How to Choose a Bedroom Set: Size, Wardrobe and Materials
Short answer: when choosing a bedroom set, work in this order — 1) measure the room, 2) think of the wardrobe separately from the set, 3) ask about material and mechanism quality, 4) decide on a storage or baseless bed according to your storage needs, 5) leave colour until last. The set itself usually consists of a bed, two bedside tables, a chest of drawers, a mirror and a pouffe; the wardrobe is usually chosen separately and priced separately. This article focuses on the decisions; if you want centimetre-by-centimetre dimensions, our article on bedroom set dimensions is the right place, and if you are wondering how many m² your room should be, our bedroom dimensions and m² guide.
1. The room plan first: what can go where?
The bedroom is the room where furniture sits most tightly, because the bed wants the middle of the room and the wardrobe wants the longest wall. Before starting to choose, note these:
- Uninterrupted wall lengths (the wardrobe needs at least one long wall)
- Which way the door opens and where the window is
- Socket, radiator and air-conditioning positions
- Ceiling height — this sets the wardrobe height
Leave 60 cm of walkway on at least one long side of the bed and 90 cm of opening allowance in front of the wardrobe doors. If those two allowances do not work, reduce the number of pieces in the set rather than the set itself.
2. What is included in the set? Why is the wardrobe separate?
In the trade, "bedroom set" brings to mind a complete set including the wardrobe; but the core of the set is fixed: a bed, two bedside tables, a chest of drawers or dressing table, a mirror and a pouffe. The wardrobe is chosen separately. We explained what each piece does, and why the count varies from seller to seller, in our article on how many pieces are in a bedroom set.
This is actually in your favour: the wardrobe is built module by module to the uninterrupted wall length of your room. A 4-door arrangement suits a room with a 200 cm wall, a 6-door one with 300 cm. We explained the module logic and interior options in wardrobe dimensions and interior layout.
If the names bedside table, chest of drawers and dressing table are confusing, have a look at our article explaining the difference; saying clearly which piece you want when ordering avoids surprises at delivery.
3. A bed with a storage base, or without?
- With a storage base: turns the volume under the mattress into storage. Clearly sensible in small rooms, in homes with no separate storage, and for anyone whose seasonal textiles fill the wardrobe.
- Without a base: lighter and airier, does not collect dust because you can sweep underneath, and usually more affordable.
For the full comparison see storage bed or normal bed. If you have not decided on a mattress size, our bed size guide gives single, one-and-a-half and double sizes in a table.
4. Material and workmanship: will it last 10 years?
The bedroom holds the longest-used furniture in the home. Ask about these four:
- Body material and thickness: the main factor in the life of panel furniture. We compared the differences in MDF, chipboard and solid timber.
- Edge banding: banding that is not cleanly stuck lets moisture into the body; feel the door edge with your hand.
- Hinges and runners: soft-close hinges and full-extension drawer runners are felt immediately in daily use.
- Base mechanism: on a storage bed, the piston quality decides whether you can lift the mattress with one hand.
5. Wardrobe type: sliding or hinged?
| Sliding door | Hinged door | |
|---|---|---|
| Space needed in front | Almost none | About 90 cm |
| Visibility inside | Half is visible | All of it is visible |
| Narrow room | An advantage | Difficult |
| Price | Usually higher | Usually lower |
| Care | The track needs cleaning | The hinges need adjusting |
↔ Scroll the table sideways to see all of it.
If there is not 90 cm in front of the bed, a sliding door is almost essential. A mirrored door visually widens a small room and removes the need for a separate full-length mirror. If you want to decide the number of doors by wall length, the size table in our article on how many doors a bedroom wardrobe should have will help.
6. Colour and coordination: leave it until last
Colour is the last step of the choice, not the first, because the size and material decisions have already narrowed the options. Two practical rules:
- Use at most two wood tones in a home; one dominant, one complementary.
- In a small room choose a body colour close to the wall and leave the contrast to the textiles.
For how to apply this, see our article explaining the 60-30-10 rule of colour matching.
7. Final checks before ordering
- Is the list of included pieces in writing? (number of bedside tables, is the mirror included, is there a pouffe)
- Is the wardrobe included in the price or separate?
- Is the item in stock or made to order? How long?
- What mattress size is the bed made for?
- Will the item pass through the door and the lift on the way to the room? Checklist: will furniture fit through the door.
- Who will carry out the installation?
To compare models see the bedroom set category, or look at the Massimo bedroom set page for an example with a detailed parts list. If you are looking for a wardrobe on its own, the wardrobe category is a more direct start, and for beds the bed frame category.
Frequently asked questions
How many pieces make up a bedroom set?
The core set usually consists of a bed, two bedside tables, a chest of drawers with its mirror, and a pouffe; depending on how you count the bodies that comes to 5 or 6 pieces. The wardrobe is usually not included in that list.
What should you look at first when buying a bedroom set?
The measurements. The room's uninterrupted wall length determines the wardrobe arrangement and therefore the whole set. Material and colour come later.
Should the wardrobe be bought with the set?
Buying it from the same model guarantees the colour and handle match, but it is not essential. What matters is that the wardrobe fits your wall length; use single modules to fill the gap exactly if needed.
Will a set fit in a small bedroom?
It will; reducing the number of pieces is enough. A slim console instead of a chest of drawers, and one bedside table instead of two, eases the room. You can find what fits which room size, in a table, in our m² guide.
To see step by step which piece to give up in a narrow room and how to lay it out, see how to fit a bedroom set into a small room.
Does the mattress come with the set?
The bed frame and the mattress are separate products; the set contains the frame, and the mattress is usually chosen separately. Ask about this clearly before ordering.
