Your bed frame is the largest piece of furniture in your bedroom and sets the tone for the entire space. Choosing one that harmonises with your existing decor—or establishing it as the foundation for a new design direction—requires understanding style principles, material coordination, and colour theory. This guide helps you navigate these decisions with confidence.
Understanding Your Design Style
Before shopping for a bed frame, clarify the overall aesthetic you want to achieve. Australian bedrooms tend toward several popular styles:
Modern and Contemporary
Clean lines, minimal ornamentation, and functional design define modern bedrooms. Bed frames in this style typically feature low-profile platforms, simple geometric headboards, and materials like light timber, matte black metal, or smooth upholstery. Avoid ornate carvings, turned legs, or decorative scrollwork.
Scandinavian
Characterised by warmth within minimalism, Scandinavian style embraces natural wood (especially light oak and ash), soft textiles, and cozy functionality. Bed frames should be simple but warm—pale timber with rounded edges, perhaps with subtle integrated storage. Avoid anything that feels cold or industrial.
Coastal and Hamptons
Popular in Australian coastal areas, this style combines relaxed sophistication with beachy lightness. White or whitewashed wooden frames, woven rattan headboards, and weathered timber finishes suit this aesthetic. The feel should be airy and fresh, never heavy or dark.
Industrial
Urban loft aesthetics feature raw materials: exposed metal, reclaimed timber, and utilitarian forms. Bed frames should incorporate steel or iron elements, possibly mixed with distressed wood. Pipe-style frames, rivet details, and dark metal finishes work well.
Traditional and Classic
Elegant, formal bedrooms call for substantial bed frames with detailed craftsmanship. Four-poster beds, sleigh beds, and frames with carved headboards suit traditional spaces. Rich woods like walnut and mahogany, or elegantly upholstered frames in neutral fabrics, complete the look.
This year sees continued interest in sustainable materials, Japanese-inspired minimalism, curved forms replacing sharp angles, and earthy colour palettes with terracotta and sage green accents.
Coordinating with Existing Furniture
Unless you're furnishing a bedroom from scratch, your bed frame needs to work with furniture you already own.
Matching vs. Complementing
You have two main approaches: matching your bed frame to other furniture (same material, finish, and style) or complementing it with pieces that work together without being identical.
Matching creates cohesion and makes decorating easier—when all timber matches, the room automatically feels unified. However, perfectly matched bedroom suites can feel dated and showroom-like. Contemporary design favours thoughtful mixing.
Complementing allows more visual interest. A warm oak bed frame might pair with darker walnut nightstands, united by the warmth of natural wood but differentiated by tone. The key is finding common threads: similar undertones, compatible eras, or shared design elements.
The Three-Material Rule
A useful guideline suggests limiting any room to three primary materials. Your bedroom might include timber (bed frame), metal (lamp bases and hardware), and fabric (upholstered chair and bedding). Adding too many materials creates visual chaos; too few can feel flat.
- Match wood tones if not exact species (warm with warm, cool with cool)
- Repeat metal finishes—if drawer handles are brushed brass, consider brass bed accents
- Use textiles to bridge different furniture pieces
- Consider the visual weight of pieces—balance light and substantial items
- Let the bed frame be the statement piece if other furniture is simple
Colour Considerations
Your bed frame's colour or finish significantly impacts the room's overall palette.
Natural Wood Tones
Timber bed frames come in a spectrum from nearly white (blonde maple, whitewashed pine) through honey (oak, ash) to deep brown (walnut, mahogany). Consider your wall colours: warm woods with warm walls, cool woods with cool or white walls. However, intentional contrast can also work—a rich walnut bed against soft grey walls creates sophisticated drama.
Painted and Coloured Frames
White frames suit almost any palette and create airy, spacious feelings. Black frames make bold statements and anchor rooms with confident style. Coloured frames—navy, sage green, blush pink—can serve as room focal points but require careful coordination with other elements.
Upholstery Colours
Fabric headboards and frames offer colour and pattern opportunities. Neutral upholstery (grey, beige, cream) provides flexibility as you update bedding and decor over time. Bold upholstery (mustard, emerald, burgundy) creates immediate impact but commits you to a specific palette.
Proportion and Scale
Beyond style and colour, the physical proportions of your bed frame must suit your room and complement other furnishings.
Headboard Height
Low headboards (under 100cm) suit contemporary styling and rooms with lower ceilings. Standard headboards (100-130cm) work universally. Tall, dramatic headboards (over 130cm) make statements in rooms with high ceilings but can overwhelm compact spaces.
Visual Weight
A massive wooden sleigh bed demands a large room and substantial accompanying furniture. A delicate metal frame requires lighter-scaled nightstands and accessories. Matching visual weight across furniture creates balance; mismatching creates tension (sometimes intentionally).
Footboard Decisions
Footboards add traditional gravitas but make beds look larger and can obstruct views of windows or screens. For smaller rooms or more casual aesthetics, frames without footboards feel more open. Consider your room's proportions and whether you want the bed to feel enclosed or spacious.
Headboard Styles in Detail
Since the headboard is what you see most prominently, it deserves special attention.
Panel Headboards
Flat panels (solid wood, veneer, or MDF) offer clean simplicity. They suit modern, Scandinavian, and minimalist spaces. Look for interesting grain patterns if using wood, or choose painted finishes for colour flexibility.
Upholstered Headboards
Padded headboards range from simple rectangular shapes to elaborate tufted designs. Button tufting reads as traditional or glamorous; channel tufting (vertical lines) feels more contemporary. Consider how the fabric texture works with your bedding choices.
Slatted Headboards
Horizontal slats create casual, relaxed feelings—perfect for coastal or Scandinavian styles. Vertical slats can feel more formal or Japanese-inspired. The spacing between slats affects the visual weight of the headboard.
Open Frame Headboards
Metal or minimal wood frames that don't have a solid back create lightness and work well in small rooms. They allow wall colour or wallpaper to show through, making them effective with feature walls.
If you have or plan a feature wall behind your bed, choose your bed frame with that backdrop in mind. Simple frames let bold wallpaper shine; statement headboards work better against solid, subtle wall colours.
Bringing It All Together
When selecting your bed frame, work through these considerations systematically:
- Define your style: What aesthetic do you want? What styles do you have elsewhere in your home?
- Assess existing furniture: What pieces will stay? What materials and finishes do they feature?
- Consider colour: What palette does your room have or will you create? Will the bed be a neutral anchor or a colour statement?
- Check proportions: What size and visual weight suits your room? How high should the headboard be?
- Imagine the complete picture: With bedding, lighting, and accessories added, does the bed frame support the overall vision?
Creating a cohesive bedroom doesn't require expensive designers or catalogue-perfect matching. It requires understanding basic principles and making thoughtful choices. Your bed frame anchors the room—choose one that represents your style, complements your possessions, and makes you happy every time you walk into your bedroom.