Wooden beds add warmth and ambience to a bedroom, whether they’re made from raw pine, oak, teak, ash, walnut, mahogany, beech or cherry; whether light, dark or painted. Steel or artificial materials cannot duplicate the natural element of wood.

Age does nothing to detract from the magic of wood; if anything, unpainted, it enhances it. Somehow, although it becomes a manufactured product, it always retains a sense of life, each unit with its own unique ‘fingerprint’ in the grain. A knot is far from a blemish; it forms a unique pattern adding to the individualism of each piece of furniture. Even in a room with two matching single beds, each one seems to retain its own identity, with a potential to become a favourite.

Wooden beds come in a huge variety of styles. Some are highly ornate, with intricate designs cut in hard wood, potential family heirlooms. Others are simpler, yet no less majestic. Some may match an accompanying bedroom suite, while others are designed to be unique focal points around which the style of the rest of the room must be fashioned.

Not all beds made of wood have to be expensive. There are slatted beds made from a variety of woods and natural colours, and there’s the ever-versatile pine. Pine beds are available in the form of bunk beds that can be used in a variety of design combinations, as well as single or convertible units. Varnished pine ages beautifully, looking better year after memorable year.

Leather often adds a wonderful element to wood; but if one wants a padded-type of inexpensive frame to blend with wooden furniture, faux leather beds are a good option to maintain the ambience.