Best Bed Frames for 2025: GQ's Ultimate Buying Guide | British GQ

Curated by GQ, our guide to the best bed frames ranges from luxurious velvet to minimalist Scandi designs to suit every style and budget

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Your bed frame is undoubtedly the centrepiece of a bedroom, meaning it's instrumental in the room's overall aesthetic. Go without one and that mattress on the floor will instantly give off the impression you’re disorganised and don’t really care about your surroundings, while a rickety old thing just doesn’t make your room feel put together. A four-poster bed, sleigh bed or even a stylish ottoman storage bed, though? That’s giving the appearance that you’ve really got your life in check. It’s just one item, but it makes the world of difference. This being said, unless you shop from our guide to the best cheap bed frames, a bed frame can be a big investment.

First, think about the size of your bedroom, how much storage you need and if you want to use it to bring some colour to your space — then you can really start to plan. To make it easy for you, we’ve rounded up our favourite bed frames below, including the best ottoman bed frames, wooden bed frames for an understated look, the best rattan bed frames, the best king bed frames, the best double bed frames, bolder luxury frames to give off the impression you’re 16-century royalty, and chic metal bed frames that’ll let your bedding and soft furnishings do all the talking.

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Here at GQ, we think your choice of bed frame is integral to how your bedroom looks and it’s important for us to look for the best options when making our recommendations. Wherever we can, we've tried bed frames out personally, with a member of the GQ team sleeping on one for a few weeks to see how it holds up, what kind of support they get, and how they think the design looks in person. When this hasn't been possible we've hopped around many of the London furniture showrooms to make sure we look at them ourselves before recommending. Of course, this isn't always feasible, but we've only included brands we love and trust below, and we've tried other products from before, giving us a good sense of their credentials.

Emma Ottoman Bed, as tested by GQ Recommends team

Our guide to the best bed frames has been compiled by our GQ Recommends Interiors team, overseen by GQ’s Senior Commerce Writer Daphne Bugler who has four years of experience writing about everything from mattresses and sofas to celebrity homes and the latest trends in furniture, all of which has given her a wide-ranging knowledge and expertise over what makes for a good furniture investment.

We’ve also spoken to experts and attended many a store, showroom and pop-up to get a good sense of what our favourite brands and designers are producing so we only recommend the very best. And once we've chosen our favourites, we've consulted online forums like Reddit's r/BuyItForLife to get a sense of customer opinion too. Of course, there’s still a good range in our guide, with options for every budget and style as well.

Sleep.8

Upholstery can be very hit or miss with beds, sometimes looking a bit too thin or at risk of wearing down over the years, but this bed from Sleep.8 gets it exactly right. With so much depth to the headboard, the Arina bed gives off a plush, luxurious vibe (especially thanks to the rich, velvety fabrics that the brand uses). The sky blue velvet has to be our favourite, with a subtle amount of colour that feels really elegant and premium. You’d never believe the cover can even be removed and washed, helping prevent it from becoming dusty and keeping it as hygienic as possible.

Beyond the fabric and design, this is also one of the most useful ottoman-style beds we’ve come across, justifying the price tag. Underneath the bed the storage area is 26cm deep, with a lift mechanism that makes it super easy to access. Whether it's your extra bedding or just your winter clothes you’re looking to tuck away, it’s one of the best sources of concealed bedroom storage you’ll find. Just make sure you shop while it's still 25 per cent off.

Dusk

Dusk

Turning your bed into a boucle cloud, Dusk’s Alexandria bed frame comes as part of the brand’s latest collection, championing all things soft and cosy ahead of the cooler months on the horizon. In the white boucle, it’s impeccably soft, and it’s hard to think of a material that’s better placed to make your space a bit warmer in the winter. Now, we hear you: white? Surely that’s a recipe for disaster. Well, if you’re too worried about potential mishaps, or tend to get in bed with a glass of red wine every night, we might suggest you opt for the grey version to give yourself some extra protection. But, if there’s one thing we’ve learned in our time writing about interior design, it’s that taking the risk on white furniture is almost always worth it. Cast the thought of potential spillages out of your mind because this just looks so damn good in the bedroom.

