After a nerve-wrecking and back-breaking day, there is nothing like a good night's sleep. And what you need to lure sound sleep is a cosy, comfy bed to sink into, and forget the worries of the world. Beds are no more the plain wooden planks topped with a mattress, that they used to be. Walk into any furniture shop and along with the snazzy sofa sets and designer dining tables, you'll find an impressive array of beds too.From intricately-carved and ornate headboards in rosewood finish to the simple straight planks with the natural look, the variety is unlimited. As a matter of fact, you spell the design and the carpenters at the furniture shops will create it for you. Says Champa Bindu, proprietor, Lado Sarai-based Wood Symphony. ``There were times when furnishing the house was confined to designer sofa sets and fancy dining tables. But now people want every part of their house, including the bedroom, to be aesthetically rich.'' Obviously, beds being the most important piece of furniture there, a lot of attention goes into selecting one.For interior designer Alpna Gujral, her bed is where she spends all her free time. She designed the king-size teak-wood bed in her Lajpat Nagar home nearly six years ago. She says: ``I wanted a large and cosy bed to accommodate my clutter of books and cassettes.'' That is why she extended the headboard higher up to serve as a shelf for all her ``clutter''. Even if you're not professionally qualified, designing a bed is no big deal.Assistant director-cum researcher at Green Park-based Images, Ruchika Sahni is a case in point. She has taken pains to select the furniture for her bedroom that includes a teak-wood bed which she has designed herself. Says Sahni: ``The design of my queen-sized bed is actually very close to that of my brother's bed. It is the simplest bed that I have ever seen and that is what makes it so beautiful and elegant.'' For Sahni, everything about her bed is perfect, especially the size. ``A single bed is too narrow and a king sized bed too large for someone like me who hates sleeping alone.The queen size is perfect,'' she says. This bed, that was made by her family carpenter for Rs 8,000, nearly two months ago, has a plain headrest and two simple side tables, with small round brass buttons on the drawers. With her love for blue, Sahni's bed has a blue bedspread that matches the curtains. Your dream bed is not hard to find what with the plethora of shops housing myriad makes and designs in every conceivable shape, size and material. But, Sahni's option may emerge as a more economical alternative. However, if money is of little consideration, then go right ahead and pick up whatever catches your eye.That is what jewellery-dealer Simran Kakaria did. She bought the bed for her Connaught Place home from Ghar, a furniture shop in M-block market, Greater Kailash, four years ago. Says Kakaria: ``Most people don't like my bed since it has edges jutting out, which they tend to bang into. Nevertheless, I am crazy about it.'' Her teak-wood double bed, in natural polish, is delicately-carved, bought for Rs 25,000.The average price of ready-made beds ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 16,000 for single beds and Rs 10,000 to Rs 80,000 for double beds. It all depends on the wood used, the design and of course, the place you buy it from. At Panchkuian-based Neelam Furnishers and Interior Decorators, the beds are made from Italian planks of woods. According to owner Anand Prakash, there is no particular trend in bed designs. While the beds in Panchkuian are fancy, many of them rather loud, the beds at Green Park-based Woodmart are simple and elegant. If cash isn't in short supply, then pick up your furniture design book and hire your carpenter to carve out your bed in the material of your choice!
