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Bed buying guide

If you’re wondering how to choose a bed, you’ve come to the right place. The Furniture Village bed buying guide covers all the different types of bed available, helps you work out what bed size is right for you, offers bed style suggestions and has top tips when buying a bed. Read on to learn more about beds.

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What type of bed is right for you?

There’s really no such thing as the perfect bed – it’s different for everyone and depends on a variety of factors that include the size of the room where your bed will live, who’s going to sleep on it and your own interior design style. Here’s a quick rundown of different bed types.

Divan beds

Divan beds, or divan sets, consist of a bed base plus mattress. Divan bases tend to have a firm and supportive surface – that’s why you might hear them referred to as platform-top divan bases – and often have firm or sprung edges for sturdy support from side to side and top to bottom.


Divan bases are usually upholstered in fabric, and are quite simple in style with few embellishments beyond decorative stitching. You can add a headboard to a divan bed to give it more of a designer look and feel.

Bed frames

Bed frames have two purposes. First, they provide support to your mattress, usually on a wooden slatted or sprung base. And second, as they come in a wide variety of styles, they’re a fantastic way of making a design statement in a bedroom.


Choose from simple wooden bed frames, ornate metal bed frames and luxurious upholstered bed frames. Most bed frames are raised above the floor on legs, which gives them an elegant look. This does mean, however, that bed frames can’t have built in drawers. If you need a new mattress too, visit the Furniture Village mattress finder.

Storage beds

Many beds come with built in storage. While this doesn’t change the look of the bed or how it feels when you’re sleeping, it’s an easy way to enjoy extra storage capacity without giving up any valuable floor space.


Double divan beds, king size divan beds and super king size divan beds often have two or four optional storage drawers in a choice of configurations. Single divan beds may have only one drawer. In an ottoman storage bed, the entire top of the bed plus mattress can be raised, either from the foot end or from the side, to reveal a large storage compartment.

Guest beds

Any bed that’s meant for guests is a guest bed. Your guest bed could be an affordable double divan set in a guest room or a specially designed guest bed like a folding bed. Some single beds come with a second bed hidden underneath that slides out and pops up to form a super king size bed.


If you don’t have a separate guest room, a sofa bed is a great guest bed option and is the perfect way to turn a home office, second living room or teen bedroom into a multi-functional space.

Children’s beds

If you’re looking for a child’s bed, you have plenty of options. A single divan bed or single size bed frame plus single mattress will do the job perfectly, or you can opt for a purpose-built kid’s bed.


As children’s bedrooms tend to be on the smaller side, many children’s beds are designed to save space. Bunk beds are great for siblings, mid sleepers have room for a desk and chest of drawers underneath, and high sleepers can even accommodate a wardrobe. If you opt for neutral colours and designs, a well-made child’s bed will last until your toddler is a teenager.

Adjustable beds

If you need help getting in or out of bed or simply want to sit up more comfortably in bed, an adjustable bed might be right for you. An adjustable bed can also help you find a better sleeping position if you struggle to get comfortable at night.


Adjustable beds have a multi-part base plus a flexible mattress which together can be moved into a variety of seated and reclining positions. Most adjustable beds are operated via a remote control pad, which makes them easy to use even for someone with limited strength.