Here’s something to think about. We spend approximately one-third of our entire lives in the bedroom. That’s a lot of time. So it makes sense to create a bedroom space that’s inviting, comfortable, and simply more than a place where you put your head down on the pillow.
A stunning bedroom is not just a great bed with matching curtains. If the bedroom is a sanctuary, it should have everything you need, including standout furniture and storage. And in the Fall of 2023, the options are both fresh and varied.
“People seem to be going with a more natural look in their homes, especially in bedroom styles,” says Jon Nameth, owner of Fine Oak Things. “There’s a trend towards lighter colours in the wood furniture choices. There had been a focus on grays for some time, but it’s moving to more light browns and natural colours that add a different palette to a home.”
The idea is to have a more rustic look. Nameth says that his clients are requesting pieces of furniture that look like they were just cut from a tree. Imagine, for example, a beautiful maple wood night table, with or without saw marks, and live edges, which feature curvature rather than a traditional squared-off look. It might appear to be rustic, but combined with the right décor, can also project custom elegance.
“We have multiple collections at Fine Oak Things that really highlight the features of the wood, particularly the live edge in natural tones,” says Nameth. “It gives a feeling that it was made just for your house. No two pieces are alike because the look of each grain pattern and the natural characteristics of the wood are going to be different on each one.
“We can do both summer cuts (bark on) and winter cuts (bark off). The majority of clients seem to like the winter cut.”
Match Game
Nameth notes that bedroom choices can differ from other parts of a house. A client might opt to mix and match pieces and colours in a dining room, but the tendency is to go with matching sets in a bedroom. Within each set at Fine Oak Things, there will be a bed, and a couple configurations of nightstands (be it two drawers, or a door and one drawer). There can be one or multiple highboy chests, which are the taller dressers for men, as well as double dressers for women, with six, eight, or nine drawers, and options for mirrors. Gentlemen’s chests are also available, a combination armoire and highboy, with drawers on one side and a door on the other.
“We also offer an armoire on its own, which is great for additional storage,” Nameth says. “You can either do shelves behind the doors or include a hanging rod if you need to hang shirts, pants, and other clothes.”
Storage Law
One emerging trend is that the beautiful, new beds available all have extra storage. Nameth explains that as people scale back and opt for smaller houses, there’s simply less space to utilize. You have to come up with crafty solutions. And extra storage within a bed is an amazing option.
“There are storage options built in now, so you can get four or six drawers included in the bed,” he says. “That can replace a highboy if you just didn’t have the room.”
A Helping Hand
When a client walks into Fine Oak Things looking for a fresh, new bedroom set, Nameth knows where to begin. Handstone, a custom Canadian supplier, is one of the shop’s favourite furniture builders and their catalog is always worth a look.
“Handstone has a great cross-section of rustic, modern, colonial, mid-century styles,” he says. “I typically start with their catalog and then depending on their tastes, I may introduce them to other builders, as well. It can be a little overwhelming to show all of the bedroom options, but seeing what they like from Handstone is always a good place to start.”
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