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From stopping you from tossing and turning to building harmony into your bedroom design, your bed plays a crucial role in your sleep quality.
Sleep is crucial to your survival. You spend about one-third of your life sleeping, so choosing the best type of bed is an important decision.
Here’s how to choose the best type of bed in 10 steps:
1. Know your bed types
There are four main types of bed frames:
- Ottoman: lift-up hydraulic base. Heavy with a solid structure.
- Divan: Crafted from wood covered with a layer of upholstery.
- Standard: Four legs and a regular frame in metal, wood, or both.
- Poster: A standard frame with four vertical columns, one in each corner.Poster beds are a rare choice, with most people choosing a divan bed or ottoman frame for small spaces and a standard bed frame in larger areas.
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2. Choose a colour that suits your bedroom
Pictured: Sleepeezee Wool Deluxe 1200 3FT Single Divan Bed, Available from Bedstar, The Online Bed Superstore.
Whether you are designing a bedroom or just getting a new bed, colour is an essential consideration. Ideally, your bed will either set the scene for your design or blend in to avoid looking out of place with existing furniture.
The rule of thumb here is to match your bed frame to the rest of your furniture as closely as possible. Mismatched furniture is never a good look!
3. Pick a headboard that suits your style
Most of the time, it isn’t the bed frame that sets the style, but the headboard, which can be ornamental, padded, plain, colourful, or anything else.
Padded headboards are ideal when you don’t have loads of cushions, while ornamental headboards (found on metal beds) are timeless. Some beds have swappable headboards, with divan beds an obvious example.
4. Get the height right
The height of your bed will determine what it feels like to use. Tall bed frames lift you from the floor, providing a sense of grandeur, while low bed frames feel more intimate. Ask yourself: do you want to ‘drop’ into bed or ‘jump’ into bed?
Most people should choose a bed where the top of the mattress is midway between the knees and the hips, so sitting down creates little bounce.
5. Consider size
How big should your bed be? Single, small double, and double are the most common sizes because most people don’t have bedrooms big enough for a king.
Measure your bedroom and look at bed frame dimensions. In general, it’s better to go for a smaller bed to free up floor space. You can save a little room by choosing a divan bed since the frame won’t protrude from the base.
6. Consider weight
Divan beds and ottoman beds are heavier than standard beds because they use more material and have in-built storage. The lightest beds are made from aluminium and pine, so if you need a light bed, this may be a good choice.
Pictured: Nordic Mill Shake Low 3FT Single Wooden Bed Frame – Scandinavian Pine for a sturdy construction. Available from Bedstar, The Online Bed Superstore.
When would you need a light bed? When you need to move the bed around or move house and don’t want to dismantle it.
7. Consider storage options
Divan beds often have built-in drawers, and ottoman beds have a lift-up base, giving you plenty of good storage options. Another option is a bed frame with a bed base tall enough for boxes to slide underneath.
If you need bed storage, an ottoman is best for bedding, and a divan is best for bits and bats, while slide-under storage offers more versatility.
Pictured: Giltedge Beds Solo Memory Foam Divan Bed, Starting from only £259 with Next Day Delivery. Available from Bedstar, The Online Bed Superstore.
8. Consider bed frame recyclability
Eventually, your bed frame will reach the end of its life, so it’s essential to consider how easy recycling your bed frame will be.
Wooden bed frames are always a good choice. Still, aluminium is best if you want eco- credentials (aluminium is not only 100% recyclable but also infinitely recyclable, so your old bed frame will be used in other products).
9. Consider safety
If you’re buying for a child, choose a bed frame with soft, rounded corners. Wooden beds are generally better for kids. It would help if you also got a bed frame without drawers since these could result in trapped fingers and hair.
Pictured: Julian Bowen Pluto Midsleeper – Tent, Available from Bedstar, The Online Bed Superstore.
10. Don’t forget about your mattress
While your bed frame sets the style of your bedroom, your mattress will determine how comfortable your bed is to sleep on.
If you are a front and back sleeper, choose a medium-firm to firm mattress for proper back support. Side sleepers should choose a medium-soft or medium mattress. If in doubt, go for a medium mattress and see how you get on.
This is a contributed post.
