Andrew Hartley, director of AMA Research, reviews the fitted bedroom furniture market...

This year has been undoubtedly tough for many customer durables and the bedroom furniture market is no different. But, despite the current gloom surrounding the economy, and the fact that bedrooms tend to lag behind kitchens and bathrooms in terms of investment priority, the market for bedroom furniture is worth around £500m at manufacturers prices.

Bedroom furniture is a mature market, but with more than 65 million bedrooms in the UK, the market still offers good growth potential for manufacturers and retailers. Fitted furniture has grown in popularity and accounts for around 30-35% of the market and is the first choice for many homeowners seeking to maximise space utilisation in a stylish way as part of a bedroom upgrade.

Optimising the use of space is probably the key criterion for most home owners. Room sizes have been gradually decreasing in new housing for several decades and the rapid switch to apartment buildings has added to this trend.

Apartments now account for almost 50% of all new dwellings built in the UK and, while some upmarket riverside developments incorporate large bedrooms, the vast majority have limited bedroom sizes with storage space at a premium.

Lack of space is now compounded by the multifunctional use of bedrooms that need to accommodate home office, study areas, mini gyms and a wide range of home entertainment systems. As a result, emphasis on storage solutions is a key component of design in the sector, with manufacturers continually developing innovative ways of maximising the available space, while providing the homeowner with flexibility to adapt to changing lifestyles.

However, storage solutions have to be blended into a stylish appearance. As with all interior furnishings, material and colour trends are always changing with high gloss finishes a popular feature in 2009. New, stylish and adventurous designs are emerging, but going into 2010 the market is set for another difficult year as consumer spending slowly recovers.

However, the underlying prospects for fitted bedroom furniture remain optimistic in the longer term, reflecting a growing number of households and a focus on creating an uncluttered but stylish look to main bedrooms.

What do you think? Email the editor direct: andrew@kbbreview.com