Bed Buying Guide

When choosing a bed or mattress our best advice is always to visit one of our stores. All of our products are technical in nature and have been selected on the basis of careful research and the science of sleep in order to identify ‘best in class’; our team have a huge knowledge to offer to help you choose what is right for you. That means understanding the benefits, comparing the products, and collaboratively working with our experts to assess your personal needs and preferences.  

For those of you who want to inform yourself before deciding to come to store, or have your own reasons for progressing online, here you can find our top tips and theory to assist you.

Bedfacts – The RESTED philosophy

Your bed (and sleep platform within) are way more than just a way to get your mattress off the floor……

Your bed should be working in tandem with your mattress to support your body contour and reduce pressure. Which is why we often refer to a mattress/bed combination as a ‘sleep system’.

The fundamental purpose of a bed base is to provide support for your body shape. It doesn’t need to provide ‘comfort’ in the same way a mattress does because you are not in direct contact with it. Firm and/or accurate upwards support and response across your entire bodylength are the basics of what is required.  

There are various different types of bed/platform construction, all of which are useful and relevant for different individuals.

Solid beds – e.g standard divans with solid top.

Sprung Divans (also know as ‘box springs’ in Europe) – beds with responsive springs inside.

Slatted Beds – which can be solid slats or ‘tensioned’ slats for more response.  

Adaptive Beds – slat technologies that allow you to predefine specific tensioning in the base e.g softer response in key pressure areas like shoulders and hips.

Mesh Beds – a unique metal construction type of sleep platform that has various unique advantages.

Adjustable Beds – normally referring to the ability to elevate the back and leg sections of a bed (whilst you are in it). (Read our adjustable bed guide here. There’s way more to it than just being a mobility device!).

In choosing what type of bed base to go for, we would ask you to consider the factors below to determine where your priorities sit.

1. Longevity (of the bed); Are you buying a bed you expect to keep for a few years, or would you prefer to invest in a product that will last for decades? The construction and quality of beds in terms of the materials used, joinery and workmanship varies greatly. It’s fair to say that if you are looking for a long term bed, then quality clearly matters.
2. Storage; In the UK, storage beds are a common choice and if that is necessary for you, then we have great solutions. We ask you to consider whether the priority for your bed is to store things, or is it more about the sleep it generates? 
3. Aesthetics; Always a highly personal matter and normally a function of your bedroom décor and personal taste. We find wildly different preferences in the UK. Between grand upholstered divans vs minimalist ‘architectural’ beds it’s an important choice. There is no denying though that your bed should be your ‘happy place’ and getting the right look is a big part of that.
4. Response; Are you interested in optimising your body support, long term back care, and your sleep comfort? If so, the bedbase plays a very important part in that, and needs to be matched carefully with your mattress, and to you as an individual. For some people, the only response they may need from a bed base is firmness, like sleeping on a board or solid divan; but everyone is different and for many their sleep comfort and health can greatly benefit from the performance of a responsive base with springs, tensioned slats, or adaptive technologies.
5. Temperature Control; all of the different types of bases have varying levels of ventilation/pass through of air. Which profoundly affects temperature control whilst sleeping. As indeed does your mattress, but if temperature control is high on your list of priorities then the more open and breathable your bed structure the better the performance.
6. Allergen/hygiene control; as with temperature control, open structured beds allow greater airflow, moisture, and allergen control. A wipeable fabric, or a metal or wooden bed is clearly capable of much more regular and easily cleaning than an upholstered divan that may attract and store dust within.
7. Access; if you are looking for a double bed or larger, then access to bring your new bed in to your bedroom is a necessary consideration. Single piece divans or box spring beds are large and heavy items, so if you want a large bed, but have tight access or turns in your staircase, this will influence what type of bed you select.
8. Budget; We want people to choose high quality beds that help you sleep better; a decent bed is a worthy investment, and like all things in life (in terms of quality), you get what you pay for. But of course everyone has different budgets and at RESTED we have deliberately tried to provide beds that span a range of budgets. Clearly though there are certain types of bed that cost more than others, so we never ignore budget and will always try and present a range of options tailored to you.

Sizing:

There is no global standard for bed sizes. Meaning that the UK, Europe, America, Asia all have different ‘standard’ bed sizes. Some of which overlap and some of which do not – and all of which attach different names to the particular sizes. Here is our definitive table of the most common sizes you are likely to encounter in the UK.

 Our advice on what size bed you need?

• If you are sharing a bed with a partner, bigger is better. Subject to not overdominating your roomspace and having enough space to comfortably walk around the bed and access it. We always recommend the largest bed that can be proportionately accommodated in your bedroom. 
• The standard ‘British’ double size of 135 * 190cm is not in our view a good bed size for 2 people (now there’s a bold statement). Based on average sizes (of both people and rooms) in the 21^st century, we regard it as a ‘small double’ that should only be used for 2 people if there is no option for anything larger.
• Regarding bed length, if you are 6ft or less in height, then a standard 200cm length bed should be absolutely fine. If you are over 6ft, to stop your feet hanging off the end, you might want to genuinely consider a 210cm or 220cm bed – both of which are entirely common in the USA and Europe. At RESTED we specialise in those lengths as part of our ‘standard’ offering.

We hope that we can help you forwards on that process by discussing it with you. If we have your feedback on your priorities and sizing, then our expertise is in being able to provide you with a bed base to exactly meet your criteria.

Browse our beds here

You can browse the range online, or give us a call to discuss further. Better yet why not make an appointment to come and see us at our stores where we can help you in person – nothing beats the physical experience of seeing, trying, and comparing the products to each other.

You can also use the great ‘filters’ on our bed collection range to input your requirements and that will narrow the search for you.

For pricing info, just give us call. Please often ask why the prices are not on the website in more detail. Believe us, we would like them to be as that would certainly make life easier…. But the reason they are not is because with every bed frame model, there are so many options available, from dimensions to fabrics, to type of platform, to type of headboard, we would have to have a pricing book for each model. On our in-house systems, our experts can price a bed in seconds on the phone or by email.

Recommendations on our bed range;

If you are looking for beds that are;

Highly ventilated and are good for temperature control and allergen control

+

Beds that will last an extremely long time

+

Beds that are contemporary/architectural/modernist in style

+

Beds that have sleep performance, back support and advanced technologies for better sleep

Please browse our ‘Auping’ brand beds.

If you are looking for; 

Upholstered beds of luxury and the highest construction quality

+

Classic Divans or box springs

+

A Large range of aesthetic headboards, storage and bespoke options

Please browse our ‘Colunex’ brand beds