space under the bed into useful storage. Pair it with the wooden furniture you already love, and you get the best of both.
Visit Kensley Home to see our full range of beds and wardrobes
