I’m a big fan of upholstered sleigh bed frames.
Unlike divan bases, you get a headboard built in and unlike metal or wooden bedframes you won’t injure yourself if you walk into it during the night. The mattress also doesn’t move around very much as it’s wedged in at the foot of the bed.
You can also buy wooden sleigh beds from places such as And So To Bed. These tend to be less common so this guide will just focus on fabric sleigh beds (which is sometimes wrongly spelt as slay beds, believe it or not).
What mattresses go with sleigh beds?
If you’re looking for a mattress to go with your sleigh bed, then most people choose between memory foam and pocket springs – or a combination of the two (a hybrid mattress). There are other alternatives such as ‘open coil’ mattresses but these just don’t offer the same level of stability, which has been shown to be a key factor in achieving good quality sleep (Shen, Chen et al in 2012). Another option is a latex mattress. There’s a lot going for a latex mattress but they are relatively expensive if they are made from genuine natural latex rather than a manmade alternative (Dunlopillo are the market leaders).
Pocket spring mattresses are what a lot of people go for and you should be looking for one with a figure of more than 1000 springs ideally. Many of the best ones use natural materials such as wool and cotton to regulate your temperature, which is another proven way of improving the quality of your sleep. Other features to look for include ‘hand side stitching’. That makes a mattress more stable and resilient at the edges. Our research has found that it tends to be more expensive mattresses that offer this feature, as machine side stitching is cheaper for manufacturers. It is also a more common feature of traditional brands such as Vispring or Hypnos rather than modern and trendy bed in a box brands.
What about memory foam mattresses?
Memory foam mattresses are a popular alternative to pocket springs. Studies in medical settings have shown that they are good at spreading out your weight and relieving pressure on any one part of your body (Gunningberg, Lindholm et al, 2013). However, other researchers have found a slight increase in body temperature when comparing pocket springs to memory foam (Chiba, Yabi et al, 2018). The material also behaves slightly differently during heatwaves and cold spells, with it being marginally firmer when cold than when warm. There are also some environmental issues about memory foam, both during its manufacture and once you’ve finished with it and it is taken away to be disposed of.
For example, Garrido, Font and Conesa (2017) looked at what happens when a memory foam mattress is incinerated, which is a common way of disposing of a mattress. They recorded ‘relatively high emissions’ of Ammonia, Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Cyanide and suggested that reducing emissions of these ‘must be considered’. Some memory foam mattress makers are much clearer about their sustainability plan than others.
On the plus side, you’re much more likely to get a home trial period with a memory foam mattress than with a pocket spring mattress. That means you can try it out for several weeks before making your mind up.
We’ve picked out five of the best sleigh bed frames you can buy in the UK by looking at value for money, specification, customer reviews and awards. The price shown is correct at the time of writing and is for a king size sleigh bed and doesn’t include a mattress.
1. Birlea Colorado Upholstered Sleigh Bed – £599
This Colorado sleigh bed is one of the most popular models from a company called Birlea, which is based in Derbyshire.
To misquote Henry Ford, you can have it in any colour you like as long as it’s grey. On the plus side, it gets a customer review score of 4.9/5. If you buy it from Happy Beds then you get a five year guarantee. That is much better than the year or two which you get on most sleigh bedframes.
Sleigh bedframes come with either sprung slats or solid slats. As you might guess from the name, sprung slats give a bit of a softer and bouncier feel whilst solid slats give a firmer feel. Generally, sprung slats are the more expensive option although that’s not always the case. This particular sleigh bed has sprung slats, which will give it a bit of a bouncy feel.
As with most sleigh beds, it arrives flat-packed so you’ll need to put it together yourself. Several reviewers say that it wasn’t too difficult. You can only buy it as a king size sleigh bed or a super king size sleigh bed.
As an overall brand, Birlea scores an average of 4/5 from reviewers on TrustPilot or 4.4/5 on Google reviews.
