Table of Contents
- Among all the available options of bed frame styles, let’s have a closer look at two of them—upholstered bed frames and wooden beds;
- Choosing this essential piece of furniture might become confusing with all the possibilities the market gives us! Yet, after you’ve chosen what material you want for your new bed frame to be—the rest is a piece of cake!
- Wooden or upholstered? The wood bed will give off a vibe of classic, sturdy, and neutral furniture. Plus, that timeless look! Yet, wood bed frame styles may lack comfort, for example, when you want to lean on its headboard. If you love to feel comfy, go for a stylish and soft upholstered bed, but remember that this one is harder to clean than wooden bed frames. Keep reading for more handy tips!
A vast range of style options
It’s super fun to have your living space redecorated! Yet, it also takes a lot of time and energy.
The bedroom, and its central part, the bed—presumably the most crucial furnishing in the whole house—is not an exception.
You’re lucky if you already have the interior design in mind. Many people struggle with deciding what kind of bed to choose: wood or upholstered.
Luckily, we’re here to help you to make the final decision.
After reading the paragraphs below, you’ll know all the arguments pro and against the wooden bed frame vs. upholstered versions.
Stay with us to have it all explained in detail!
Wood and upholstered bed frames
Wooden Beds
A master bedroom deserves a bed that brings in mind class and chic.
Not surprisingly, beds made of wood are a trendy choice—we love these durable, timeless, and elegant pieces of furniture.
There are several quintessential reasons why solid wood bed frames became such a common bedroom choice.
Let’s go through them:
- the natural beauty
Wooden furniture, in general, makes an overall interior design look natural, cozy, and warm.
You don’t need to think much about your bedroom decor if you put a large, polished natural wood piece in the middle of it—the interior design makes itself without much effort on your part.
Their look makes wooden beds easy to complement into any interior design.
- practicality
We mentioned that a wooden bed is easy to match with other interior details.
But even more importantly, taking care of wood bed frames is manageable from the practical point of view.
Be honest—what else do you use your bed for besides sleeping in it?
- having breakfast (or dinner),
- spending lazy Sundays,
- reading books,
- watching TV?
Now you see why it’s natural for various stains and spills to appear on the bed frame.
One advantage of a wooden bed is that it’s effortless to clean. Simple periodical cleaning using a damp cloth and some water will work perfectly.
In most cases, you can simply dust off the headboard and the bed frame of your bed, and it will look new.
Tip: For a more substantial novelty effect, polish your wood bed frames for that gorgeous shining and extra durability.
Important: Wood bed frame condition depends on the quality of wood. The more natural and expensive, the sturdier and more durable the wood bed frame.
It’s worth knowing that a wrought iron bed surpasses all other bed materials when it comes to longevity.
Its design is characterized by a robust metal construction and exceptional toughness.
Wrought iron bed frames are very solid. They can withstand any amount of weight without suffering structurally.
- Wooden beds come in a wide range of styles
There are so many wood bed variations. Simply starting with a wood type:
- hardwood (oak, ash, walnut, maple),
- softwood (cedar, white or yellow pine, hemlock),
- engineered wood (plywood); among the most common;
You can filter your options by the price range, considering the budget you plan to invest in your bed.
That will leave you with fewer options, making it easier to make the right decision.
For example, if you value durability and want a piece of furniture that would work for you as long as possible—invest in a hardwood bed frame, such as oak or maple.
If you want a cheaper option, choose from the engineered wood beds—they are usually made from combined natural and synthetic materials, which makes their price way lower.
Once you choose the color, it’s time to think about the finish of the wood bed:
- driftwood finish is one of the most popular finishes—it looks so amazing in a beach-style room interior design;
- the walnut finish would be a go-to for a more authentic, classy, ancient interior design room.
- there are also some darker options, like cherry or ebony;
Possibilities are endless!
One example of an exciting wood beds design is sleigh beds.
A sleigh bed curves outward at the headboard and footboard. Sleigh beds project a rustic atmosphere.
In appearance, it is modeled after the sleigh.
The curved silhouette of a sleigh bed results from French influence from the 1800s. This bed frame design derives from the actual wooden sleighs commonly used by schoolchildren in the 19th century.
Tip: A sleigh bed will steal the show, so pick it carefully when choosing a style in which to fit it.
Also, there are other curious options—for example, a classic platform bed.
Platform bed frames don’t have a headboard or footboard.
It’s typically a simple bed frame made with
- wood,
- medium-density fiberboard (MDF), or
- particleboard;
The classic-style platform bed frame is suitable for those living in a studio or smaller spaces.
- Wood beds are firm and sturdy
On the bright side, wood beds are sturdy as a rock!
Being naturally strong, wooden beds are exceptionally stable—you can sleep in them confidently.
They are resistant to various liquids and stains, so don’t worry about the material getting damaged by your kids or pets.
- The biggest drawback of the wood bed
But it’s not all roses.
There is also a dark side of the sturdiness of the wood—we refer to unsatisfactory comfort.
Wood beds are sturdy and massive, making them a bit uncomfortable to lean on their headboards while reading or watching TV. So keep that characteristic of wood bed frames in mind before buying one.
