The Grand Tour | Amazon Fire TV | Amazon (Kindle, books, electronics) You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.Box spring or wood slats? March 14, 2014 Subscribe We just got a nice new mattress. It came with a box spring. We were using our old mattress on an IKEA bed (the Redalen, which I guess they don't sell anymore) with their cheap wooden slats, the Sultan Lade, as support. All things being equal, we'd stick with the IKEA bed and slats. But are all things equal? Are there advantages to using the box spring instead of the slats?Purchasing a bed or mattress It is estimated that the average person spends around 3,000 hours a year in bed. With statistics like this, it is easy to see why choosing the right bed and mattress is so important. This guide walks you through the options so you get what you need for a great night’s sleep. If you already have a mattress and you just need to upgrade your bed, then you should be shopping for a bedframe.
Bedframes are available in a huge range of materials, styles and sizes. Choose from the modern to the traditional, the ornate to the understated and find the right match for you. Bedroom suites are ideal for anyone who is overhauling their bedroom furniture. Bedroom suites include a bedframe and matching furniture so you can co-ordinate your décor scheme with ease. Ensembles feature a bed base and an accompanying mattress. Ensembles come with either a solid or a sprung base. Buying an ensemble ensures your bed and mattress will be a perfect match. Choosing the right bed for your kids can help you make bedtime enjoyable, make the most of the available space and make it easier for them to drift off to sleep. If your child sleeps in a smaller bedroom, consider space saving options like a loft bed that comes with a built-in desk that sits underneath the sleeping area. Bunk beds are fun and a great way to save space. Electric adjustable beds are ideal for anyone who has difficulty getting comfortable when lying flat or for those who watch TV in bed.
Adjustable beds feature a handheld controller that allows you to raise and lower the top (and in most cases the foot) of the bed to a position that suits you. Open spring mattresses are the most common type of mattress. The springs are interconnected. This means movement on one side of the bed may be felt on the other. Pocket sprung mattresses contain individual spring pockets that are housed in fabric. Pocket sprung mattresses are ideal for those that might share a bed. Each pocket works independently so movement on one side of the bed may not be felt on the other. Memory foam adapts to your shape and weight to provide maximum support and comfort. Memory foam mattresses feature visco-elastic foam that moulds to the shape of your body. Memory foam provides extra support and relieves pressure on your joints. Bed & Mattress Features Beds and mattresses are sold in set sizes that range from single to super king. Bear in mind the following when deciding which size works best for you:
Standard mattress sizes are as follows: To get an idea of the proportion of a bed to the rest of your room, mark out the dimensions with newspaper. Ideally, your bed should be 10-15cm longer than the tallest person sleeping on it. Low footboards are often best for taller people as they do not obstruct movement or stretching. The style of bed you opt for will be dictated by your personal tastes. However, if you aren’t sure where to start, consider the following: A metal bed frame, particularly one with a lustrous finish, can introduce a modern feel to your room. Timber-finish bedframes are low maintenance and add a feeling of permanence. Beds with tall footboards look great in large rooms with high ceilings, but lower footboards are better suited to smaller spaces. Large, bold headboards make a dramatic statement, especially if they upholstered in luxurious fabrics that set off the colours of your room's décor. Look after your bed and mattress and you’ll be able to enjoy them for years to come.
Except the 10cm mattress of my old bed has been switched to just 6cm on the current version. As I'm reluctant to pay more than a grand for something with what seems to be a lower spec than it used to be a decade ago, I set about researching alternatives.There are certain questions you'll need to ask at the outset, such as what type of mattress you want. Pocket sprung are generally good, with the more springs the better. Memory foam tends to divide sleepers more with its lasting impression that moulds to the body. Sitting pretty: Choosing the right sofa-bed can be a bit of minefieldAlso, what type of sofa cushions do you want on the sofa itself? Softer ones that you need to plump daily or more durable ones that do not require much attention?It is also worth making a decision about the sofa-bed mechanism, with my preferred option being the sofa converting into a bed in one easy movement with wooden slats to provide additional back support.Interior designer Sarah Ward, of Sarah Ward Associates, recommends investing money so that you get the exact product you want to ensure the comfort of your guests.
