Bed Bases: Your Complete Guide

A bed base: where every night’s sleep is as satisfying as the last. 

It’s the foundation that has the power to transform disturbed tossing and turning into tranquil slumber.

Practicality and aesthetics come into play. A bed base blends support and comfort with personal style. Most importantly, it prolongs the life of your mattress.

Whether you prefer popular divan designs or your tastes lie in traditional wooden slats, our guide will aid your decision.

It could be the key to unlocking your deepest sleep yet.

What is a Bed Base?

Bed bases: the foundation for your mattress. 

A bed base prioritises support to maximise your personal comfort. It promotes even wear of your mattress to maintain its quality for longer, whilst taking its weight to avoid lumps and bumps for a soothing surface. In turn, this prolongs your own peaceful sleep experience and reduces the need to replace your mattress sooner.

Raising your mattress off the floor keeps it aways from dust, so it’s less likely to succumb to dust mites or mould. Pair this with a wool mattress and sensitive sleepers have a hypoallergenic haven for undisturbed nights.

Your bed base is held in place by your bed frame. This keeps it secure and strong- look out for secure construction. Like your mattress, there’s comfort and firmness to consider. Together, they’re the basis of sleep support.

Our Tip: Try and buy together. Experiencing the relationship between your bed base and mattress is essential, so trying them out together and in person will offer the most realistic representation. Think about feel, comfort and support. Is it too soft, too firm, or just right?

Types of Bed Bases

Divan bases, currently the most popular design, boast a flat and solid surface formed from wood and upholstered in fabric.

In comparison, a slatted base is formed of wooden panels, carefully measured and fitted to your frame. Fixed slats are steadfast and secure, but sprung slats have more give and bounce for those who prefer a softer firmness. 

Divans offer the biggest variety.

A platform, or hard top, base is more economical than a sprung base. Ideal for a firm foundation, a platform base consists of an upholstered solid timber frame with a non-sprung panel.

Conversely, a sprung base is more expensive, but also more luxurious. Often with more height, it is constructed from the same timber frame as a platform base, but with an added layer of adaptive springs on top. This gives a softer overall feel.

For even further cushioning support, you can choose between a sprung or firm edge sprung base. The sprung edge incorporates open coils or pockets springs to the edge of the bed base to enhance mattress life. However, the firm edge base encases the springs in a wooden frame. This stops open coils moving too much and acts as further support to prevent the feeling of ‘roll-off’.

Overall, a pocket sprung bed base is the highest quality construction. As in your mattress, pocket springs are more responsive to your movement. They relieve pressure points and allow for a smooth surface which supports your unique sleeping habits.

Advantages

Improved support, enhanced durability, optimised comfort. These are just some of the advantages a bed base can bring.

Sturdiness: With their wooden foundation, a divan-style bed base is strong and sturdy. This helps isolate movement when sharing a bed to minimise disruption via noise and motion transfer.

Suit your Style: Complement or contrast.Let your frame shine with a slatted base. Wooden slats are suited to a range of designs, including iron and brass beds! Divan designs are upholstered, so it’s down to you to choose your favourite fabric. Blend your bed base with your bedroom interior or create contrast for a talking point. Minimalists: go classic with cream; maximalists: visualise velvety jewel tones. These are two ways to style your bed base. 

Dual-Purpose: The biggest benefit of a divan bed base? It’s storage possibilities. If you’re choosing a bed base that’s not supported by a frame, drawers or ottoman storage are perfect to stow your belongings. Don’t forget there’s storage space under a slatted base, too. (Don’t allow guests to judge your organisational skills and invest in boxes!)

Disadvantages

There aren’t many disadvantages to a bed base, but these are some factors to consider:

Quality: The raw materials are likely hidden in upholstery. This means it’s harder to tell if the wood is strong hardwood or flimsier like MDF. In comparison, you can check the quality of wooden slats before buying.

Maintenance: When it comes to wooden slats, they’re more likely to flex and bend under the weight of your mattress, which causes that annoying dip in the middle of your bed. This means they could break if poorer quality. Moreover, this could cause your mattress to sag, spoiling its even surface and shortening its lifespan. Both a quality bed base and superior mattress are key to prevent this.

Ventilation: Unlike bed bases, slats promote ventilation and air flow to your mattress. This can be particularly useful during humid summer months and is often a priority in different countries with hotter climates. Ventilation keeps your mattress fresh for a reinvigorating and relaxing night’s sleep. We recommend wool: a natural fibre which promotes breathability no matter the base.

Whereas the biggest issue for a divan-style bed base is maintaining its fabric upholstery. Stain resistance is the biggest culprit here. However, polyester is more prone to pilling than cotton, which is why we always recommend natural fibres over synthetics.

Our Bed Bases

At Wrought Iron and Brass Bed Co., our iron beds are fitted with FSC Scandinavian pine slats. Scandinavian pine is slower growing, making it stronger with fewer knots. But if bed bases are more your style, upgrade with our selection below. Opt for butcher’s stripe or cream ticking, depending on your personal preference.

Platform Hard Top: Our non-sprung bed base provides a strong, balanced foundation. If you’re in need of extra support, this platform hard top distributes the weight of your mattress for even wear and longer life. It’s the choice for firmer head-to-toe support.

Depth: 4” | Filling: FSC Scandinavian Pine | Turn: Not Required

Sprung Base: An open coil system that adapts to your movements. Our sprung top bed base emphasises the woollen weightlessness of our Sandringham Wool mattresses. Embrace even distribution for even wear and enhance your mattress’ lifespan. Sink into the soft foundation of our sprung base without sacrificing support.

Depth: 4”/ 8” | Filling: FSC Scandinavian Pine with Open Coil Springs | Turn: Not Required

Layered with bed base and mattress (possibly even topped with our indulgent wool enhancer), your metal frame may seem too top heavy for your fairytale princess and the pea moment.

That’s where our artisanal craftsmanship comes in.

Each bed is handcrafted to order with standard side rails 13” from the floor. If your mattress is too high, we will adjust your side rails to accommodate its new-found height. (Remember: this could prevent under-bed storage space.) Not only does this form the ideal height for you to slip in and out of bed easily, your frame will also look perfect no matter the mattress or base. Stylish practicality always prevails.

Your bed base and mattress form a single sleep system. Visit our showroom to experience calming comfort in person. Perhaps you’ll be persuaded to indulge your mattress with a weightless wool enhancer above and robust bed base below.

What Next?

Just like a bespoke metal bed frame or the firmness of your favourite mattress, the right bed base comes down to personal preference.

Consider the support you need. Is it a soft or firm foundation? But what about comfort? You want to elevate your mattress, not hinder its indulgence. Finally, think about fabric. A bed base will be on show. If looks matter, don’t overlook this often-forgotten feature.

From pocket sprung to platform top, embrace the possibilities of unparalleled slumber with your perfect bed base.