How to Choose a Bed Frame

A bed frame is the one piece of furniture you use every single night, so it deserves more thought than a quick scroll and a click. The right frame sets the comfort, the storage and the entire look of your bedroom, while the wrong one creaks, dwarfs the space or leaves you stubbing toes on a low footboard. This guide walks you through frame types, the heights that actually matter, headboard styles, materials and the practical checks that stop returns and disappointment. By the end you will know exactly which bed frame suits your room, your mattress and the way you sleep.

1. Bed frame types explained

Most bed frames fall into a handful of distinct families, and knowing them narrows your search in minutes. A traditional slatted frame has open legs and a headboard, with a sprung or solid slat base holding the mattress; it is airy, affordable and easy to assemble. A divan sits the mattress on a fabric-covered box base, often with built-in drawers, and gives a clean, upholstered look favoured in hotels. Upholstered frames wrap the whole structure, including the headboard, in fabric or faux leather for a soft, contemporary feel.

Then there are the storage-led designs. Ottoman beds lift the entire mattress platform on gas struts to reveal a deep cavity beneath, while guest and day beds pull out a second sleeping surface or fold away entirely. If you are tight on floor space, a frame that earns its keep with storage is worth paying a little more for. Browse the full range across our beds collection to see how each type looks in a real setting.

2. Getting the size right

UK bed sizes are standardised, which makes ordering bedding easy but means you must match the frame to the mattress size exactly. A single is 90 x 190 cm, a small double (or “queen” in some listings) is 120 x 190 cm, a standard double is 135 x 190 cm, a king is 150 x 200 cm and a super king is 180 x 200 cm. The frame’s external footprint is always larger than these figures, typically adding 5 to 15 cm on each side for the surround and headboard.

For couples, a double at 135 cm wide gives each person roughly the width of a cot, which is tighter than many expect. If you have the floor space, a king size bed at 150 cm is the single biggest upgrade you can make to sleep quality. For children, teenagers and box rooms, a single bed keeps the floor clear, and a double bed remains the most popular all-round choice for main bedrooms and guest rooms alike. For a deeper breakdown of dimensions, our bed and mattress size guide covers every size with clearance diagrams.

3. Bed and mattress height

Height is the detail buyers most often overlook, yet it shapes how easy the bed is to get in and out of and how it sits visually in the room. The number that matters for comfort is the sit height: the distance from the floor to the top of the mattress once it is in place. For most adults a sit height of 45 to 60 cm is comfortable, letting you perch with feet flat and thighs roughly level, much like a dining chair.

To calculate it, add the frame’s internal deck height to your mattress depth. A low platform frame with a deck at 25 cm plus a 22 cm mattress gives a 47 cm sit height, which suits younger, more mobile sleepers and modern, minimalist rooms. An ottoman or divan with a deck at 38 cm plus a deep 28 cm mattress reaches 66 cm, which is far kinder on the knees, hips and back, and is the better call for older sleepers or anyone with mobility concerns.

4. Headboards and footboards

The headboard does most of the visual work, so it is worth choosing deliberately rather than accepting whatever comes attached. A tall, upholstered headboard (120 cm or more from the floor) makes a room feel hotel-like and gives a soft surface to lean against for reading, while a low wooden headboard keeps things understated and lets the bedding lead. Winged and buttoned designs add traditional character; flat, channel-stitched panels read as contemporary.

Footboards are a genuine trade-off. A frame with a footboard frames the bed handsomely and stops the duvet sliding off, but it eats roughly 5 to 10 cm of mattress access at the foot and can crowd small rooms. Tall sleepers in particular should check the internal length, as a high footboard on a 190 cm frame can feel restrictive. If your room is compact, an open-foot or low-footboard design will feel noticeably more spacious, a point we explore further in our small living room furniture ideas for tight homes.

• Reading in bed — choose a padded headboard at least 110 cm tall.
• Small rooms — avoid footboards and pick a slim headboard depth.
• Period or classic schemes — buttoned, winged or carved timber headboards.
• Modern schemes — flat panels, channel stitching or a simple slatted timber rail.

