Few things feel as good after a long, tough day as crawling into the welcoming embrace of your bed. You spend around a third of your life in bed, so it should be comfortable, healthy, attractive and a good fit for your decorating style. But that doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on bedroom furniture. I would never recommend skimping on the quality of your mattress, because that plays a major role in the health and comfort of your spine, neck and hips. Nor do you need to buy the most expensive designer sheets and blankets, though I am a big fan of buying good quality linens, since they rub against your skin eight hours each night. But when it comes to your bed furniture -- the headboard, footboard and nightstands -- there is no reason at all to break the budget. With so many items that easily repurpose into bedroom furniture, you probably have at least one of them in your garage or attic already.

Headboard Ideas
Though it serves no practical purpose, a headboard gives your bed a finished look and visually balances the large horizontal surface of the mattress. Here are just a few wooden items to repurpose as headboards. Paint them or hang them as-is.

• Old doors


• Pallets


• Fireplace mantel


• Old window frames, with or without glass


• Antique mirror


• Bookshelves


• Old wooden ladder hung on its side


• Fence section


• Shutters


• Architectural gingerbread pieces

You can also hang a quilt in place of a headboard, stretch a pretty sheet over canvas or use a folding screen.

Footboard Alternatives
Like the headboard, the footboard isn’t a necessity, but it gives a finished, balanced look to your bed, especially if your room is large. In a very small room, leaving the foot of the bed bare visually enlarges the space. Use your footboard to provide storage, a handy place to sit while putting on your shoes or a touch of whimsy in your room. Some repurposed possibilities include:

• Picnic bench


• Hope chest


• Antique travel chest


• Two kitchen chairs positioned side-by-side with one long cushion stretching across both seats


• Wooden gate


• Wooden crates on their sides

Nightstands
Every bed needs at least one nightstand to hold an alarm clock, a box of tissue and whatever book you’re enjoying before bedtime. However, that doesn’t mean you have to stick with a traditional nightstand. Nor do you have to use matching nightstands on each side of the bed. Some repurposed ideas:

• Small accent table


• Stepstool with a board top


• Stack of suitcases; or one suitcase on a stand


• Shelf mounted on the wall


• Child’s red wagon


• Teacart


• Kitchen chair

When it comes to your bed, comfort is the first priority. Don’t skimp on your mattress or sheets. But when choosing the furnishings that surround your mattress, keep your budget in check with repurposed items that work hard without costing a fortune.