She said: 'The thickness of the mattress and the mechanism will dictate the overall height of the sofa. A corner will unit make the product seem more generous and luxurious. And remember that the bed size will be governed by the seating area within the arms of the sofa.'Sofa Workshop prides itself on its bespoke service. There are set sofa-bed designs to choose from but these can then be altered according to your requirements - for example, if you want higher arms, it will build these for you. And while it has a choice of fabrics, you can even use your own. So say you bought some fabric from Laura Ashley, you can ask for the sofa to be covered in that material - so long as it is upholstery fabric and adheres to fire regulations. However, the depth of the cheapest mattress option available from Sofa Workshop is just 2.5cms. Sofa Workshop insists this is for one-off guest use and that the everyday sofa-bed mechanism has a 10cm thick mattress and wooden slats. However, it is not pocket sprung.
The mattress on the Sofa Workshop Jude sofa-bed is 10cm thick and is on wooden slats.Hitting Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street at peak shopping time was always going to be a bad move. But strapped for time, I headed to the furniture department at the top of the central London store. I've had an Abbey sofa-bed from Marks for the past 10 years, and I have been more than pleased with it - but it has done a good stint and it is time for it to be replaced. After choosing a different fabric, I was about to pay when I decided to check on the size of the mattress. It was a deal breaker as it is no longer 10cm, but a mere 6cm. An M&S spokesperson said: 'Our Abbey sofa range is a firm favourite with our customers and we have sold it for over 15 years. We are always looking at ways to improve our products, and our Abbey sofa-bed now has a fully sprung base and slimmer mattress that offers better support and more comfort.' The M&S Abbey sofa-bed has seen its mattress shrink in size from 10cm to 6cm.
Bishopstrow storage sofa-bed, £1,887, www.willowandhall.co.ukFrom the moment I walked into Willow & Hall's stunning showroom in Chiswick, I knew that the experience of buying a sofa-bed had turned a corner. A keen and energetic showroom assistant began with showing me the three types of mattresses on offer, from the 14cm open spring model with interconnected springs and pocket sprung mattress with individual springs (which is more suited to two people) through to a memory foam base at 12cm, which is apparently the most popular option. The easy mechanism means conversion into a bed is with one easy fold out movement. There is also a choice of cushions - luxury ones that need plumping every day or more hard wearing ones. This design also comes with storage under the chaise, offering a perfect place for pillows and duvets. Ordering on the website isn't smooth as it could be. The mattress on the Willow and Hall Bishopstrow chaise storage sofa-bed has an impressive 14cm mattress.Some of Heal's sofas are stunning and so it was disappointment to see they don't all translate into sofa-beds.
So while some of their sofa-beds are large and full of plump cushions, their sofa-beds have a more modern and angular feel. For example, the Cumulous corner sofa is not available in a sofa bed format. Heal's seems to be missing a trick on this front and if this product was available, it would have been at the top of my list. A spokesman for Heal's said: 'All our sofa-beds have pocket sprung mattresses, of varying size depending on the style. They are designed in Denmark and whereas standard sofa-beds can be either a bed or a sofa, our styles are more multifunctional - for example the Knap sofa bed can be a sofa, a day bed (half up, half down) or a bed. You can also vary the seat back recline between full upright and gentle recline offing many ways of using these versatile pieces of furniture.' The sofa-beds at Heal's have pocket sprung mattresses, of 'varying size depending on the style'.John Lewis offers an alternative to the traditional sofa-bed design. The bed is pulled out from the main unit and a sheet can be put over the whole area including the chaise unit.
The foam mattress is aimed at occasional use and the chaise end unit offers a storage area. The mattress is 8cm deep. Jo Unsworth, upholstery buyer at John Lewis said 'Customers may not always have a spare room available, so are increasingly keen to ensure that their sofa-beds are as aesthetically pleasing as possible, which is partly why this model is one of our most popular. This sofa-bed is also particularly comfortable, due to its thick mattress, so a good buy for a customer looking for a sofa-bed that will be used on a regular basis. It also has internal storage to allow bedding to be stored in and is available in a number of sizes and a huge array of different fabrics.' The mattress on the John Lewis Sacha large sofa bed is 8cm thick.If you don't have several thousand pounds to spend on a sofa-bed with a pocket sprung mattress and wooden slats, you need not give up on your search for a comfortable solution. One option is this sofa-bed from Ikea, which comes with a 10cm foam mattress and costs less than £200.