There are several things to consider when you buy bedroom furniture. Bedroom furniture is an investment, both in dollars and lifestyle. In the furniture business we always ask; are you looking for something for a very short term that you can throw away when you are finished or are you looking for a quality bedroom set that you will treasure for years? Unless you are in a short term life-style situation, I believe that the only intelligent answer is quality. Properly built solid wood furniture is the best long term solution and heirloom quality is always the optimal approach. Here is what you need to look for in heirloom quality:
1. Solid tops on the case pieces that have wood more than 3” in width that are edge glued and have the grain reversed. This will almost always prevent the solid tops from splitting due to various environmental conditions.
2. Drawers should be made with French dove tail construction. This is time tested as the best way to assemble a drawer. Drawer fronts should also be solid and not be glued or nailed onto a box being called a drawer.
3. Drawer glides of wood are the way fine furniture has been built for centuries. Many manufacturers are putting inexpensive metal drawer slides on the side of the box drawer. Metal slides rattle and rumble when opened and closed and add no value to the furniture.
4. Drawers should be dust proofed. There should be an internal divider in between each layer of drawers to keep dust or anything else from dropping from drawer to drawer.
5. Felt or velvet lined top lingerie or jewelry drawers are not a necessity but a luxury.
6. Cedar lined or cedar construction on drawers is the best way to protect your valuable clothing and adds value to the piece.
7. The bed assembly should be secure to avoid unnecessary noise. The optimal approach is to have the headboard and footboard attach to the side rails via a screw assembly.
8. Entertainment armoires should have wrap around or pocket doors (the doors slide back into the unit). This keeps them out of the way for viewing and for traveling through the room.
9. Wire management should be included in the TV armoire. You should not have to drill holes in your furniture.
Follow these rules and your bedroom furniture purchases will give you great comfort, and peace-of-mind while retaining their value for many years.