5. Materials and finishes

Material drives both the look and the longevity of a frame. Solid wood frames in oak, pine or acacia are the most durable and develop character with age; they suit traditional and Scandinavian rooms and rarely creak when properly assembled. Engineered wood with a veneer or painted finish costs less and is lighter to move, though it is less forgiving of repeated flat-packing and humidity. Metal frames in steel or wrought iron are slim, sturdy and ideal for industrial or vintage looks, but the joints can loosen over time, so check the fixings every few months.

Upholstered frames in linen, velvet or boucle bring warmth and quiet to a room and pair beautifully with layered bedding. The trade-off is cleaning: opt for a removable or easy-wipe cover if you have pets or children, and keep the fabric out of direct sunlight to prevent fading. Whatever you choose, coordinate the finish with the rest of the room. Matching a wood tone to your chest of drawers or wardrobes pulls a bedroom together far more convincingly than buying pieces in isolation. Our furniture care guide has finish-specific tips to keep every material looking its best.

6. Storage and ottoman frames

If your bedroom lacks built-in cupboards, the space beneath the bed is the most valuable storage in the room, and the frame type decides how much of it you can use. Drawer divans typically offer two or four drawers, each holding folded bedding, towels or off-season clothes, though they only reach part way under the bed and need clear floor beside the bed to open. Ottoman beds are the storage champions: the gas-lift platform reveals the entire under-bed cavity, swallowing suitcases, spare duvets and bulky items a drawer never could.

Side-opening ottomans need clearance at the side of the bed, while end-opening versions lift towards the foot and suit beds pushed against a wall. Check the gas-strut weight rating, as a heavy mattress can make a poorly specified lift hard to operate. For households short on wardrobe space, an ottoman bed can replace a small chest entirely, freeing up floor area elsewhere in the room.

7. Slats, support and your mattress

A frame is only as good as the base supporting your mattress, and this is where comfort and warranties are quietly won or lost. Solid platform bases give firm, even support and suit memory foam mattresses, which need a stable surface to perform. Sprung slats flex slightly under load, adding a gentle cushioning that pairs well with pocket-sprung and hybrid mattresses. As a rule, the gap between slats should be no more than 7 to 8 cm; wider gaps can void a mattress warranty and let foam mattresses sag between the bars.

Always check the manufacturer’s base requirements before pairing a frame with a mattress. A double or king frame should ideally have a central support rail with one or two legs to the floor, preventing the slats bowing under the weight of two people and a heavy mattress. If you are buying both together, our mattress choosing guide explains which mattress type matches which base, so the pair works as a system rather than fighting each other.

8. Measuring and delivery

The most common bed-buying regret is not size of the mattress but whether the assembled frame and its packaging fit through the home. Bed frames arrive in long, heavy boxes, and a king headboard in particular can be awkward on tight stairs and landings. Measure before you order, and use our Will It Fit tool to check the journey from front door to bedroom.

1. The room — allow at least 60 to 70 cm of clear floor on the sides you walk and 50 cm at the foot.
2. Doorways and stairs — measure the narrowest width and the turn at the top of the stairs.
3. Ceiling slopes — in loft and attic rooms, check headroom above where the pillows will sit.
4. Assembly space — leave room to build the frame flat before standing it up.

Remember that the frame’s external dimensions, not the mattress size, determine fit. An upholstered king with a deep surround can measure 165 cm wide or more. When you have your figures, browse the wider bedroom sets if you want frame, bedsides and storage to arrive coordinated in one delivery.

9. Buying with confidence

Choosing a bed frame should feel exciting, not nerve-wracking, and we have built our service around removing the risk. Every Elystra Living order comes with fast delivery, so your new frame arrives promptly and at a time that suits you. If it is not quite right once it is in the room, our 30-day returns promise means you can change your mind without fuss.

We also know a quality bed frame is an investment, which is why you can spread the cost with Klarna in interest-free instalments at checkout, paying over time with nothing extra to pay. Take your measurements, match the frame to your mattress and room, and when you are ready, explore the full beds collection to find the one that turns your bedroom into the room you most look forward to.