Bed Frames

How to choose a bed frame

A bed frame outlives most other furniture in the house. The mattress goes after seven to ten years; the duvet covers cycle through with the seasons; the frame, if you bought the right one, is still in service in the next house. The decisions that matter are size, material, and what kind of base it sits on.

Size is fixed by the mattress. UK standard bed sizes are: small single 75 by 190cm; single 90 by 190cm; small double 120 by 190cm; double 135 by 190cm; king 150 by 200cm; super-king 180 by 200cm. The frame's external dimensions are typically 8 to 15cm bigger on each side. Measure the room before ordering, and measure the doorway and stair turns the frame has to travel through.

Frame type covers four common builds:

• Slatted bed frames: the standard. Wooden slats run across the frame to support the mattress. Sprung slats give slightly under weight and add a small amount of cushioning; solid slats sit firmer.
• Divan beds: an upholstered base on castors, sold matched to a mattress and a strut-mount headboard. The base usually contains drawer storage. Often the right answer in smaller bedrooms; covered in our divan beds page.
• Ottoman storage beds: the mattress lifts on a gas-strut mechanism, exposing a deep cavity underneath. Adds wardrobe-equivalent storage to small rooms. Heavier and more expensive than slatted frames.
• Bedstead frames: the headboard is integral to the frame. No separate fixing decision; you can't change the headboard.

Material follows the room. Solid wood (oak, pine, walnut) is the long-term default and ages well. Painted wood and oak-and-paint finishes suit modern country styles. Upholstered frames in linen, velvet and faux leather give the softest visual finish but mark with use; removable, washable covers are worth the premium where offered. Metal frames work well in industrial-styled rooms but vibrate slightly with movement and creak by year three.

Headboard mounting is the spec to check before ordering, especially for divan and ottoman bases. Most divan bases ship without a headboard; you buy one separately and fit it via the strut slots. Bedsteads include the headboard. Ottoman frames usually take wall-mounted headboards rather than strut-mount ones.

The brands and retailers we list

We pull around 19,700 bed frames from across the UK retailer network.

The Range stocks the broadest selection with around 8,500 frames covering slatted, ottoman and bedstead designs in fabric, wood and metal at £100 to £600.

Bemz UK covers a long tail of upholstered frames, particularly in linen and velvet finishes, at the £400 to £1,200 mid-market.

Robert Dyas covers around 2,400 frames including ottoman storage hybrids and the upper-mid solid-wood ranges.

Furniture in Fashion stocks around 1,500 contemporary frames in the £400 to £1,500 bracket, leaning into upholstered designs and high-gloss finishes.

Filter the grid above by colour, material, size or price to narrow things down, or browse the full bed frame range without filters to see everything in stock. Prices update daily.