Pros: very positive review scores, sprung slats for comfort, not too tricky to assemble, five year warranty
Cons: not available in double size
Our Value Rating: ****
(We give each product a rating out of five stars based on whether we think it offers value for money. Five stars are given to a product that we think offers ‘exceptionally good value’. Four stars are for ‘very good value’ products and three stars means ‘good value’. The rating is our opinion based on things like specification, brand reputation, review length and price).
2. Dreams Lucia Upholstered Sleigh Bed – £599
The Lucia sits at around the same price as the Birlea bed featured above. This one is sold by Dreams and you can sometimes get a discount if you buy it during a sale. It gets glowing reviews of 4.8/5 from about 4000 customers.
It’s got a simpler and subtler design than some sleigh beds and comes in four colours including grey, beige, navy and ‘silver’ as well as a faux leather and a velvet material. There’s also a much better choice of sizes than you get with most sleigh beds. You can even get this one as a single sleigh bed, as well as the more common sizes of small double/queen size, king size and super king size. It’s got a little drawer underneath for stuffing your spare bedding into.
Another plus point is that you can choose from sprung slats or solid slats. Solid slats are a little cheaper and firmer whilst sprung slats are a bit, er, springier. If you really really want to push the boat out, you can upgrade it to an adjustable sleigh bed which will lift your head up in bed.
One thing to look for when you’re buying a sleigh bedframe is the size of the gaps between the slats. If the gaps are too big then there’s a risk your mattress won’t get enough support (you can read our bedframe guide for more on this fascinating topic). According to The National Bed Federation ‘as a general rule, it is advisable to ensure the maximum gap is no greater than 7.5cm’. With the Lucia bed, the gap is only about 5cm according to the blurb from Dreams.
It’s deep enough at the foot end for a mattress which is up to 29cm deep. Very few mattresses are deeper than that, apart from a few which have a massive pillow top. Even then, I guess it would just stick over the top a little bit so would probably look OK.
My main criticism of this Dreams sleigh bed is that you only get a one year warranty. That seems to be standard with Dreams bed. Its mattress warranties are more generous.
3.Julian Bowen Ravello Upholstered Sleigh Bed – £732
This Julian Bowen Ravello sleigh bed is what we went for in the end and we’ve certainly been pleased with it. The Julian Bowen brand scores an overall average of 4.5/5 on TrustPilot.
It only comes in one colour which is described as ‘mink’.
It’s got a sprung base (which feels a bit softer than solid slats) and it comes as a double, king size sleigh bed or a super king size sleigh bed. As with most sleigh beds, you have to build it yourself which is easiest with two people. I managed it on my own but it took a bit of patience.
It comes with a one year warranty, which is a bit underwhelming.
Pros: good value, positive reviews, sprung base
Cons: less well known brand than Dreams or John Lewis
Our Value Rating: ****
4. Sleep Zone Crushed Velvet Sleigh Bed – £325
I’ll be honest – this crushed velvet sleigh bed is not to my taste.
However, I also don’t like Mrs Brown’s Boys and it was voted the best comedy of the 21st century so I have to accept that not everyone likes the same things as me.
Customers certainly like the Capella sleigh bed, as it scores an average of 4.2/5 after about 30 reviews.
You can buy it in six different colours including silver, gold or black and as a single, double sleigh bed or king size.
It’s got a sprung base and most reviewers say it was easy to put together.
Pros: sprung slats, low price, positive reviews
Cons: style will not be to everyone’s taste, not a well known brand, not available in super king size
Our Value Rating: ****
5. John Lewis & Partners Louis Sleigh Bed – £1549
You’ll have noticed that this Louis sleigh bed from John Lewis & Partners is two or three times the price of some of the cheaper sleigh beds in our top five.
So what are you getting for increasing your budget?
Well, the main difference is that it is made from oak which is a hardwood which is much more expensive than the cheaper woods used in most bed frames (pine seems to be the most common choice in cheaper wooden furniture). That should make it a little sturdier.
It’s available as a double, king size and a super king size sleigh bed and you have a choice of two colours, oak or grey.
There aren’t many reviews to go on, but it averages about 4/5.
Pros: Posh brand, high quality wood construction rather than cheaper fibreboard options or pine
Cons: two or three times the price of other sleigh beds
Our Value Rating: ***
