Interior designer reveals the mistake we're all making when buying bedroom furniture
Plus how to make a bedroom feel more interesting and characterful


Interior designer Nate Berkus has revealed a common bedroom furniture mistake that often trips us up. According to the designer and TV personality, matching bedside tables and lamps aren't always the way to go.
The best bedroom ideas come from playing the long game and gradually bringing together a mix of pieces old and new, says Nate.
Bedroom furniture mistake
'One of the most common mistakes is buying furniture sets that all look the same,' says Nate Berkus. 'It’s so much more interesting to assemble your bedroom furniture piece by piece and not have everything matching.
'I’m all about bringing in vintage pieces and things that have patina and character, which helps infuse personality into your home,' Nate adds.
There's a lot of pressure to get our homes finished, but you don't have to do everything at once. By being a little bit more resourceful and looking for second-hand pieces on Facebook Marketplace, at car boots, or in vintage shops, you're guaranteed to get a more interesting mix.
Even though it's more time-consuming, this may turn out to be cheaper than buying new, particularly if you manage to get items for free. Nate's 'piece by piece' approach is a lot harder than just adding lots of furniture to your virtual cart, but it'll result in a unique space that you love being in.
There are lots of clever bedroom design tips for better sleep, but we can't think of a better one than building a room that tells your story and makes you feel relaxed. A rattan bedroom chair can be repurposed as a bedside table, or perhaps some old leather suitcases would be more your style.
You could look out for an old-fashioned wooden valet stand instead of having The Chair that ends up piled high with clothes. Handy if you're looking for small bedroom ideas that will keep things streamlined.
Or you can just look around your home and see if furniture can be brought in from elsewhere and given a new purpose. Symmetry can be nice in a bedroom, but we agree with Nate things can get a little matchy-matchy if we're not careful.
Nate Berkus has collaborated with Beautyrest (opens in new tab) to create a sleep collection with an innovative design that's thoughtful and sustainable.
Millie Hurst is Senior Content Editor at Ideal Home. She first joined the team at the start of 2021. Previously, she worked in women’s lifestyle and homes news, writing about everything from budget kitchen makeovers and gardening tips to homeware dupes and cleaning hacks. Millie can often be found looking up trending terms, spotting news stories our readers need to know about and finding ways to decorate her rented flat.
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