Ottoman Beds

How an ottoman bed works

The mattress sits on a hinged platform rather than a fixed base, and two gas pistons take its weight. Lift the foot of the mattress and the platform rises and stays up, giving you the whole area under the bed as one open compartment. Nothing slides out sideways, so you do not need clearance beside the frame, and nothing is divided into sections, so a folded duvet or a suitcase goes in whole. In the US the same design is sold as a lift-up storage bed or a platform storage bed, and the mechanism is identical.

Foot-lifting or side-lifting

Most of the frames here lift from the foot end. That needs clear floor in front of the bed rather than beside it, which usually suits a smaller room where one long wall is tight against a wardrobe or a radiator. Side-lifting frames exist and are worth seeking out if the foot of your bed sits close to a wall, a window or a door that opens inwards. Measure the swing before you buy either way: the platform needs room to travel through roughly a quarter turn, and a low ceiling slope can catch a tall headboard on the way up.

What fits underneath

The void runs the full width and length of the frame and is usually 20 to 30cm deep, which is a great deal more than a drawer base gives you. A double ottoman bed will take a spare duvet, a set of pillows and a couple of holdalls without packing. A king size ottoman bed adds enough again for out-of-season clothing, and a super king swallows a cabin case standing up. Because the platform seals when it closes, what you store stays covered and dust-free, which an open under-bed box never manages.

Mattress fit, weight and airflow

Two things matter more on an ottoman than on a slatted frame. The pistons are rated for a mattress weight range, so a very heavy pocket-sprung or thick hybrid can make the lift feel stiff or stop it holding open, and it is worth checking the stated limit before pairing. And because the base is a solid platform rather than open slats, air moves less freely underneath, so turn or rotate the mattress to the maker's schedule rather than leaving it. Both are easy to live with once you know; neither is a fault.

Sizes, and what the size changes

British bed sizes are standard, so the frame takes a UK mattress cut to match: single 90 by 190cm, small double 120 by 190cm, double 135 by 190cm, king 150 by 200cm and super king 180 by 200cm. Size changes the storage as much as the sleeping space, because the void is the footprint. If you are choosing between a double ottoman bed and a king for a smaller room, remember the king gains you storage as well as width, and the lift needs the same clearance either way.

Headboard height, and how it reads in a room

The same frame often comes with a regular or a tall headboard, and the difference is visible rather than technical. A regular headboard sits below most window sills and keeps a small room feeling open. A tall one gives you something to lean back against and anchors the wall behind the bed, which works where the bed is the only large piece in the room. Both take the same mattress and the same lift; only the presence in the room changes.

Ottoman or drawers

If a full lift is more than you need, a drawer base gives pull-out storage at the side and is quicker to reach into for everyday things, though it holds noticeably less and needs floor clearance beside the frame. We stock both. For the drawer and divan alternatives, see beds.

Care and everyday use

Vacuum the void when you change the bedding, and check the piston fixings once or twice a year by lifting the platform and letting it settle rather than dropping it. Brush upholstered frames with a soft brush and blot spills rather than rubbing them. Keep the frame away from a radiator, which dries the fabric unevenly over time. Treated this way an ottoman frame outlasts several mattresses.