Is an expensive bed worth it?

[ZingyLemon]

Note I am NOT talking about the mattress but only the frame/divan.

In the market for a new bed, headed to our local small-chain bed shop - had lots to choose from, most were circa £1200 inc headboard.

On websites like John Lewis/Argos I can get similar for around £500.

Worth the extra?

IMO, no! A frame is a frame. It's the mattress that makes the bed, not the aesthetics of the base/headboard. I personally wouldn't spend £1200 on a bed frame.

That's what I'm thinking. The mattress is of course important but surely the base less so?

Good support for the mattress is important but that does not necessarily mean it needs to be expensive. For a harder feel sleep a solid wood base is far better than slats as the mattress is fully supported. If you want a softer feel you should go for a sprung divan.

The last Argos bed frame I bought arrived chipped with one of the legs snapped off. Another leg fell off at I took the frame out of the box. Where it had broken you could see it was made of particle board (though it looks like cardboard) and glue - awful quality. I'd check very carefully what the base is made of.

Mine wasn't expensive but it's solid. Mostly made of metal, 17 years old and absolutely perfect still. The base is sort of metal solid mesh

I think it's worth spending more on a quality bed, we bought a bed that wasn't cheap but so uncomfortable we had to replace it after two years ... spend over £1500 but it is incredibly comfortable 15 years later.
Think about how much time you spend in bed, realistically far more than sitting on a sofa yet people seem prepared to spend ££££s on a sofa.

I got a very good quality cast iron bed frame (made by 'And so to bed') second hand for about £300 which I have been very happy with. They are in the £1000s to buy new.

No. I had mine for years and years, not expensive.

If you don't have any physical issues, I wouldn't fork out a lot on a high tech mattress either.

We looked at it as an investment- you spend a lot of time in bed! Spent just under £2k on a bed frame and no regrets. Went for something classic so won’t date and we hope to have it forever - possibly even pass down! I have never slept so well, absolutely love it.

No.

A basic sturdy bed is fine.

Interesting mix of responses. We currently have a metal frame bed that we've had for years; nothing wrong with it but we both prefer a softer sleeping surface and decided to switch over to a divan base. Also really want a soft head board because our metal one is uncomfortable to sit against.

No we've just got a huuuuuge frame very cheap from Mano Mano and I love it. It's the mattress that makes the difference imo.

No! My frame was £300 but the mattress was £700. Its the mattress that makes a bed comfortable.

There is a certain point where it becomes worth spending money. I had a really cheap bed frame years ago, it was incredibly squeaky and slightly worrying to sleep in. But I think that was less than £100.

I think it makes a massive difference actually. If the mattress is supported properly it doesn't go all saggy and is firm and soft in all the right places. We have a spring divan base and visprung mattress and in total
It cost the same as a small car. But I spend nearly half my life in it so it's important to be comfortable. I hate sleeping in any other bed. Divan is better than frame (but doesn't look as nice). When I was younger I had a cheap frame and cheap mattress and that was fine too because I didn't weigh a lot and didn't have any aches and pains! I'm fatter now and everything hurts so the quality of the bed has had to improve. I love my bed.

My £3300 John Lewis bed has been a disaster.

Are they comparable? I mean are you looking at solid wood frames vs chipboard? It's worth thinking further down the line how long the bed will last and whether it will need replacing. We have a cheap chipboard bed and after 6 years it's needed complete reinforcement at the corners to prevent it falling apart, it also looks scruffy.

The frame really doesn't have to be expensive or anything special. Although I will say that my mum has had the same bed frame for 21 years now and it's still in mint condition. She paid well over £1000 for it. So I sort of understand where you're coming from. But imo, no, I personally wouldn't spend that on a bed frame.

My £3,800 furniture village bed is shite. It was such a treat, after years of £500 beds.

What a let down! I hate it. It’s so uncomfortable. Too heavy. Mattress is so thick I have to pay double for special sheets. And the actual bed itself is made from the same cheap material as my daughters £199 bed purchased on Amazon. And the drawer fronts fall off in your hand, the same as any other cheap bed.

They saw me coming I think.

We’ve had two bed frames over the years, only got rid of the 1st because we wanted a king size. It was solid pine with headboard and footboard with thick non sprung slats and was as good as new after 20 years, we donated it to charity.
Our current bed frame was mid price, about £600 5 years ago, it’s a solid platform top that lifts for storage underneath, a rare beast nowadays as they all now seem to have springy slats, which I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole.
DD’s divan bed with drawers is 5 years old, cost them well over £1k and is falling apart, it’s bloody awful. I keep looking for one like mine for her but can’t find one where the whole base lifts up like mine does.