image from @studiohollond
BED DIVAN BASES AND BED FRAMES
The importance of choosing your bed cannot be underestimated in the slightest. This is after all, our beloved bed. Care and consideration must be taken for the biggest feature of our bedroom, and just maybe our home.
DIVANS DEFINED:
A Divan Bed Base is solid platform that your mattress sits on, usually made of upholstered wooden boxes. They require a headboard and will have fixings for this at its North end.
PLUSH
The ability to pair a divan base with a sumptuous headboard, a bed valance and a draping throw is opportunity for layers of colours, pattern and movement. Even though the divan base is ‘boxy’ and solid, the overall look is a softer one in comparison to a bed frame as all the hard edges and raw materials are upholstered or draped in fabrics.
STORAGE
A highlight of a Divan base is the storage options it offers. You can choose between built-in drawers (what I have in our own bedroom) or pull-out beds (what our children have in theirs). Unless you are someone who has perfected a more minimalist way of living, I do not think a chance for more storage space can ever be missed!
STRENGH
The solid platform the mattress sits upon offers a ‘bedrock’ for the mattress. The mattress is totally supported and will feel firmer as a result. I personally would always choose a Divan bed base for adult beds where more weight will be applied.
ROOM FOR CHANGE
The beauty of a Divan base is that you can easily change headboards, headboard slips and bed valances to give the bed a whole new look.
BED VALANCES
Even though most divans come upholstered in their own fabric, these fabrics aren’t always of the best quality and offer a limited style, so being able to cover the base in a beautiful bed valance offers a lot of options. You can really make the bed a feature and add personality.
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Some of the most beautiful beds out there are bed frames. They have been the beds of royalty and despite all the benefits I have covered of Divan bases, we must consider the offerings of a bed frame.
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FRAMES DEFINED:
Bed Frames are skeletal structures often made from metal or wood with slatted platforms which the mattress sits upon. Bed Frames are a sort of an “all in one”. They are complete with a footboard and a headboard.
RAW MATERIALS
Bed frames allow for the raw material of the bed to shine through, and this comes in the form of metals or woods. Ornately carved, or modern with clean lines; there is plenty of variety. Naturally then, the look can be a harder and a less cosy one, but of course for many spaces (particularly in hotter countries) this can be desirable.
LEGS
Frames are ‘on legs’ so the space underneath the bed can be visible. If you want to store things underneath the bed, do consider a bed valance! NB. The space underneath the bed won’t be as much as what a divan offers. Being on legs also offers a less boxy, solid look. Bed Frames can offer a ‘lighter’, more airy aesthetic.
KIDS BEDROOMS
I personally like to keep bed frames reserved for children’s rooms where the weight bearing down on the slats is lighter. I do think bed slats for heavier weights can often fail over time. Plus, there is something so charming about a bed frame which suits a child’s room so beautifully.
ONE LOOK
If you buy a bed frame, make sure you’re going to love it for many years to come as you can’t change this structure of the bed.
NB: At TTS we make bed valances for bed frame on a bespoke basis. You can see our website or contact us for more details.