Tip: If you like the idea of buying the wood bed frames, but you also like to read or to watch TV in bed and feel comfy, consider purchasing a bunch of soft pillows. Simply put some fluffy pillows against that hard headboard when you want to sit up in your bed.
Upholstered Beds
Are you a person who values comfort in bed the most? Then, out of a wide range of styles of bed frames on the market, consider picking an upholstered bed rather than wooden beds.
Upholstered beds come with a vast range of advantages.
Let’s browse them together below.
- Soft and comfy
The feature that we were missing in wood beds or metal beds is comfort. Upholstered beds are soft and comfy. And, at the same time, they can be super stylish and beautiful.
It’s fantastic not only to sleep in an upholstered bed but also to read, sit, daydream, or simply lean on, isn’t it?
No bed type can compete with the upholstered bed for its softness and comfort.
An upholstered bed is wrapped in a cushioned fabric that maximizes your sleeping comfort to the highest. And not only while sleeping! Sitting comfortably, reading, scrolling the social media, eating, daydreaming— anything you can think of.
Even the fluffiest pillows won’t work as well as an upholstered headboard.
- Versatile
For those of you who find it exciting to play with interior design, double bed upholstered bed frames, even more than in wood beds, come in an enormous amount of different style options, colors, and materials.
You can have an upholstered bed in any color you can think of, be it bold blue, yellow, pink, green, or even the customized one.
Everything is possible with the right amount of money and the right amount of imagination and money.
You can choose from the different shapes and fabrics of upholstered beds.
Think about your interior design preferences before.
- Do you want your place to be minimalistic or extravagant?
- Do you want your bed to be the main accent of your whole room as the most important furniture?
- Or do you want your upholstered bed to be a perfect match with the existing colors of your room?
Answering these questions will help you to filter your options.
No matter what color and material, an upholstered bed creates an inviting, lovely look of your bedroom from first sight.
Tip: Be aware that buying the soft and cozy bed frame with upholstery will make it even harder to get out of your bed in the mornings!
- Safe
Upholstered bed frames are safe.
Being wrapped in a soft fabric, the upholstered bed is safer than any other bed, such as wooden or metal.
- The biggest drawback of the upholstered bed
On top of it, there is one upholstered bed frame feature that may not seem so great.
All that fluffiness, softness, and comfort have their price. Unfortunately, an upholstered bed is tricky to clean and take care of.
Keep in mind that:
- pet hair,
- coffee or wine stains,
- spills, and other accidents that can happen in your bed
might cost you more time and energy than with wood or metal beds.
This issue also depends on what upholstery fabric you’ll choose. Each material has its specific care instructions, so keeping the amount of work to keep it clean will depend on the fabric.
In addition, you should ensure that your upholstered beds go through a periodical cleaning which they need (even if you don’t observe any stains at the moment).
Tip: Regularly brush with a special roller or vacuum clean your bed frame to maintain the fresh and tidy look for long.
Many cleaning services companies will be happy to help if you don’t feel like taking care of the bed frame cleaning.
Important: Getting your bed in tip-top shape by specialists will cost you some money. Sometimes these services are pretty costly.
An appropriate cleaning and regular maintenance of your upholstered bed are critical. Never forget about it if you want your fabric in different styles to remain in form for long.
Summary and alternatives
Both wood beds and upholstered beds have their pros and cons.
When it comes to wood bed frames, you’ll be happy to get:
- sturdiness and durability—invest in the high-quality wood bed once and forget about the headache of choosing the new bed every season,
- timeless and natural—with a wide range of styles, finish options, and different types of materials, it’s effortless to complement any interior design with a wood bed,
- incredibly practical—don’t worry about stains, spills, scratches, liquids, or pet hairs excessively; the wood bed is super resistant and easy to clean;
Unluckily, your back may not love the sturdiness that wood bed provides us with. A wood bed frame is stiff and uncomfortable for sitting or leaning on it.
And here comes the upholstered bed, known for having a cozy bed frame and headboard.
Let’s review the upholstered bed pros:
- soft and comfortable—nothing can beat the comfortability of an upholstered bed; it’s super functional so that you can do everything in it;
- inviting and luxurious style—browse through unlimited options to choose your favorite color of upholstery fabric;
- decorative look—with this bed, you don’t have to hang any pictures on the walls anymore; your bedroom will still look in style because of this outstanding piece of furniture.
One of the biggest cons when it comes to upholstered beds is cleaning. Not only the fabric of an upholstered bed requires special regular cleaning, but you also have to pay consistent attention to the stuff you bring in the bed; removing some stains may cost you a lot of money.
After long and thorough research, you may still not be able to decide which bed to choose.
Is a wooden one or an upholstered option better?
In this case, what about choosing an eclectic style? You can go, for example, for a bed that has a wood bed frame and an upholstered headboard. Imagine having that softness and comfort that an upholstered headboard provides, sturdiness, and a classic look of the wood bed frame.
All in all, now that you got to know all the pros and cons of both of the types of beds, it will be easier for you to make a choice.
There is no wrong decision when talking about wood vs. upholstered types of beds.
All you need to do is decide on the look you want to add to your interior design, comfort preferences, and the amount of money you’d like to invest.
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