How to Choose a Bed Frame

Divan, bedstead or ottoman

Almost every bed on sale in the UK is one of three things. They look different, but the real differences are storage, how the mattress is supported, and how much of the bed you have to assemble.

Divan

A fabric-covered base, usually in two halves that clip together, with the mattress sitting on top and a headboard bolted on separately. Divans are the easy option: they go up the stairs in pieces, assemble in minutes, sit solidly on almost any floor and are quiet. Most come with the option of drawers built into the base, typically two or four, which are useful but only reach a little way under the bed and need floor clearance beside it to open. The trade-off is looks. A divan is a plain box, so the headboard and a valance are doing all the visual work.

Bedstead

The frame with visible legs, side rails and a headboard, made from wood, metal or an upholstered timber frame. This is where the design is, and where the choice is widest. The mattress sits on slats between the rails, so the bed breathes well underneath and the space under it stays open for boxes or under-bed drawers you buy separately. Bedsteads take longer to build, and they are the type most likely to develop a creak, which is almost always a bolt that has worked loose rather than a fault.

Ottoman

A frame whose whole base lifts on gas struts, turning the entire area under the mattress into one storage compartment. It is by far the most storage you can get from a bed, and unlike drawers it needs no clearance at the sides, which makes it the obvious answer in a small room. Points to check: the struts have to lift the weight of your mattress, so a very heavy mattress and a cheap mechanism are a bad pairing; you need clear height above the bed to open it; and side-opening ottomans give easier access but need free floor space along one side, while end-opening versions suit a bed with both sides against furniture.

Slats and sprung bases: what the frame does to your mattress

The base is not a neutral platform. It changes how firm the mattress feels and how long it lasts, and getting it wrong can void a mattress warranty.

• Solid or rigid slats are flat timber battens fixed across the frame. They give the firmest feel, because the mattress does all the work, and they are the most durable. Airflow is the thing to watch: look for a gap between slats, and check the manufacturer’s maximum gap, because slats set too far apart let a mattress sag between them.
• Sprung slats are curved laths, usually beech, mounted so they flex under load. They add a little give and absorb some movement, which softens the feel of a firm mattress slightly and can make a foam mattress more comfortable. They also wear out before the frame does, so check that replacements are available.
• Sprung divan base has springs inside the base itself, working with the mattress. It gives the softest, most forgiving feel of the three and takes some of the load off the mattress. A firm-top or platform-top divan base is the opposite: no give at all, and firmer underfoot.
• Solid platform base (a continuous board) gives a very firm feel and no airflow at all. Foam mattresses in particular need ventilation, so if the base is solid, check what the mattress maker says about it.

Wood, metal or upholstered

Wood

The safe long-term choice. Solid timber frames are heavy, quiet and repairable, and they suit almost any room. Watch what the pieces are actually made of: many frames marketed as wooden use solid timber for the legs and rails and a board or veneer for the headboard panel, which is fine, but it is not the same thing. Wooden frames can creak as joints settle; tightening every bolt after a few weeks and again annually fixes almost all of it.

Metal

Light, slim and generally the cheapest way to a bedstead, which makes it a sensible pick for spare rooms and first flats. The slim profile also keeps a small room feeling open. The trade-off is noise: metal-on-metal joints are the most likely of the three to develop a rattle or a squeak, and thin tubular frames flex more. Look for solid welded joints rather than everything relying on bolts, and check the centre support: a double or larger frame with no central leg is a false economy.

Upholstered

A timber frame wrapped in fabric, usually with a padded headboard. It is the quietest and softest option, comfortable to sit up against, and warm in a cold room. The downsides are cleaning and wear: fabric absorbs marks in a way wood and metal do not, pale colours show everything, and once a panel is stained it stays stained unless the covers come off. Velvet looks superb and shows every fingerprint. If you have pets or young children, prioritise a removable or wipeable cover and a darker colour over the exact shade you had in mind. Fabric-upholstered king beds and super king beds are the deepest part of the range.