Fabric aside, we also love the height of this frame, pairing a taller headboard with a pillared footboard to offset the softness of the boucle with more of a contemporary and regal feel. Pair it with some colourful bedding if you want to really bring your space to life or perhaps stick to a neutral feel with some hotel-quality white sheets to keep it sleep and chic. From £429. At dusk.com

Heal's

What better way to make your bed feel more relaxing than by turning it into a literal pillow? Doing exactly this, but in the chicest way possible, Heal’s Pillow Bed is easily the most sleep-inducing set-up we’ve come across yet – its the ultimate relaxing, nonchalant bed frame and we’re quite honestly obsessed with it. With 19 colours to choose from, it’s very customisable as well, whether you want to contrast the pillow-like structure with a more vibrant colour — like the deep sea cotton or the sapphire blue velvet — or if you really want to lean into the cosy, soft vibes and go for the natural Sienna cotton.

It’s pretty faultless in our eyes – especially when you add in the ottoman structure of the bed, giving you under-bed storage that’s concealed and completely invisible. If soft lines, plush cushions, and plenty of colour options are your thing, this is the bed of the year.

Soho Home

Velvet is the opulent fabric. There’s no question about it. As long as it's high-quality and well-made, its presence makes a bed frame really stand out. (It could only really be rivalled by a really impressive dark wood.) But the texture and upholstery options that velvet brings, as well as the subtle addition of colour and the way it softens up – yet also elevates – a room, make it the ultimate choice for a really eye-catching, luxe-looking frame. Soho Home’s Willem is a perfect example of how to do this right.

With a unique vertical split down the middle, segmenting the bed frame and giving the optical illusion that its bigger than it is (as well as creating a clear cut reference point for when your partner denies they’re inching onto your side of the bed), we’re also obsessed with the slightly curved look of this bed, making you feel cocooned inside. The grey-blue velvet is paired with solid oak feet for an even more dignified look, with linen upholstery that’s just the right contrast to the velvet. It’s certainly not a cheap piece, but it's an investment in your bedroom’s vibe if ever there was one.

Sleep.8

We’ve not exactly been crying out for high-tech bed frames (we’re perfectly happy with our classic ottoman) but, we have to say: it's surprising it's taken this long for someone to give the bed frame its proper technical overhaul. A total and complete bedroom revolution, Sleep.8 has taken every aspect of your sleep — and your bed frame — and totally redone it, making it more efficient and super functional. It all starts with the ergonomic positions, essentially allowing you to adjust the bed frame to be, well… not just flat. It gives you the option to sleep in an elevated position to prevent snoring, or with a NASA-inspired position that supposedly helps take the pressure off your joints (do check your mattress is suited to this kind of fun first, of course).

Your sleeping position isn’t where the features end, either. Not nearly. Our favourite feature has to be the massage functionality, offering different massage areas and intensities to help you wind down and relax, while the LED under-bed lighting comes a close second. With it, you can not only find things that go missing easily, but it lights up the perimeter of the bed subtly, allowing you to move around at night without switching the big light on. And the design? It's simple and effective – right in line with the current black bed frame trend.

Heal's

Heal’s

If there was ever a piece of furniture to challenge the sofa bed for being the most multi-tasking item in your house, a storage bed would be it. But practical as they may be, storage bed frames can be surprisingly stylish too, reducing any excess clutter and creating a smooth, streamlined look. Working with a lifting mattress mechanism rather than sliding storage drawers, Heal's Alba is an effortlessly stylish option that'll work wonders in small bedrooms where storage and space for drawers to slide out are minimal. The headboard and frame are all covered in fabric, of which there are 11 colour options, which can be easily removed and washed in order to keep everything as hygienic and clean as possible. And as for the design itself, the additional height of the oversized headboard and the bold colour options all make this into one hell of a statement piece. And what else should your bed be? From £2,799 £2,239. At heals.com

Soho Home

Soho Home

Given how much space it takes up, your bed frame is a really great opportunity to get a bit creative and expressive, to really show off your interior design skills with a statement piece. Enter Soho Home’s Lawrence bed. Straight out of Soho House Rome itself, the design here has a lot of fun elements to it, with a curved headboard that’s unique enough to really attract attention, and also to make you feel like you’re living in a really aesthetic hotel. The warm tones of the wood pair nicely with the texture of the velvet upholstery, making for a great centrepiece for a cosier bedroom, especially if you pair it with other upholstered pieces like boucle furniture, or soft furnishings like rugs and throws.

