Must one spend a lot of time and money finding a good one? What is its purpose? A headboard adds a stylish touch to any bed. It acts as a backrest when sitting up on the mattress to avoid leaning against a cold wall.

The latest trend is choosing something bold, strong and sturdy that might cost a bit much. The great thing about these headboards is that they really become the central point of a room. The masculine appeal makes them stand out and they are available in a selection of materials.

The ideal choices would be perhaps a thick wooden frame or sleigh bed. Other choices include beautifully upholstered beds covered in leather, suede or other kinds of material. These frames add content to the bed and avoid an empty appearance, which a metal bed frame tends to do.

The richness of the material adds to its concrete look. Some wooden antique style beds also have a heavy, bold appeal, particularly if it has a full solid design and fine detail. This type also gives the illusion of strength in a room. Wooden bed frames have the added advantage of being durable, which gives one good value for the money spent, as they can be used for many years to come.

Other designs include real leather beds in all colours of the spectrum, and wooden sleigh beds in a number of finishes. When deciding on the décor for a bedroom it is best to start with the large items, such as beds and wardrobes, and then move on to the smaller accessories, such as linens and lamps. Naturally, the linens and lamps accompanying French style beds should be French style as well.

The greatest design faux pas, to quote the French, is to mix themes. There are few interior crimes more cringe-worthy. Homes with French style beds, Mexican style paving, Tuscan style kitchens, and English style rose gardens are blinding examples of bad taste.

As any interior decorator will tell you, décor is an art, not a free-for-all. Maintaining the balance between daring interior choices and gaudiness requires an eye for style and colour.

Ensure your interiors are chic, not cheap, by selecting a few dramatic feature items – your French style beds, say – and a few fine accessories – your lamps, cushions and linens. Nothing says too much like too much and in bad taste at that!  Less is more, especially when it comes to styling your home.

Next on the wish list is the type of bed frame and mattress. Metal beds, leather beds and wooden beds have their own individual merits, which are largely aesthetic, but things such as headboards and manoeuvrability might be issues. For example, platform beds do not come with headboards and wooden beds are usually fixed. Metal beds normally have wheels or rubber casters attached so they can be easily repositioned.

Bunk beds are great as children’s beds, while sofa beds can be used in almost any room in the house and are especially ideal as guest beds. As an added bonus, they can also fit in well in the living room if you choose a more up-range model. In a spare room, it’s possible to purchase a cheaper foam-based version, which is ideal for occasional use as they are less durable.

Futons can be classed as sofa beds, because they normally incorporate a ‘clic-a-clac’ frame design that enables them to be converted from bed to sofa and vice versa, within seconds. What’s more, they can also be stylish attributes to any bedroom.

Choose between open spring, pocket spring, natural latex and memory foam for mattresses, depending on your individual requirements.

All sorts of materials are used in the construction of sofa beds, from leather and cotton to attractive suede effects and polyester covers. You can choose the style and material that best complements your home.

Sofa beds can be purchased as two or three seater beds for the living room or smaller fold out sofa beds for guest rooms. You can also find them as chair-beds, which tuck nicely into the corners of a box bedroom, leaving valuable space in the middle of the room rather than it being taken up by a rarely used bed.

Foam mattress sofa beds are the cheapest form and are usually small in size with a few loose cushions. These are not terrible durable, as a rule and should only be used as occasional beds.

‘Clic-a-clac’ sofa beds are much sturdier, with a metal frame that clicks into place as it is converted to create either a bed or a sofa. The only drawback with these sofa beds is that they are not really suitable for the living room, because the metal frame will be visible.

Futons fit in well just about anywhere and are, in addition, very stylish, being made from good-quality materials as a rule and perfect for small apartments with their contemporary look and dual functionality.

The conventional open spring mattresses apply uniform resistance, which is fine if you have no trouble sleeping, sleep on your own or with a partner of about the same weight. But pocket spring mattresses are worth considering if these don’t apply.

Pocket spring mattresses have springs docked separately in the fabric, acting independently to body weights.

Foam memory mattresses react to body heat by differentially softening and moulding slightly to your movements. Maybe foam memory mattresses work psychologically as well, drawing on faint memories of going to sleep in your mother’s arms.

Always allow mattresses to aerate for a week after unpacking to get rid of the chemical aroma, and use the handles on mattresses to rotate them.

The support provided from the springs is more important in mattresses than the number of layers of man-made polymers and natural fibres, and the actual construction of the springs is more important than how many of them there are. Tests by consumer groups have show wide variation in support.

