Where to Spend and Save When Furnishing a Master Bedroom

Furnishing an entire room in your home calls for a little extra time to figure out your budget. And we’re talking about your master bedroom here – that’s big! You spend a lot of time there, it’s an intimate and personal setting. It’s a sanctuary within your sanctuary.   

So, keep in mind how important comfort is and how much time you’ll be spending in this room when you’re figuring out where you can spend and save in your master suite.  

At McElheran’s Furniture + Design, we can provide you with the highest quality bedroom furniture to ensure a peaceful rest and a functional space. And our in-house designers (Design Guides), have helped many customers balance comfort and budget. With over 60 years of combined design expertise, our Design Guides can help you make the most informed decision that fits into your budget and lifestyle.   

Even if you buy certain pieces elsewhere in the interest of saving money, we just want you to make the best decision that you’re happy with. We get that it’s a bit of a balancing act and it helps to know where you can stretch your dollar.  

In this article, our Design Guides will shed some light on where you should spend and where you can save when furnishing your bedroom – the most valuable pieces and the ones that can give you some more wiggle room with price. Because knowing where your budget is a little more flexible is a great way to stretch it and get more bang for your buck. 

Where to spend the most money furnishing a bedroom

If you had to guess where you should spend the most money in your bedroom, where would you say? On the bed, itself? 

Bingo.  

And it makes sense! Sleep is a human necessity, and we do a lot of it, so, you shouldn’t compromise when it comes to your comfort. 

As one of our Design Guides, Teresa points out, the bedroom is quite literally a room for your bed. It is the most important component of your room.  

And because of its importance, another Design Guide, Shelley, recommends that most of your bedroom budget should go into the actual bed.  

Each and every one of the following items can affect the quality of your sleep and comfort, and your budget should reflect that. 

Mattress  

This is where you lay every night, unwind after a long hard day, sleep in, and relax on the weekend. With the amount of time you’re spending on your mattress, it’s worth it to splurge on this essential item.   

We’ve all seen how a good night’s rest can make all the difference in our everyday lives. When you’re looking at a high-quality mattress, you’re really investing in your health! 

Bed frame 

Usually metal or wood, a bed frame is essentially the foundation of your bed. It holds up your mattress, often elevating it off the floor. A bed frame generally includes a headboard, footboard, and side boards.  

To speak more of style, your bed is an integral part of your master suite, right? Really, it’s the star of the whole room!  

The bed frame is an opportunity to express your personal style in the comfort of your own quarters. 

Box spring 

For even more foundational support, a box spring gives your mattress stability and can significantly increase its life. Box springs reduce sagging and other wear and tear issues that can occur the longer you own a mattress. 

Additionally, a box spring adds height to your bed.  

Pillows 

Much like a mattress, a high-quality pillow is beneficial to your sleep and your overall health. For a better night’s sleep, it’s wise to invest in at least one pillow that will provide your head and neck with the support you need. 

Bedding 

Sheets that are soft, breathable, and durable are what you’re after here. Natural fabrics, like cotton and linen, tend to be on the softer side, which makes for great bedding. Shoot for a thread count between 200 and 800 to ensure quality and comfort. 

Where to save money furnishing a bedroom 

Accessories 

Accessories provide those small details that can really bring a room together. They’re important to the overall look, of course, but they’re not vital to your comfort. Because of that, you can push back on buying those items or just buy less and embrace a more minimalist look in your bedroom.  

Dressers, wardrobes, and armoires 

This is an area where you can save mainly because there’s less need for items like dressers, wardrobes, and armoires. We’re seeing a lot of new builds with big walk-in closets and built-in shelving. Depending on the amount of storage that comes with your home, you may only need a bed and a couple of nightstands in your master bedroom.  

If you’re someone that likes to have a TV in your bedroom, too, wall mounts have practically eliminated the need for consoles or dressers that once doubled as TV stands. 

Occasional tables (instead of nightstands) 

The price of nightstands can really sneak up on you because you’re usually getting two at a time! But there are ways to save a little money here.  

If you don’t feel the need for storage – maybe you only really need a surface for a lamp, a book, and your phone charger - you could just go with a small and simple table.  

A nice little bonus with that, too, is you won’t end up collecting junk in a drawer, which can often happen with nightstands! 

Decorative and throw pillows 

For your comfort’s sake, you should invest in good pillows – like the ones you’ll actually use and sleep on! But if you’d like to add a few more pillows (because you can never have too many, right?) the decorative ones do not need to be as high in quality.  

Alternate sheets 

You should definitely treat yourself and buy a really nice sheet set, but you can skimp on the alternates! While your good sheets are in the wash, throw on the more cost-effective ones for a couple of days. 

Save money by not buying an entire bedroom set at once 

You can still find and purchase entire bedroom sets, but truth be told, people just aren’t in the market for them as much anymore. A bedroom suite generally consists of a bed frame, nightstands, a dresser, a mirror, and a chest of drawers.  

One of the reasons there’s less interest in these sets is the aforementioned fact that built-in storage in today’s homes has created less need for dressers and other storage pieces.   

If you don’t end up buying a full bedroom set, that allows you to mix and match different items (with different price points), take your time on pieces that you may not need right away, and you won’t have to plunk down a huge amount of money all at once. 

How much should I spend furnishing my bedroom? 

Because you’re spending so much time in your bedroom, it should receive a decent chunk of your overall budget. If you’re furnishing your home from top to bottom, 20% of your budget is a reasonable amount to put toward your master bedroom.   

Check out a full breakdown of How to Budget for Furnishing Your Entire Home.  

Browse our bedroom furniture to get a feel for what you’d like to see in your master suite. And if you’re in the Edmonton area, schedule a visit to McElheran’s, and we can get you started on finding those valuable pieces for your bedroom.