A Brief History of Bedroom Furniture

Throughout history, families have had to make due with cramped conditions, often sharing one large bedroom or an open floor plan with various family members. Houses used to have less rooms, usable space blurred together without distinctive lines. This was especially true for poor families. Rooms had to be heated and, before central heating, relatives required proximity to the fireplace.

Even today, larger families and those with less money make creative use of alternatives to the proper bedroom. Family members may share a bed or sleep in common rooms while keeping their belongings in a separate area. Occasionally, when conditions permit, each may have a space of his/her own in the home or apartment, even if it doesn't accommodate sleep.

As time moved on, people who were able to better their situations began to be able to afford to have their own bedrooms. In the case of couples with children, parents would usually have their own bedroom and children either shared a room or were made comfortable wherever space allowed. The final priority was getting each child his/her own room. In more modern homes, where trends for both fewer children and the construction of larger homes have become fashionable, the bedroom has evolved from a luxury to a standard.

In general, adults in any household receive priority claim for bedrooms because of their additional privacy and storage needs. They use the larger rooms to accommodate contemporary bedroom furniture, with a queen or king bed, nightstands and dressers. In some families, an older relative (such as a grandparent) may also have a bedroom. In individual homes, as throughout history, as social standards and standards of living changed, so did the sleeping arrangements.

Georgian and Victorian era households once housed servants along with the family. When this fell out of vogue, additional rooms became available for use. On occasion, husbands and wives would even have separate bedrooms and children were segregated by sex, when possible. Bedrooms became more than narrow, spartan areas. Their size grew with the wealth of the family. Some even featured dressing rooms. This change is reflected in modern homes where more open designs are utilized and bedrooms may include immense closet space and adjacent private bathroom facilities.

Regardless of size, today's bedroom is a personal choice, some fill it with contemporary bedroom furniture, others with antique bedroom furniture. Beyond style, there are beds to accommodate any sized room, from a basic twin bed all the way up to a standard or California king bed. Your bedroom is what you make of it, so furnish it to your taste but above all, make sure it gives you a good nights sleep.