I think it’s fair to say that buying a single bed doesn’t really get the heart racing in anticipation. On the whole this is a practical purchase for your children or your guests and as such the great interior designers have somewhat over looked this humble but essential bed. Nevertheless whatever type of single bed, bed frame or bedding you are looking for I’m sure it’s important to you that your purchase is of the highest quality and that it adds to the overall interior design scheme of your home. I don’t believe cheap single beds should be an option. There are plenty of tasteful products to choose from and I hope, with this handy online guide, I can help to make the process of finding the right single bed easier while at the same time introducing you to some of the better and more inspiring products available.

Let’s start by defining some of the different types of single beds available.

Basic Single bed and/or single bed frame – A typical bed for your guest or kids bedroom will either consist of a mattress sat on a box sprung base, which provides additional suspension for the mattress, or a bed frame with slats. In the latter case you will normally buy the frame and mattress separately. If you just want a mattress sitting on top of a wooden base without a bed frame then consider a platform bed.

Single Sofa Bed – As the name suggests this is a sofa that transforms into a single bed. Unlike double sofa beds the conversion is usually more straightforward, just requiring the removal of the sof cushions. It’s often helpful to look for a model that has storage draws built in to house the spare bedding.

Single Divan Bed – The divan bed is the equivalent of a “day bed” in the US. While not quite a sofa bed this type of bed would be used in a living area where during the day as a backless sofa, probably pushed against a wall with pillows or cushions, and can convert into a bed for guests at night.

Single Fold Out Bed or Camp Bed – Probably the cheapest and most basic option these beds are pretty rudimentary and lack much comfort but they do have the advantage of saving space. They can be folded up with their thin mattresses and stored away.

Twin Beds – Just to avoid confusion, or perhaps to add some (!), a twin bed is nothing more than a single bed! Both in hotels and family guest rooms is very common to supply twin beds but these aren’t special sized beds, merely two single beds together.

Accessories and other considerations

At the same time as buying your single bed you will need to purchase or consider some other items.

1.    Single bed bedding – Obvious really, but it’s worth making the point that because many single beds are very plain in design it is with the bedding that you can have some fun and create an interior design statement. Duvet covers, pillow cases, blankets and sheets if chosen with care will bring your bed and room to life.

2.    Head Board – Not essential but if you’re not buying a single bed frame then a head board can add some style to what will otherwise be a very nondescript bed.

3.    Single bed Mattress – It can’t be stressed enough that this is the most important part of any bed. For your posture and comfort a good quality mattress is an absolute necessity. If your budget is tight you are better off cutting back on the cost of the frame rather than scrimping on the mattress.

4.    Materials – A single pine bed is one of the most popular choices when it comes to bed frames, which is hardly surprising as it is a simple, and more importantly, durable material. However there are other choices. Wrought iron or steel frames are also available.

Prices

As with all types of furniture there is a broad range of prices to suit your budget, including some cheap single beds of a decent quality. Forgetting for the moment about the mattress, which is a separate topic on its own, the cost of a bed frame ranges from as little as £50 to as much as £1000. Over the following pages I will show you some of my favorite models across a range of prices. Hopefully something to suit everybody. Enjoy!

Once you have determined which type of single bed is right for you, and have chosen a suitable single mattress, now the joy of interior decoration begins and you can throw yourself into the fun of picking out single bedding. Naturally when a bed or mattress sales person talks to you about a new bed they will be emphasizing the importance of the bed frame or the quality of the mattress. This is all well and good but lets face it the bed is usually the focal point of any bedroom and the only thing that will really bring this focal point to life and tie all your interiors together is the bedding. Get that right and everything else just seems to drop into place. Easier said than done! Lets take a look at some of the different single bed bedding options.

Single Bed Linen

If you’re looking to impress in your guest bedroom then I would buy Egyptian cotton sheets every time. Widely considered to be the highest quality bed linens Egyptian cotton looks great, feels great and is long lasting. Forget the whole thread count debate and treat yourself.

For a child’s single bed then something simpler is probably in order given how messy your sweet children can be. Here something with a decent thread count would be nice but again there’s no need to go crazy.

Single Bed Covers

Are you considering something like a single bed quilt cover or are you happy to just cover the bed with a duvet? These are important decisions as this will, most likely, determine the overall look of the bed and therefore the whole room. Here are a couple of design tips to consider. If you buy two contrasting sets of bed covers you can keep the look of the room fresh and novel. You could have one set in strong warm colors for the winter months and the other in a cool and crisp shade for those summer days. Take into consideration the existing decoration. if the walls are already bright and colorful then perhaps something more low key in your choice of bedding would be a good idea to prevent your room looking too “busy”. Of course, if the room and furniture has more of a neutral shade then spice it up with some colorful bedding. Certainly make sure that the bedding doesn’t clash with the predominant color of the room.

Completing the look with a single bed set

If you want to make life easy on yourself then you might want to consider a bed set. Basically this involves buying your single bed along with matching furniture like bedside tables, chest of drawers, wardrobe and vanity dresser. This will create such a strong overall theme to the room that it should become quite obvious which kind of linen will best suit. Generally speaking keep the linen modern and muted so that it doesn’t try and compete with all the furniture. Personally I prefer a more eclectic mix of pieces and furnishings in my home but I appreciate that not everybody has the time to search for all the perfect pieces of furniture individually. I should mention that a single bed linen set refers to an all in one purchase of matching pillow cases, sheets and duvet covers and these are definitely a great idea. You certainly don’t need odd and mismatched pieces of bedding.