Dusk

Dusk

Tapping right into a coastal feel, blue furniture has been a real interiors trend this year, especially as we head into spring and summer, bringing with it a relaxing, calming vibe that’s best suited to the bedroom. Especially when it’s in as nice a shade as Dusk’s Ascot bed frame. Soft and cosy thanks to the matte velvet fabric, the Ascot range of beds is elegant and refined in one go, while also emulating the kind of rustic and relaxed style you might get in a vacation or holiday home, turning your bedroom immediately into the retreat it should be. Pair it with some minimalist, white furniture, bedding and wooden floorboards, and you’ll be set.

Emma Sleep

Emma

It may be best known for its high quality mattresses but Emma's prowess in the bedroom extends into the bed frame world, most notably with the brand's divan base bed, a bestseller that's the definition of practical furniture. Available to shop with or without a headboard, it's a genius addition to smaller bedrooms where storage is at a premium, coming with either two or four drawers (or none, if you're not keen) to help you organise your things and keep your bedroom clutter-free. Functionality-wise, it's easy to assemble, supportive and convenient, but we will say there is a bit lacking in terms of design customisation. Currently, you can only shop it in beige and dark grey, both of which aren't the most inspiring of colours, but they still work nicely in bedrooms that have a more minimalist design or where you work colours into the room through rugs, bedding or other soft furnishings.

Dreams

Dreams

If adding a modern touch to your bedroom is your sole aim, the Dreams' Westbrook Metal Bed Frame ought to do it. There's a sleek black finish on offer, making it perfect for a range of home decors, with flexibility to add your own personal style through bedding, throw cushions or whatever else you fancy. The rounded edges coupled with the clean lines make for a striking design, while the option to upgrade with sprung slats will allow for better shock absorption and cushioned support.

Simba

Simba

If you’re working with a home full of wooden furniture or have hardwood floors, incorporating texture into your bed frame can soften things up, add contrast, and make your space feel cosier. Simba’s Atlas is one of our favourites, combining a platform bed design with an upholstered headboard to help you create a calming bed set-up. And thanks to the brand’s focus on innovation, you’ll feel the benefits too, from the air-circulating design to the pressure-relieving slats.

Soho Home

Soho Home

If you pay attention to colour psychology, blue and greens are well known for being the most calming to put in your homes. Supposedly, being surrounded by them can go as far as lowering your blood pressure, slowing your heart rate and helping you sleep. We don’t know the science or have proof this is completely true, but we’d say it’s a good start for informing the colours you put in your bedrooms. Enter the Soho Home Angus bed.

Pairing a teal-blue colour with wooden accenting, this bed frame is giving all of the serene vibes that come inspired by Soho House Rome. The frame itself is solid oak, meaning it's designed to last and has plenty of durability while the soft velvet adds some texture and warmth to the bedroom. It’s very much a statement piece, but still retains some subtlety, keeping it impeccably elegant.

Soho Home

Soho Home

We may already have harped on about it when talking about Soho Home’s Angus bed, but we really do have to reiterate just how powerful using blue and green colours in the bedroom can be for helping you relax, feel calm and unwind. There’s a good reason why so many luxury furniture brands are opting for these light shades.

Inspired by the Vivienne Sofa at White City House, Soho Home’s Vivienne bed frame combines pleated stitching with a rich velvet fabric to create an impressive centrepiece for your bedroom, still subtle thanks to the light shade, but giving off a regal and commanding feel. Just bear in mind that the only real downside here (besides the price) is that you won’t be working with any under-bed storage as the bed sits only just off the floor.

Feather & Black

Feather & Black

Navy might not be the first colour that comes to mind when you think about bed frames, but it’s actually one of the best choices in our opinion. Darker, opulent velvets in shades like navy and green work well with sofas, and so does navy contrast incredibly well with white, making it a great choice for highlighting your bedding.

Giving off all of the chic, put-together vibes, the Wooster from Feather & Black is one of our favourite navy bed frames, capturing a sense of the Art Deco, which only enhance the rich feel of the navy. It’s also surprisingly affordable, coming in at £699 for a double thanks to the current sale at Feather & Black.