Height and headboards

Two practicalities that rarely appear on a product page but decide how the bed feels to live with.

• Total height is frame plus mattress. A low platform frame with a 30 cm mattress ends up at a very different height from a divan with a deep mattress on top. Most people find it comfortable to sit on the edge with their feet flat on the floor and knees roughly level with their hips, so if you have a mattress already, measure its depth and add it to the frame height before deciding.
• Low frames look calm and modern and suit low-ceilinged rooms, but they are harder to get out of, and worth thinking twice about for anyone with limited mobility. They also rule out under-bed drawers.
• High frames and deep divans are easier to get in and out of and give more storage underneath, but they can leave short sleepers dangling and make a normal-height headboard look short.
• Headboard height against the room. Check it against the window sill, a radiator and any wall sockets or switches behind the bed, all of which a tall headboard can cover.
• Floor-standing versus strutted headboards. A strutted headboard bolts to a divan base and its height is quoted from the floor; a frame’s headboard is part of the bed. If you are buying a headboard separately for a divan, check it is made for the base you have and that the bolt positions match.

Fitting it into the room, and getting it in

A bed frame is bigger than its mattress. Side rails, a footboard and a thick headboard can each add several centimetres, and the quoted external dimensions are what has to fit the room, not the mattress size. Always work from the retailer’s external measurements.

• Leave a walkway. Around 60 cm down at least one side and at the foot makes a bedroom workable; enough to make the bed, and enough to open wardrobe and drawer fronts fully.
• Plan the storage clearance. Drawer bases need the width of the drawer clear alongside the bed; an ottoman needs headroom above; a footboard makes changing the sheets harder in a tight room.
• Measure the route in. Divans split in two and go up most staircases; bedsteads arrive flat-packed and are usually the easiest of all to get in. A one-piece upholstered frame or a large ottoman base is the awkward one, so check the largest single carton against your tightest turn.
• Check the mattress size matches the frame. UK, EU and US sizes are not the same, and an EU mattress will not sit correctly in a UK frame. Buy both to the same standard.

When to buy the frame and mattress together

Buying both at once is worth doing when the two decisions genuinely interact, which is more often than people expect.

• When the base changes the feel. A sprung divan base softens a mattress; rigid slats firm it up. If you have chosen a mattress on firmness, choose the base with it rather than after it.
• When the mattress has base requirements. Foam and hybrid mattresses usually specify a maximum slat gap and need airflow. Buying together avoids discovering that after delivery.
• When the heights have to work. Frame height plus mattress depth is what you sit on, and a very deep mattress can swallow a low headboard.
• When your mattress is already old. If it is approaching seven to ten years, replacing it alongside the frame saves a second delivery and a second disruption.

Equally, there are good reasons not to. If your mattress is recent and you are happy on it, keeping it and changing only the frame is a cheap way to change a room, as long as the new base suits it. Browse mattresses alongside the frames, or start from the shortlist in The Best Double Mattresses.

How much should you spend?

Frames last a long time: it is normal to go through two or three mattresses on one frame. Price mostly tracks the material and the joinery, and the cheapest frames tend to reveal themselves through noise and flex rather than outright failure. A sturdy frame with a central support leg is worth more than a decorative one without.

• Single beds under £200, covering children’s rooms, spare rooms and first flats. Mostly metal bedsteads and simple wooden frames.
• Double beds under £500, the mainstream: solid wooden bedsteads, upholstered frames and entry ottoman bases all appear here.
• King beds under £750, where heavier timber, better upholstery and stronger ottoman mechanisms sit.

The same frame is often a different price at different retailers, and beds are discounted somewhere most weeks, so a sale price is only a deal if it beats what others charge. That is the part we do: we track live prices across the UK retailers we list so you can compare before you buy. Browse every bed frame we track, or jump to singles, small doubles, doubles, kings, super kings or children’s beds.