Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to everyone’s well-being. It’s why so many people are willing to invest good money in a comfortable and supportive mattress. However, it’s also important to pair that mattress with a good bed frame, as it provides the stable foundation your sleeping surface needs to hold it away from the cold ground and keep it from sliding around.
The best bed frames don’t just offer excellent support for your mattress, they can also elevate a bedroom’s aesthetics. Regardless of how you decorate your bedroom, the bed will always end up being the focal point of the space, since the bed is the entire room’s actual reason for existing. As such, both the bed frame and the mattress on top of it will usually set the tone for how the entire room looks and feels.
What to avoid when buying bed frames? We recommend staying away from any bed frame that can end up squeaking over time. A lot of beds made using steel frames held together by nuts and bolts can definitely do that after a while. You also want to avoid frames made with low-quality materials, since bed frames are going to support a whole lot of weight and cheaper materials can definitely give out with enough pressure on them. Make sure you also buy the correct size bed frame for your mattress of choice, since buying too small means you’ll have to cut off your mattress to fit and buying too big means the mattress will end up sliding all over the place while you toss and turn. Finally, make sure you know what kind of adjustments you want your bed frame to have. Some people need bed frames that can be tweaked for height, ergonomic support, or mobility assistance, so always factor that in if that’s in your consideration.
These are the best bed frames to bring comfort and style to the bedroom.
Note: All prices are for queen-size bed frames, unless indicated.
KD Frames Nomad Platform Bed
Pros
- Rated to support up to 600 pounds
- 11.5 inches of clearance under the bed
- Made from hardwood
- Customizable DIY finish
Cons
- Unfinished, so you’re getting bare wood with no protective coating
- Takes a lot of time to assemble because it has so many parts
Despite this bed frame’s affordable price, it’s impressively sturdy, ensuring it can hold up to many years of service. Seriously, it feels sturdier than some of the more expensive bed frames in the list. The strength isn’t surprising, since the wood they use feel substantial, all while coming with two sets of slats, one on each side of the bed, instead of a single wider one like most other beds. Do note, all those extra slats add plenty of time to the assembly, so this takes a bit longer than we would normally expect. We also love the height (15 inches), which leaves plenty of space underneath for hiding large boxes if you need the extra storage, complete with an accessory option for even taller 18-inch legs. The wood here, by the way, comes unfinished, so you can coat it with paint or varnish yourself. It’s a good thing for those who want to customize their furniture, but not so good for those who just want something they can assemble and forget about, since the bare wood will nick and scratch pretty easily.
Latitude Run Oliver Platform Bed
Pros
- Slightly elevated sidewalls, so mattress can’t slide past the frame
- Solid wood construction
Cons
- The plastic rattan on the headboard looks better from afar
- Not high enough to accommodate taller boxes underneath
Another affordable option, this one is made with acacia wood, giving it a youthful boho-chic vibe that lends plenty of character to the space. It’s plenty sturdy, with wide slats and two central legs giving it an 800-pound capacity rating, allowing you to use the bed without any worries. We like that the bed’s sidewalls are slightly higher than the slats, since it secures the bed in place, so there’s no chance the bed can slide even if you try to push it out of place. It also comes with a good-looking headboard cut in MDF and plastic rattan (yeah, that’s not the real thing), as well as decent amount of space underneath, although you can only slide in boxes under 6.7 inches tall.
Saatva Copenhagen
Pros
- Gorgeous modern aesthetic
- Fully upholstered front, back, and sides
- Thick headboard with a sloped shape
Cons
- No listed weight rating
This upholstered bed frame pairs metal legs with a kiln-dried hardwood frame and plywood slats, as we; as vertical center support to ensure sturdy function through many years. There’s no listed weight rating, though, although it does handle two people pretty easily, with no apparent creaking or wobbling. We love the upholstery, which comes in your choice of either linen or velvet, which combines with the unusually-shaped legs to create an unmistakably modern aesthetic. It comes with a headboard that’s also fully upholstered front and back, so you don’t have to push the headboard against the wall to hide anything. Since this is a Saatva frame, it should be compatible with both their mattresses and their remote-controlled adjustable base frames, in case you need a bed that accommodates various postures down the line.
