Updated: April 2018

In the last installment of the series, we focused on setting up the perfect bed. And now that you have a place to lay your head, and possibly a woman, it’s time to focus on the next piece of the room - furniture.

Now, furniture is expensive. High quality furniture is even more expensive. If you’re in the market for furniture, we recommend that take a deep breath and purchase high quality pieces. In the long run, a quality piece will last you for the next couple decades. You don’t have to get it all at once either. If you can only afford a high quality dresser, then get that, and pick up the other pieces off of Craigslist (or off the curb before the garbage men arrive if you're desperate) for the time being. Don’t spend the same amount on a three-piece set from Value City that’ll fall apart when you try to move it to your next apartment.

There’s a popular misconception that all furniture has to match perfectly. This simply isn’t true! In fact, going this route will actually make it appear as though you got the 3-piece value deal at Value City. However, matching a couple of things together creates a happy medium between the two, so it doesn’t look like that you raided the neighborhood yard sale. With that said, let’s walk through the pieces that you’ll need to incorporate into your bedroom.

The Dresser

Out of all the pieces of furniture, the dresser is the cornerstone. Since you’re using it day in and day out, it should be the first furniture purchase for your bedroom, besides your bed of course. Today’s dressers have all sorts of add-ons from mirrors and clothing racks and even some with sliding doors. If you’re tempted to own a dresser that can house the Batsuit, keep it simple. There’s nothing better than a solid, straightforward dresser. Since we’ve already handled organization in the first step, either a 3, 4, or 6 drawer dresser should give you all the space you need. Something like this can become a base for some decoration and an injection of personality . We like the Junction Low Dresser from CB2 for those wanting to add some flash. For those who don't like to shout about it, we also like this Tion Wood 6-Drawer Double Dresser, that oozes class and has a custom look. If your pockets are shallow, the MALM 6-drawer black-brown dresser from Ikea is a modern option that’ll go with any black bed frame.

The Nightstand

Just like the dresser, it’s important to keep things simple with the nightstand. That being said, you can still go a bunch of different directions by getting something that's wood, carbon, or steel-based. For the last two options, keep the flooring of the room in mind. If you have a cement or hardwood floor, something more industrial, you’ll have more freedom to incorporate more modern materials. However, if you want a wood nightstand, try to match the wood color to that of the dresser or the bed frame. The Audrey Nightstand from CB2 is a perfect compliment to the Junction Low Dresser from CB2 that we mentioned above. To go with other pieces of furniture with a chestnut color, this Zeta 2-Drawer Nightstand is a nice option. If you have a black bed frame and want to skip wood altogether, a perfect nightstand would be the Galeton Wave Nightstand.

The Lounge Chair

For any bedroom, picking up a dresser and nightstand are absolute necessities. However, if you still have some available room, and more importantly the funds, you should look into rounding off the bedroom with a lounge chair. We’re not talking about a bean bag chair. We're talking about a serious lounge chair where a man can sit and think deep, important thoughts like the opening line for that cute new Tinder match. The lounge chair should be modern, yet classic, in a grey or black hue. The golden standard for any lounge chair is the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, which has been a men’s lifestyle institution since 1956. It’s pricey, very pricey, but the chair retains its value very well. For those that do end up going with an original Eames, go ahead and grab us one too since money's not an option for you. For everyone else who loves the design, but not the price, you can pick up a reliable reproduction here. On the less expensive side, we also like the Shankill Armchair for a modern and sophisticated look. Perfect for draping that throw blanket around too.

With the large purchases squared away, bedding and furniture, we’ve now created the skeleton of the room. However, even if you did sell blood to get that Eames chair, the room still needs something. You. Your personality. This and more will be covered in next week’s article, which will focus on decor.