La Redoute

La Redoute

Putting a small twist on the classic wooden bed frame, La Redoute’s Quilda uses a unique criss-cross headboard design to turn what would be quite a simple, minimalist piece into one that’s actually quite engaging. It’s fun and fresh thanks to the shapes, but without some of the more showy opulence of similar statement bed frames, still feeling subtle and keeping your room from feeling overwhelmed. The oak frame also gives off more of a vintage feel, while the slatted base adds extra support throughout the night to keep you comfortable. All in all, we’d say that’s an easy win.

Darlings of Chelsea

Darlings of Chelsea

The name might sound straight out of a children’s book, but Darlings of Chelsea’s “Puddletown” collection is in fact the epitome of maturity and refinement. With winged headboards and tapered feet, it's a pretty versatile piece, showing character without being so much of a statement that it might overshadow the design of your bedroom itself. Fabric-wise, you’re totally in charge of what the bed looks like, with a range that extends from velvets and linens to recycled wool, cotton and even tweed, available in almost any neutral or shade you could want.

Personally, we’re big fans of the red earth cotton shade, which should add life and light to your room, especially warming it up ahead of the cooler months. There's no denying that this is an investment piece, but it's one that should last for years to come.

Emma Sleep

Emma

If you want to reap the benefits of Emma’s innovative designs, while also having a more traditional wooden bed frame, this is the one for you. An eco-friendly choice thanks to the sustainable sourcing of the wood and other materials, wooden bed frames are some of the most durable around, making for a strong frame with wooden slats that can withstand most things. They have a stripped back, simple look that can be styled up or down with the right bedding and accessories, and are pretty easy to integrate the rest of your bedroom furniture with thanks to the nice clean lines. Need we go on?

Made

Made

Next

If there's one thing we've learned on our hunt for the best bed frames, it's that you have to strike a careful compromise between finding a piece with a luxury edge and spending your life savings. There are few brands that really tread this line well, but Made's Hanson Ottoman is a prime example of how it can be done to perfection. The price comes in at less than a grand but it looks like it could be up there with the Soho Homes of the world in design quality.

Let's get this out of the way: a white bed might sound dangerous to some, but the boucle fabric here is especially hardwearing, enough so that we'd say it's worth taking the plunge. Our frame arrived with some minor scuff marks, which is to be expected, but they lifted away easily with a damp cloth and a bit of Dr Beckermann’s carpet cleaner, reassuring us that we could handle any issues that come down the line. The bed also comes with handy under-bed storage which is a big plus, especially when you live in a smaller flat.

As much as we love it though, it's worth noting that the installation process was challenging and took us around two hours with two people and an electric screwdriver (note: if you twist the ottoman device it can become locked, if the frame refuses to go down try twisting the rod and it should fix the problem). Once installed, it's easy to lift the bed up to access the inside, but on the first few occasions, you do need to apply quite a lot of pressure. If you're not sure you want to get physical with your bed every time, maybe opt for a divan so you can just wheel the drawers out instead. nbvcc Overall though? Stunning.

West Elm

West Elm

It may be a bit of a challenge to keep spotless, but if you fancy yourself the kind of person who rarely spills a coffee in bed, and you don’t have any pets who might get a bit messy, this bed from West Elm is one of the most aesthetically pleasing we’ve found. In an upholstered super light grey design that runs around the entire bed frame, it’s the ideal setting for many a cosy night, with soft edges and a comfortable plush headboard that you can really relax into. It’s pretty pricy, but if you think you can keep it fresh and take care of it, it’s a real winner.

When it comes to which material is best for a bed frame, it really depends on whether you're prioritising aesthetics or durability, or ideally looking for a balance of both. Wooden and metal bed frames tend to be the most common, mainly because they tend to last for a really long time, especially if you invest in one with a good structure. Both have quite a timeless appeal as well, and won't really go in or out of style. Upholstered bed frames can be a great choice for design, especially given that velvet bed frames have been trending for the past few years, but just bear in mind that they can get stained, can fray, and can just generally start to wear out after a while.

Again, call us indecisive but we can't just give you one best type of bed frame. It all depends, on you, your home and your personal preferences. Every type of bed frame really has a place somewhere, so just think about if you need some storage space from an ottoman, would prefer the chic look of a platform bed or just want a really classic metal bed frame.

In general, wooden and metal bed frames tend to have the most durable constructions and they'll normally last you longer than a bed frame that's upholstered or made from fabric. Look for solid wood constructions or higher-quality metals and you're set.