CB2 Nadi Wood and Cane Bed
Pros
- Beautiful headrest made with stained wood and natural rattan
- Side rails secure the mattress in place
Cons
- Low height (six-inch clearance) may not be for everyone
All the minimalist bed frames are nice, but sometimes, you want something that looks just a little fancy and a rattan headboard does a lot to bring that fancy flair to the fore. Unlike one of the other beds above, which used faux rattan for the headboard, this one uses the real thing, complete with a fancier headboard design with rounded corners and solid wood in the center. The bed frame itself is equally nice, albeit without the rounded corners, with a low height, poplar wood slats, and a beautiful midtone stain finish. The sidewalls are also slightly higher than the slats, so the mattress is held securely in place, with no chance of moving off its spot. Yes, the headboard is really the highlight here and it actually sets the tone for the whole thing.
Thuma the Bed (with Wooden Headboard)
Pros
- Made from solid wood
- 1,500-pound weight capacity
- Uses Japanese-style joinery for tool-free assembly
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
- Uses center leg support, so there’s extra material underneath in the way of your storage boxes
Out of all the bed frames here, this one is what impressed us the most. For one, it assembles without any tools, since it comes with parts that literally slot into each other (they say it’s Japanese-style joinery), making it feel like you’re putting together a puzzle instead of building a bed. And yes, it’s definitely a lot more fun. Do note, attaching the headboard will require you to add a couple of hand-tightened screws, but that’s about it for conventional furniture building. Construction is solid rubberwood with a scratch-resistant finish, so this feels very sturdy and reliable (1,500-pound rating). We also love that they lined the slats with felt to prevent any kind of creaking. It has a nine-inch clearance underneath, so you can slide in some taller boxes in there, although it does have a central leg support, so it might end up in the way if you’re storing wider boxes in there.
Blue Dot Nook Bed
Pros
- Unique headboard
- Very sturdy
- Easy to assemble
Cons
- Very heavy
We’ll admit, this is the first time we’ve seen a headboard similar to what’s on this bed frame. It just looks so unique and grabbed our attention immediately. Basically, it comes with a low headboard that has angled panels on each side. We’re not entirely sure what the design is for (it’s supposed to help block light and sound), but it definitely gives it a pretty modern aesthetic. It also kind of secures the bed similar to side rails, albeit strictly from the top, so it definitely has function, either way.
Do note, this is one heavy bed, coming in at over 140 pounds, which came as an absolute surprise, so you’re probably not going to want to move it as soon as you have it in one place. Why is it heavy? Mostly, because it uses thick 0.75-inch thick slats (14 of them), along with a mix of hardwood and steel parts. Assembly is easier than most, since the slats are preassembled, although the heft does make it a bit challenging to put together. Oh yeah, this comes in your choice of fabric, velvet, or felt upholstery. We think the fabric version is nice enough, but you can go with the other two if you’re willing to splurge a little extra.
Benchmade Modern Skinny Fat Bed
Pros
- Wide selection of colors for the upholstery
- Unique wide slat design feels more supportive than traditional slats
- Comes with headboard and footboard
- Comes with option for taller headboard, if you prefer that
Cons
- A tad too many support legs down the center (four of them)
No, you don’t have to be skinny fat to sleep comfortably in this bed frame. In fact, we think this will be extremely comfortable for everyone, especially since it uses wider slats, so there’s better support for your mattress. How wide? Well, the slats are so wide, the bed only comes with four of them and that’s enough to cover the entire length of the frame. It still maintains decent ventilation, too, since the slats are situated a couple of inches apart, making for what we think is a really good balance of airflow and support. We love that this bed integrates both a headboard and a footboard, as it creates a more appealing overall aesthetic on top of helping secure the mattress into place. Construction is hardwood for the frame, with a wide selection of fabric and leather upholstery. Do note, this has four support legs at the center (one for each slat), so using the space under the bed for storage can be tricky.
Pottery Barn Jake Upholstered Storage Platform Bed
Pros
- Four large drawers on the side rails
- Solid pine wood construction
- Comfortable padded headboard
- Includes adjustable levelers for uneven surfaces
Cons
- Uses engineered wood in some parts
- Expensive
- Requires white glove service for assembly
If you want your bed with extra storage, this bed frame offers plenty via four large drawers on the side rails (two on each side), allowing you to keep all your sheets, blankets, and other beddings neatly right under where you sleep. Construction is pine wood for the bed frame, so that should be sturdy, while the drawers appear to be made from some kind of engineered wood material. According to the product page, it’s rated to support 500 pounds, although it really does feel like it can handle more. Then again, adding the drawers might have compromised the structure a bit, so it’s probably safer to stick to the prescribed limits. We also like the padded headrest, which comes with extra panels on either side for additional noise and light blocking. Do note, this thing weighs a whopping 365 pounds and requires white glove assembly, so you’ll have to spend money for that on top of the already premium price of the bed frame.
