By Nancy Robinson, Nine Muses Media LLC

When you say you’re going to the bedroom to recharge for the night, it’s not just a figure of speech. Rather, it reflects the newest trend in bedroom design. Today’s master bedrooms are designed to accommodate our ever-growing need to plug in, power up and recharge.

Dressers and nightstands are equipped with built-in power supplies for mobile phones, iPods, MP3 players, cameras, DVR and DVD devices, as well as flatscreen televisions. Consumers are asking for these electronic-friendly features, and retailers are more than happy to provide them.

“This is a real trend right now,” according to Linda Duell, owner of Heavenly Bedrooms in Quakertown, PA. Duell says she is seeing plenty of exciting new bedroom introductions in the market with these features.

In addition to casegoods that provide storage and power sources for electronics, she says she is also interested in nightstands that feature built-in touch nightlights, which provide small, focused accent lighting in the bedroom.

“The other big trend we’ve seen in the master bedroom is the elimination of armoires,” Duell says. “Instead, there are media centers that are designed so a flat screen TV is not enclosed behind a door, like a traditional armoire, but can hang on the wall or sit on top.”

These thoughtfully designed pieces also feature storage drawers and open spaces for DVD players and come in widths that readily accommodate a 42-inch-wide flatscreen television. Of course, they’re also designed to be at the perfect height for watching television in bed. Some even incorporate media platforms, which can be placed on the tops of dressers for those who prefer to watch television at a higher vantage point.

Even though entertainment armoires have gone the way of the dinosaur, according to many retailers and manufactures, storage solutions remain in high demand in today’s bedroom market. Compact and attractive storage units are most likely tucked under the bed, or found at the foot of the bed in the form of benches.

In terms of bedroom furniture styling, Duell says there’s a marked “trend away from very contemporary to more transitional styling. And instead of black finishes, cherry, merlot and reddish-brown and reddish-black options are important. There isn’t much demand for the medium and light oak. Customers want a richer look.”

Guest Rooms
When it comes to furnishing the modern guest room, the buzzword is “multipurpose.” In addition to providing sleeping accommodations for guests, a spare bedroom is likely to be pressed into service as a home office space.

“Customers are furnishing them so they’re more than a guest room,” Duell advises. “A lot of people aren’t even putting a bed in them anymore. If they do, they’re downsizing to a full or a trundle bed or a futon, all of which open up the room a little bit.”

Youth Bedrooms
Once little more than an afterthought in most American households, today’s youth bedrooms bear little resemblance to their predecessors.

“Youth bedrooms used to be mini, scaled-down master bedrooms, and basically the same designs,” explains Nate Kluft, General Manager of Beds, Bunks & Lofts, which also operates an online store, SendMeToMyRoom.com. “We have certainly seen a trend toward both fun and functional furnishings for kids.

“There’s a lot more color and pattern and larger beds inclusive of storage underneath and even play areas,” Kluft continues. “We’ve gone from the typical twin or full bed with a desk, nightstand, dresser or chest to storage beds, captain’s beds and loft beds with play areas and study areas underneath.”

Today’s youth furniture is further distinguished from adult models through the use of contrasting finishes, fun decorative knobs and kid-inspired accents, as well as modular components, according to Kluft. Another popular feature is “storage stairs” for accessing bunk and loft beds. With drawers as deep as 23 inches, they are almost double the depth of the typical dresser drawer.

No matter what the product is, bright vibrant colors are hallmarks of the youth market. While white and cherry finishes will always have a place in the youth bedroom business, many kids have a marked preference for vivid color, whether on furniture itself or bedding products, including comforters, dust ruffles, sheets and pillow shams.

With such bright, cheerful environments to surround them, is it any wonder that kids are eager to go to their rooms?

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