We were bought our bed as a wedding present – 23 years ago.
Yes. For twenty three years we’ve slept on the same basic honeyed pine bed frame (before you fret, we have had new mattresses, obviously).
And with 2015 being the year of the Bedroom Makeover, it was time we started to look at a new bed. It’s the most important piece of furniture in the room, obviously, and going on our track record it’ll be with us a long time. We need to make sure we make the right choice.
So we examined our options: bed technology is not somethingw e know anything about, after all. And the choices that are open to you once you start to look are, to be frank, a bit baffling. Soft, firm, memory foam, pocketsprung, open coil, gel… you need a masters degree in bed engineering to understand them all.
Our room is not very large, so maximising space is a huge issue.
For that reason, we’ve plumped for a kingsize divan – we currently only have a 4’6″ double, but when you add in the extra width needed for the wooden frame around the mattress, we can fit a divan king size in almost the same bedspace.
And whilst a 4’6″ sounds ‘cosy’ when you’re newly weds, after a few years, trust me: a few extra inches of space in which to starfish peacefully in your sleep are a godsend for both of you. It’s okay if you’re both Still Sleepers, but if even one if you happens to be the sort to flail wildly and kick randomly in her sleep (*cough*) every extra inch is blessed by the non-flailer.
But leaving the size-thing to one side (which is probably the biggest deciding factor for us) there’s also a whole heap of other bonuses which will occur when you switch from traditional bedsteads to divan beds.
No footposts. Possibly not top of everyone’s wishlist, but over the course of twenty years I would say once a month the husband crashes a kneecap into a deviously-hidden footpost on the bottom corner of the bed. He yelps, he curses, and he limps out of the room swearing that the bed just Has to Go. Over twenty years, and he’s never figured out where they are. But hey – a divan means no more evil footposts to kneecap him in the night.
Storage. Sure we slide stuff under our current bed, but it always gets covered in dust, it’s a major room overhaul to pull it all out to vacuum (hence it’s always covered in dust) and if too much is bunged under there it starts creeping back out across the floor again. Divans have drawers people. Drawers. Finally somewhere sensible to keep the spare duvets!
Choice. Divans are the most available type of bed. Head to your local bed store and try them out (we did – and genuinely couldn’t believe the differences. Make sure you both get on and lie down together. It feel a bit weird to do so in the middle of a shop, but it’s the only way to try them out, and the only way to find your perfect bed is to go try them; it’s quickly apparent which is the right one for you.
