Classic Headboards for the Bedroom

Classic headboards are headboards that have a timeless appeal and never (ever) go out of fashion. Style doesn't matter: they can be ultra modern; have a cottage country flair; or possess a stately and formal traditonal elegance. Opting for just a headboard in a smaller sized master bedroom, guest room or second bedroom is a functional way to make the space appear larger, but a classic headboard will give yourbedroom furniture a touch of style and breathe new life into your décor.

Upholstered Headboards

Upholstered headboards can be made from any number of fabrics. They can also be crafted of other materials such as leather, rattan, wicker and vinyl. An upholstered headboard typically adds visual interest to a bedroom's interior design. Especially if you enjoy reading or watching television in bed, it can also function as a backrest.

Metal Headboards

I don't have any proof, but I'm willing to bet that metal headboards have been making a comeback since Bob Dylan first sang "...lay across my big brass bed." Bob Dylan aside, metal headboards, depending upon their decorative detail, can have an Old World charm. There is something about a brass, gold or antiqued bronze metal headboard for a truly classic appearance. If your bedroom furniture is more modern or contemporary, select a metal headboard that is made of polished nickel, aluminum or chrome.

Wood Headboards

Classic wood headboards, particularly when they have rich, warm finishes, give any décor a vibrant and luxurious feel. Because it is made of wood, wood headboards are generally strong and extremely durable. Especially when they include curvy profiles, curving lines and carved decorative details, wood headboards, they can be stately and formal in appearance. For a variation an a classic wood headboard theme, select one that includes metalwork for a relaxing Old World atmosphere.

- E.L.

Bedroom Furniture on a Budget

Furnishing a bedroom can be a pricey adventure. It can also be time consuming; going from one retail store to another to match the pieces you want, while searching for the best price can sometimes seem like it's more trouble than it's worth. Considering that, for many of us, the bedroom is not only a place to sleep, but a sanctuary as well, you want to get it right the first time, without breaking the bank.

It might not seem like much of an issue if your nightstand doesn't match the headboard, but the mood of a room is largely determined by the color, material and style of furniture selected, and how each of these elements work together. To ensure that your bedroom will be comfortable, harmonious and inviting, maintaining the consistency of your decor is an important consideration when decorating your room.

Purchasing bedroom furniture in a set online at Cymax Stores offers a number of neat solutions. First, it eliminates the necessity of matching pieces to each other, especially if not all the items you have selected are made by the same manufacturer. Second, a bedroom set is generally cheaper than buying the pieces individually. Third, shopping online allows you to browse and compare products from trusted manufacturers all under one roof-in the comfort of your own home.

Bedroom sets are an economical way to decorate a room because they include basic bedroom furniture pieces in one convenient grouping. A bedroom set may include a number of different pieces such as the bed or a headboard, a dresser, one or two nightstands and an armoire. Most furniture manufacturers will specifically design a number of collections, in a variety of styles and configurations, so that customers can customize a particular bedroom collection to their specific needs.

But even a bedroom set isn't much of a bargain if it turns out not be exactly what you wanted or if not all of the pieces will fit into the intended space. To ensure that your bedroom set will be the perfect fit, here are some things to consider before making the purchase final.

• Take measurements - knowing the dimensions of your bedroom will give a clearer picture of just how many pieces will comfortably fit

• Set a budget - knowing exactly how much you have to spend can inspire you to come in under budget (and maybe have a little extra left over for that must-have impulse item you can't imagine living without)

• Size of the mattress - choosing the size of mattress you want to sleep on before purchasing a bedroom set is important for two reasons: mattress size determines the size of bed you will be buying and some manufacturers will offer certain collections in limited sizes, for example, only in twin and full but not queen or king

• Overall style that you want to achieve - you might fall absolutely in love with a particular bedroom collection but it's just too ultra-modern or traditional to comfortably fit with the existing decor in your home

• What is it made of? - a bedroom set made of solid hardwood will be more expensive than one constructed of engineered woods like laminated particle board or medium density fiber board (MDF)

At Cymax Stores, customers can choose from a wide range of reliable bedroom furniture manufacturers for a comfortable and personalized online shopping experience. Taking time to choose the right dresser, a pair of nightstands and a bed will be time well-spent when you come home after a busy day to the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Progressively Less Perplexing

During my late teens, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out the guys (and likely we all know the type) who buy a very ordinary, often used car and then proceed to spend a large portion of their dishwasher or pump jockey earnings on window tinting, pinstriping, windshield decals (make sure everyone knows that’s a Mazda!), mirror dice (bizarre still) etc. etc. The big stereos I could dig–yet I would look at my dilapidated turd-brown 78 civic with a massive dent in the side but with a drum set tucked into the back and a female in the front and think “they just don’t get it.”