It might also be a good idea to buy mattress covers if your mattresses don’t already have them.

With cotton covers, suede and other effects and a range of different styles, you can easily choose a sofa bed to suit the decor of your home. The traditional sofa of two or three seats is very popular and can be folded out to create a full-size and comfortable bed. Alternatively, you could go for a smaller chair bed or corner sofa bed, depending on the space available and the layout of the room.

The least expensive form of sofa bed uses a foam mattress with loose cushions and a base that folds out onto the floor. Though they are designed for occasional use only and are not terribly durable, they are ideal for guest rooms.

Sofa beds of the ‘clic-a-clac’ frame variety click over and fold out to create the bed and can be used as regular sofas too as they are usually more durable.

Futons are another popular guest bed option, although they don’t usually look too good in living rooms, as the metal frame is normally visible. Also there is no disguising the fact that they are clearly a fold-up bed, but again they are ideal for bedrooms where they can save enormously on limited space. Some futons can be very stylish and even include extra space beneath for storage.

Although not particularly new as a type of bed, being widely used in the Victorian age for example, metal beds always tend to look modernistic and would fit well in minimalistic, glass and metal environments. Nonetheless, they can also function well as replacements for old beds that have seen their best days, fitting in a relatively ornate traditional room.

Although metal beds can have cast iron, brass, zinc or aluminium frames, they often have wooden mattress support beams. The great advantage of this metal and wood combination is the sturdiness of the overall frame and the flexible support provided for the mattress.

Metal beds can come in many different shapes and sizes, from single, small double, double, king size and super king size. The frame can be either cast low, with only the head and foot of the bed featuring vertical metal bars or posts, or have side bars as well. The frames can be cast in austere or curving lines that have a highly aesthetic finish.

Another great benefit of a metal bed is that it is often relatively lightweight. It can be taken apart and transported much more easily than some other types of bed, in case of a house or flat move.

The simplest mattresses are so-called open spring, which is to say that their springs are arranged in rows, connected by other springs to retain the shape of the mattress. Pressure is applied evenly throughout these mattresses and they are perfectly adequate for the average user.

For a more comfortable sleep, try the pocket spring mattresses. In these, the springs are housed individually in separate pockets of fabric and apply pressure separately to the body as it shifts position.

Natural latex mattresses provide additional support for the head, back and neck and are good for people with respiratory problems as they are hypoallergenic and anti-microbial.

Anyone with back pain or joint problems or who has difficulty in sleeping, should consider the latest memory foam mattresses. These use a material originally developed by NASA, which moulds itself to the shape of the body when it comes into contact with body heat, to create the ultimate sleeping experience.

The type of mattress you choose will determine whether or not you get a good night’s sleep, which is essential for your quality of life and general sense of well-being. It’s often worth paying that bit extra for something you’ll be spending a significant part of your life lying on.

Also for small rooms, divan beds are ideal, because they usually incorporate drawer space for storage of pillows and sheets underneath, but otherwise look like normal beds.

Sofa beds can be placed anywhere in the house, even in the living room, as these days they function equally well as seats and beds. They come in a range of different fabrics and designs and when used as sofas they are well padded with sumptuous cushions. They can be opened up within minutes, when unexpected guests arrive and provide valuable extra bed space.

For children’s rooms, sofa beds are also a great idea, although the kids may prefer bunk beds, which also save on much needed space.

Futons can be very stylish and can easily be attached to a fold-up wooden or metal frame to become a sofa or bed, as required. Alternatively they can simply be spread out on the floor.

The choice is yours, but remember that you’ll have to consider current arrangements as well as decor when choosing beds that can comfortably accommodate extra guests as well as function as integral parts of the household furniture.

The space you have available, together with your personal tastes, will largely determine your choice of frame. Wooden beds and metal beds are both very popular and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Space will dictate whether you go for king-size or single, but you don’t have to be dictated to by physical dimensions when there is a whole range of space saving options on the market.

Sofa beds are ideal for guest rooms and any bedroom in the house will benefit from the freeing up of space that they can provide. You can even put a modern, attractive and comfortable sofa bed in the living room, in case unexpected guests turn up, without it seeming out of place. Modern sofa beds look and feel as good as fixed beds and sofas and are easily convertible.

Kids’ rooms benefit greatly from bunk beds, which stack on top of each other and the kids love them.

Storage can often be a problem and choosing any bed with storage space built in could be a great boon. 

Bedrooms can be crowded and oppressive places, but some thought can transform them into pleasant relaxing areas.