A buyers guide to beds and mattresses
Sleep provides one of the most restorative aspects in our lives. Sleep in an ill-fitting bed or on an unsuitable mattress and you could be setting yourself up for health problems in the future. So, choosing the right bed is one of the most important decisions you can make for your wellbeing.
DECIDING ON THE RIGHT BED SIZE FOR YOU
The size of bed you choose will depend on whether you plan to share a bed with another person and how much available space you have in the bedroom. For two people there is, of course, the traditional double, but if you have the space, do measure out a King size or bigger still, a Super King, both of which are bigger in the width and length than a traditional double. It can offer a couple more room generally during the night, and avoids the one sleeper disturbing the other through mattress movement.
FINDING THE RIGHT STYLE BED FOR YOUR HOME
The look, style and size of your home will determine the style of bed you are looking for. Whilst you want it to feel very personal to you and your choice can reflect this with the materials you choose, there are a few considerations to help you decide on the best possible style for you.
Wooden bedsteads Needing just the occasional polish with a duster, wooden bed frames are very practical. Choose from a wide range of beautiful woods including cherry, ash, birch, oak and walnut. Most styles create a timeless look and can last a lifetime.
Iron bedsteads Adding a feminine touch, the iron bed also manages to introduce a light and airy feel to a bedroom. A big bedroom can take both a head and tail board although an iron bed with a low end is also available if you don’t want the bed to dominate the space. Either way, iron beds have a slat construction on which the mattress sits, although you can choose the Well Base option as an alternative support system.
Upholstered bedsteads This is a style of bed that can really add an individual and luxurious touch to your home with the fabric upholstered to a wooden frame chosen to marry with your interiors - it’s the bespoke 
approach to introducing a new bed into your home. The options are endless with smart buttoning and stud detailing setting each style apart. Upholstered furniture does require a little more care on a day-to-day basis.
Divans If space is limited, built-in storage drawers set into the base of a bed make the ideal place to store any number of items. A divan bed provides this space and can be covered with a valance in situ, or left as is.
Children’s beds
It’s important for children’s beds to impart a sense of style and fun into a bedroom, but do try to choose a bed a child can grow into, otherwise a child’s bedroom can become an expensive business.
A HEADBOARD – PRACTICAL AND STYLISH
The simplest divan bed can benefit from the addition of a headboard. It not only adds an elegant touch to a bed and a bedroom, it gives support whilst sitting up in bed and gives a base on which to arrange a collection pillows. The seven styles available can add a classic or contemporary look to your interiors depending on your choice of fabric.
INSIDER’S GUIDE TO MATTRESSES
A mattress is a very important purchase, so spend as much as you can possibly afford to buy the best. The average person spends roughly a third of their life sleeping. If chosen correctly, it will give you hours of potentially comfortable sleep and it will support your back and limbs well for continued health. We would always recommend you try out mattresses. It is the one sure way to buy the perfect choice for you. Forget you are in a bed and mattress showroom and kick off your shoes and have a good lie down. Lie is the position you tend to sleep in. If you can feel springs in this position and you feel you want to toss and turn to get comfortable, move on to another style until you find one that suits your sleeping patterns. You haven’t finished the test yet! Roll from the centre to each side, again to feel how the mattress reacts to your body, and checking the support to the outer edges of the mattress. If you sleep with a partner, make sure that both of you test the preferred choice of mattress.
A sprung mattress or foam. Which is right for you?
It is a matter of preference, but it is also about considering your wellbeing. The correct mattress, whether sprung or foam, should cradle you and give support to your lower back; enhancing your posture and keeping your spine in its natural position.
Our Pocket Sprung mattresses are available in no less than seven tensions and created using different fibres and numbers of springs to offer different levels of support and luxury. The higher the spring number (from 1,000 to 4,500), the better the support.
The Open Coil mattress is a more economical version of the ‘sprung’ mattress so provides a good option for a child’s room or guest room. The springs in this style are all linked together, spreading bodyweight across the surface.
The ‘Memory Foam’ mattress is made from visco-elastic foam, a breathable material that is temperature sensitive and moulds to the contours of the body, so causing the least possible stress on muscles and nerves. This style of mattress is also known to prevent back problems, but can take a little time to get used to, so persevere when you first start to use it.
Expert advice on when to…
CHANGE A MATTRESS
The Sleep Council suggest changing a mattress every ten years, but we advise changing a mattress every five to eight years if you want to guarantee good support and a healthy environment. If your current one sags or creaks, and you can feel the springs beneath the surface or you wake up with aching joints, it’s time to buy a new one. Also, if your weight has changed since you purchased the mattress, you may want to consider a new one that is better suited to your new weight and current health.
The insider’s tip to …
CHOOSING A SUITABLE BED SIZE
A mattress should be at least 10cm longer than your height and wide enough to contain your elbows when you lie on your back with your arms resting alongside your body.
The healthy way to …
LOOK AFTER A MATTRESS
A mattress protector adds an extra hygienic, comfortable layer to a mattress and can be washed on a regular basis. For natural comfort, the 100 per cent cotton protector with a cotton rich quilted filling is ideal. There is an anti allergy mattress protector with a polyester filling to protect against dustmites and allergies. And, with children in mind, a waterproof mattress protector is a great choice. Turn your mattress every few months to help the springs or foam resettle naturally, and give it a good brush at the same time.
The savvy way to…
SHARE A BED
If you and your partner need different comfort requirements choose a mattress that allows you to have two different tensions. Alternatively, Memory Foam mattresses have the ability to absorb sleep-disrupting motion, allowing both partners to sleep more soundly and not feel each other’s movements.
The perfect bed solution ….
FOR GUEST BEDS
Not every home can afford a spare room with a guest bed used only occasionally. The Guest Divan is a single divan with a second bed stored underneath which folds out into two singles or a double divan. For a more glamorous idea, The Florence daybed is a clever, double-use option, folding out into a double bed and when not in use provides extra, elegant seating. And, if you need the fully collapsible bed option, an Aerobed made up of an inflatable base and mattress, provides an excellent level of support and can be inflated or deflated in just three minutes.
How to buy a double bed for …
A SMALL COTTAGE
Look into the double divan bed bases designed to split into two identical pieces that lock together for a secure fit. And, if getting a mattress through small doorways is a problem, the 48-hour pocket mattress arrives rolled up for easy transportation. This comes in four different spring and comfort levels, and as the name suggests, they can be delivered in under 48 hours direct to your door.
The luxury addition for…
THE BEST DRESSED BED
Mattress toppers are a fairly new addition to our shores (the Americans have been enjoying this added layer of luxury for some time). Made in either latex, goose down or ‘Memory Foam’, the topper simply lies on top of your mattress protector and gives a bed a really luxurious feel.