How much should I spend on a good bed frame?

It doesn’t take long shopping online to realise that bed frames have a wide price range, costing anywhere from £200 to over £2,000.

You can spend less than £200 and get a good bed frame – the Birlea Soho, with its strong metal frame, and the Julian Bowen Sami, with its unfinished pine, are prime examples of high-quality beds on a budget.

Spending more than £200 isn’t necessary, but doing so gives you access to more interesting and ornate bed frames like the Birlea Emily. You also open the door to divan bases, a perfect solution for small bedrooms and softening the interior look.

Spending less than £200

Pictured: Birlea Soho 4FT 6 Double Platform Bed Frame. Priced £179 from Bedstar.

While less than £200 may not buy you an ornately carved solid oak bed frame, there are still plenty of good options in this price range. Most affordable bed frames under £200 are made from aluminium or unfinished softwoods like pine.

The benefit of metal and pine is that they are inherently sturdy and supportive materials, so you don’t have to sacrifice quality to meet a lower budget. For example, a metal or wooden frame with a sprung slatted base provides excellent support for your mattress at a fraction of the cost of a solid wood bed.

Pictured: Julian Bowen Sami 4FT 6 Double Wooden Bed Frame. Priced £178 from Bedstar.

Spending up to £400

You’ll find more unique metal bed frames, finished hardwood frames, and a budget divan bed to choose from with a budget of up to £400.

Metal frames in this price range often feature decorative detailing like curved headboards or rounded finial posts for visual interest. Finished hardwood frames made of oak, acacia, or rubberwood have an elegant, warm aesthetic perfect for bedroom styling.

This is also the price range where more basic divan bases with upholstered headboards become affordable. Divans are excellent space savers, providing storage drawers underneath while softening a room with fabric headboards. With £400 to spend, you’ll have your pick of durable frames and bases with nicer styling touches.

Pictured: Birlea Emily 4FT 6 Double Metal Bed Frame – Black. Priced £249 from Bedstar.

Spending up to £800

When looking at luxury bed frames costing up to £800, some of the main differences you’ll see are ornate carvings, winged headboards, a move to solid hardwood construction, and higher-end upholsteries. For example, a solid rubberwood bed frame with intricate botanical carvings has quality and beauty you won’t find at lower price points.

Adjustable beds are priced from around £600, so if you want an adjustable bed, expect to pay £600 to £1,000 for a high-quality model.

Upholstered divan bases and ottomans also move upscale in this range with a hardwood frame and plush upholstery. If you get a mattress with your divan, it will have a plusher, more luxurious feel overall. If you want furniture-grade construction with stunning design details, expect to spend nearly £800.

Spending over £1,000

Once you pass the £1,000 mark for bed frames, you enter a rarified world of beds more like high-tech furniture than a simple base for your mattress – a great example is state-of-the-art TV beds with footboards that house flat-screen TVs powered by integrated electric motors. Press a button and watch your TV rise silently from the frame.

Pictured: Kaydian Design Medburn 4FT 6 Double TV Ottoman Bed – Slate Priced £1499 from Bedstar.

Other beds costing over £1,000 include elaborate four-poster beds of solid mango or mahogany wood, canopy frames and graceful turned posts, and upholstered divan sets with additional luxury touches like adjustable bases, massage motors and built-in LED lights.

Factors that increase bed frame prices

  • Included mattresses: If your bed frame comes with a mattress, it’ll cost more, especially for hybrid and pocket spring technologies.
  • Included headboards: Headboards sometimes come as standard with divans, but not always – adding one will add to the price.
  • Integrated storage: Divan bases often have the option of drawer or ottoman storage, which can increase the price by around 30%.
  • Retailer markup: It’s crucial to compare prices online for bed frame resellers because every retailer has a different markup.
  • Delivery schedule: This isn’t the case with Bedstar, but some retailers add up to 20% to the price of bed frames with next-day delivery.