Now for those waiting for the token anatomy reference, it’s not forthcoming. I never bought into the inferiority complex theory, but I couldn’t figure out the logic in spending one’s hard-earned money on frivolous expenditures. To each his or her own, no debate, but back then it just seemed absurd to me to purchase non-necessities.

However, since then maturity and the prolonged influence of the missus have given me more insight into the value of decoration and stylistic heightening. It’s still not my thing, as attested by as recently as the late ‘90s my TV standing on milk crates, but I’ve come to have a greater understanding of it.

While on the subject of furniture and housing, my take on headboards back then is a good example. I purchased my first double bed from friends of my parents and it was simply a frame, mattress and box spring. All I needed for 50$. If I remember correctly, my mother suggested I take a similarly wood-finished headboard in the same size that had been collecting dust in their basement. The offer, however thoughtful, was refused in short order; why add weight and bulk to the moves that were occurring painfully frequently every six months or so in those days?

Some time later an individual told me that she felt more secure sleeping under a headboard, and that it added a sense of permanence to the bedroom. Mostly in one ear and out the other, but it got me to thinking. Maybe there was some measure of function to furnishing pieces I had, to that point, considered wholly unnecessary.

Accordingly, for those who have only recently had the same semi-revelation, I happily recommend stopping by moreheadboards.com, a most convenient on-line resource for augmenting your bed’s aesthetic and rejuvenative value. From twin headboards to full headboards to the always popular queen headboards and king headboards, you’re sure to find what best suits your needs. Further, if you’re not as décor clueless as I was (sort of still am) you can match your interior or tastes with a wood, metal, upholstered or wrought iron headboard, or any one of many different types available on the site. Should function be part of the equation, moreheadboards.com similarly offers an impressive selection of bookcase headboards and those that feature headboard reading lamps. Finally, if you’re still driving a dilapidated late ‘70s vehicle, there are more than a few discount headboards available there as well.

If, however, you are so fortunate as to have that aforementioned vehicle frequently include a drum set and a female, don’t let anyone suggest your shortcomings. Those who get it – get it.

Sans somnolence and the A.M. reclamation project

Experts say over the course of a lifetime we will spend an average of 1/3^rd of our lives asleep. Am I the only one who feels like I’ll need to develop hibernation skills to approach anywhere near that number? I still feel like I’m paying the body-clock price for burning the candle at both ends during my UVIC years and being a Madden and NFL Gameday juggernaut is little consolation when I feel like dung at 7am on a daily basis. Fact is, I’m not a morning person and that die was cast long ago – so very long ago.

I’ve poured orange juice on my cereal. I’ve started to brush my teeth with a dry toothbrush. I’ve arrived at work only to be snickered at on account of my belt passing through only two of the five loops on my khakis. You get the idea; I’m an pre-10A.M. zombie and I’m resigned to the fact that if it wasn’t for the venerable Juan Valdez and his Colombian Supremo such incidents might pale in comparison to the manifestations of incoherency I could muster up.

It was a few years back that a friend made some sort of feng shui- ish suggestion that I orient my bed northwards to “align” myself or something along those lines. Apparently it would allow me more restful and rejuvenative sleep. I was up ‘till two-thirty wondering if I was comfortable with my noggin being right below the window in a ground floor apartment. ‘Nuff said.

Lately I’ve been thinking – What if I had had an aesthetically pleasing bedroom to repose in during those late teen / early twenties formative years? Granted my financial shortcomings had much to do with it but, having recently become aware of the expanse of competitively priced, stylish and well made bedroom furniture available through Cymax Stores, I’m beginning to realize things could’ve been very different for me.

As a result, I’m here for the next generation with a most sincere plea. Don’t be like me. Don’t be in a fog from 7 to 10 each morning. Get the sleep you need under the stylish security of a sparkling new headboard – something conducive to your catching some Zs.

Perhaps your bed feels overwhelmed with the scrutiny of being the focal point of your downtime. Why not provide it with a sidekick in the form of a nightstand? Bedside tables on either side of your crash pad would surely do the trick, and adding a bedside table lamp might also be a consideration if you’re too cool to ask your parents if they still have your Smokey the Bear nightlight. Only YOU can prevent forest fires, remember that.

Still watching Jerry Springer’s choreographed white-trash gong show banished to the witching hour? Still testing the resolve of the snooze bar every morning? (Futility I assure you) You may well need a whole new spread of bedroom furniture and to that end I recommend investing in a selection of South Shore furniture. South Shore beds are a great place to start. They’re solid, reasonably priced and easy on the eyes. What about your immediate surroundings? South Shore nightstands and South Shore dressers are equally as appealing. I’d recommend a South Shore TV stand but I don’t know how helpful that would be unless it housed a personal stereo with an “ocean sounds” CD rather than a TV. Who knows – but be open to suggestion unless you want to end up as a slumber-challenged individual like me.

Lastly, if all else fails there’s the pharmacological band-aid known as Nytol, but I strongly recommend trying furniture first.