Single beds are a great place to lay your head

Perfect for children, teenagers or older people who prefer to sleep alone, the single bed is a popular choice. Co-ordinate your single bed with furniture by buying matching bedside tables, tallboys and robes.

When thinking bedroom furniture, it's mostly double, queen and king beds that spring to mind. But for children, teenagers and some older people, the single bed is a much more comfortable and practical option. And, just like the single's larger counterparts, you can get some great co-ordinated single bedroom furniture to suit.

According to Mark Krantis of The Bed Warehouse in Stepney, single beds come in two sizes: standard and king. "Because the king-size single beds are a bit longer and wider than the standard, they are better for taller children, teenagers, or even adults who sleep alone but want the extra length," he says.

Single bed furniture options

Single bed furniture are available in many styles, from the traditional turned bedpost, cottage styles to less decorative modern shapes. "Currently, the modern styles, which are simpler, with cleaner lines and a more square appearance, are the popular choice," says Mark.

No matter what the preferred style of the bed, many people are choosing to forgo the foot end for a cleaner look. "A single bed with no foot end means you can sit on three sides of the bed, there's nothing to knock into and nothing to cut the room off visually," says Mark. "And if the kids are bouncing or playing on the bed, they don't have anything to fall on and hurt themselves."

Avoiding theme beds

Another single bed option for children is the novelty bed, but Mark reckons that the popularity of these has decreased markedly in recent years. "Racing-car beds or those shaped like buses are no longer in demand," he says. "They tend to be expensive, and once a child reaches eight or nine they have usually grown out of it."

Beds in the tulip style, with a tulip cutout in the bedhead, or the sleigh-style beds, with curved legs and bedhead, are still favourites, particularly in pine or ash. "Since ash has come down in price it's a good choice," says Mark.

Matching single bed furniture to the bed's style is easy, with bedside tables, tallboys and wardrobes to choose from. "These can be colour co-ordinated with the bed, and are adaptable to the space and your storage needs," says Mark. "For example, you can include larger blanket drawers in a tallboy, or adapt the robes to allow for three-quarter or full hanging space, drawer space, and most people also want a mirror on the inside of the door."

With quality standard single beds starting at around $300, it's certainly worth shopping around to find the bed and bedroom furniture to suit you and your family's lifestyle: