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As the centerpiece of your bedroom, a bed frame should fulfill a couple of key functions. In addition to being durable, it should look nice, too — or otherwise act as an unobtrusive foundation for your mattress (and sheets). Stylewise, there are a few features to consider, namely the material it’s made out of and whether you want a headboard or prefer a simple base for a minimalist look. To bring you the sturdiest, most universally appealing bed frames on the market, I went around to seven showrooms across New York City — and paid a visit to a colleague’s lovely apartment — and sat, lay on, and shook dozens of bed frames myself. (I also talked to eight interior designers and other design-minded folks, plus a couple of Strategist staffers, about their favorites to round out my research.) Below, the 16 very best bed frames for every décor and budget, including all-wood options, no-frills metal platforms, and cozy upholstered beds, organized generally by material. All prices listed are for queen-size frames.
Update on December 6, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Style
You’ll want to consider your space before choosing a bed frame. If your bedroom is small or you prefer a minimalist silhouette, you can’t get more streamlined than a platform bed frame that is, at its most basic, simply a base for your mattress supported by wooden slats — no box spring required. We’ve also categorized them by other defining characteristics like material and whether they have headboards, an overhead canopy, or storage, for example. Within these types, you’ll see them in updated mid-century modern styles, ones with more traditional iron work, and sleek contemporary options.
Material
Depending on the look you’re going for, you’ll have to decide on whether you want a bed frame made out of wood, which will lend a more natural or rustic vibe to your space, or a metal one, which feels a bit more contemporary — unless, that is, you opt for a traditional wrought-iron style. Or if coziness is what you’re after, an upholstered bed can help you accomplish that.
Price
While most of the bed frames on this list hover around the $1,000 price range, you can find many options that offer the same sought-after style for a lot less. Basic platform beds will be your most affordable bet, but you can definitely get something with a bit more character and still stay within your budget. We’re sorting beds into the following categories: $500 or less ($), $500 to $1,000 ($$), and $1,000 and over ($$$).
Best bed frame overall
Style: Headboard, two colors | Material: Solid and veneered wood | Price: $$
This wooden platform frame from Article — available in walnut, white oak, and white finishes — is my pick for the best overall bed frame for its classic look, strong wood construction, and sub-$1,000 price point. It is made with solid and veneered American white oak, ash, or walnut, depending on the wood stain, and has a tall headboard that makes it feel a bit more distinguished than the more streamlined wood styles on this list. Other thoughtful design details come in the form of the bed’s slender, tapered legs and the bar at the top of the headboard that lends it a little airiness. (You can also choose from a spindle headboard or canopy.) It was first recommended to me by interior designer Liza Curtiss, a partner at design studio Le Whit, who told me that its “clean lines and warm color complement almost any style.”
Strategist writer Emma Wartzman, who owns this bed in walnut, agrees. “I knew I wanted wood, something mid-century-modernish while being super-simple,” she says. “To me, this one just looks so timeless. I know I’ll be able to take it to other apartments or reset it with new bedding whenever the desire strikes.” Beyond aesthetics, Wartzman says the delivery was smooth and that she was able to put the whole thing together herself in an hour because she was too excited to wait for her boyfriend to come home. Plus, she says, “It feels incredibly sturdy, the wood looks high quality (something I was definitely nervous about with other models), and the sides are low enough to make bed-making easy.” I recently paid a visit to Wartzman to check out the bed myself, and the first thing I noticed was just how nice it looked. The dark walnut finish made it feel like a sophisticated piece of furniture, while the Shaker-inspired detailing kept it from overpowering the bedroom. Both the wood itself and the construction felt robust, too, and, according to Wartzman, has stayed that way after two years.
Best (less expensive) bed frame overall
Style: Headboard, three colors | Material: Solid pine | Price: $
For half the price of the Article frame, check out this mid-century-modern-inspired bed made from solid pine wood from AllModern that Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo bought after scouring what felt like “every possible retailer and DTC furniture brand there is” for something both affordable and durable. She says she decided on this all-wood frame because “it was the only affordable option I saw that both matched my style — vaguely mid-century, warm stained wood — and isn’t made of cheap materials.” She also appreciated its thoughtful design. “I love that the headboard is slatted, rather than one big piece of wood, because it feels airy in our not-enormous bedroom,” she says. “The peg-style feet remind me of Shaker furniture, and the height is perfect for stashing bins below without making me feel like I’m a million miles off the ground.” It’s available in light-oak and white finishes in addition to the warm “castanho” color above. After two years, Corsillo tells me that it’s still as reliable as ever. It’s already competitively priced at $689 for a queen size, but it’s currently on sale for $390, making it an incredible deal — and therefore my choice for the best, less expensive bed frame.
[Editor’s note: The bed is sold out in the Castanho and Honey Oak finishes, but is available in white.]
Best wooden bed frames
Style: Platform, unfinished | Material: Tulip poplar wood | Price: $
If you prefer a streamlined bed without a headboard, consider this simple platform bed by KD Frames that’s made of solid wood in Athens, Georgia. It’s recommended by Tze Chun, the founder of Uprise Art, who has one in her guest room at her house upstate. She likes how the poplar wood is solid but light, and “for a super-affordable bed frame, the slat spacing is pretty tight, so it’s plenty of support for foam or spring mattresses,” Chun adds. “It has a minimalist, Scandinavian look to it without being from Ikea.” If you don’t want to leave the unfinished poplar as is, you can stain or paint it to the color of your choice. It has an under-bed clearance of 11.5 inches, and KD Frames conveniently sells rolling storage drawers that fit neatly underneath.
Style: Platform, five colors | Material: Solid wood | Price: $
For another straightforward platform bed made from solid wood that comes in different stains, consider this style that Strategist writer Katherine Gillespie bought about a year and a half ago and still loves. As she wrote earlier this year, not only is it a huge upgrade from her squeaky metal bed frame, it’s sturdy, looks nice, and was a cinch to assemble. “All the components aligned easily, and I was able to put the bed together single-handedly in about 45 minutes using the supplied Allen key,” she says. Gillespie chose the dark antique-espresso color to contrast with her lighter floorboards, though it’s available in four other finishes as well. “The finished product looks like it cost far more than $200,” she says.
Style: Platform, folding | Material: Tulip poplar wood | Price: $
Easy assembly is one thing, but imagine being able to put away a bed frame just as handily. Here’s another minimalist platform style from KD Frames — one that happens to fold up. It’s a favorite of Decorilla lead designer Devin Shaffer for its solid poplar construction he says “will stand the test of time.” He also likes this frame because it has “a price point for any budget,” and the fact that it folds in half for easy, compact storage. Plus its rounded edges give the frame a softer look than your standard boxy platform bed. And because it’s unfinished, you can easily paint or stain it on your own.
Style: Optional headboard, four colors | Material: Wood | Price: $$$
If you want another easy-to-assemble, no-tools-required option, consider Thuma’s platform bed, which former Strategist writer Leah Muncy recommended after testing one. As someone who “despises assembling furniture so much” that she considered calling off an apartment move to avoid having to build a bed, Muncy was surprised to find that it took all of 20 minutes to put together the wood frame, whose construction is inspired by Japanese joinery. “The pieces fit together intuitively and seamlessly — there were no gaps or ill-fitting screws,” she wrote. “It stood upright without needing to be propped up, and the pieces held together once in place.” After sleeping on it for a few months, Muncy reports that it “hasn’t squeaked or tumbled like a Jenga tower.” The bed comes with an upholstered headboard (with a removable, washable cover) that simply slips into the leftover space between the frame, mattress, and wall.
Style: Customizable, three colors | Material: Wood veneer, plywood, steel supports | Price: $$$
Even if you might have started off with a straightforward platform base, bed preferences — and needs — can change over the years. Instead of getting a brand-new frame, consider one that’s customizable and modular, like this bed from Detroit-based furniture company Floyd that can easily be configured with accessories like headboards, side tables, and under-bed storage. It’s made up of three slats of plywood (available in birch, walnut, and American oak) and metal feet that are held together by nylon ratchet straps — in other words, assembly requires no tools. And despite its straightforward assembly process, “it’s surprisingly sturdy,” says Strategist editor Maxine Builder, who has owned this bed for a couple of years. Plus it’s “super-easy to move yourself because it’s so lightweight,” she adds. It has a low profile, making it all the more unassuming, but if you require more of your bed, Floyd makes it easy to do, as mentioned above. Headboards, storage drawers (albeit shallow ones), and side tables are all sold separately as add-ons.
Best upholstered bed frames
Style: Headboard, customizable with 25 fabric options | Material: Solid pine, engineered wood | Price: $$$
In addition to adding coziness to a room, an upholstered bed frame will give you more customization options in terms of color and material. But upholstered styles are often hard to get right because of their bulkier silhouette due to the extra padding, which is why I particularly like the Andes bed from West Elm.
It was one of the only upholstered beds I saw that had a modern, streamlined look that I thought would go with a range of décor schemes. It’s available in two headboard heights and style options (non-tufted and vertical tufted), and also comes with metallic legs (pewter and bronze) — elements that design historian Alessandra Wood calls “sleek with a touch of glam.” She also likes that you can customize the frame with 25 different fabrics and colors. While this platform frame can accommodate a box spring, you don’t need one if you like the look of a low profile. It’s also contract-grade, meaning it can be used in commercial settings like hotels, as well as residential settings, and I can attest to its sturdiness: When I saw it at the West Elm showroom the other day, I was impressed with its construction and how strong it felt.
Style: Headboard, two colors | Material: Solid wood, engineered wood | Price: $
This highly rated upholstered frame from Living Spaces that we first featured in an edition of the Secret Strategist newsletter (sign up here to receive) is just a fraction of the West Elm bed and ships immediately, though it’s only available in a linen-y sand (shown above) and charcoal. With mid-century-modern-inspired wooden legs (replace them with your own if you don’t like that look) and a similarly slim silhouette as the Andes bed, it does require a box spring, but because of its lower profile, the bed won’t stand too tall with both the base and a mattress.
Style: Wingback headboard | Material: Solid and manufactured wood, 29 fabric options | Price: $$
For a bit more drama, try a wingback bed (a frame with a tall headboard that has narrow, turned-in side panels) like this one, recommended by by interior design publicist Molly Schoneveld, that’s made in the U.S. of pinewood. It has a high wingback headboard that feels luxurious while still being modern, and she says its price is hard to beat. While it’s available in a few colors, Schoneveld prefers the navy (shown above) paired with crisp white sheets.
Style: Headboard, slipcover, 24 fabric options | Material: Solid pine, engineered wood | Price: $$$
The Secret Strategist also called out this bed from West Elm for those looking for an upholstery-style bed without the formality. While the low frame is thickly padded, it comes with a removable slipcover that you can wash, depending on the fabric you choose. (The in-stock option, alabaster-yarn dyed-linen weave shown here, is.) I like the tailored-but-not-too-fusty look of this bed and the fact that you can customize is 24 fabric options. While it can accommodate a box cushion, it does not require one.
Best metal bed frames
Style: Headboard, footboard; platform | Material: Recycled steel | Price: $$$
The first thing I noticed about this metal frame at the Room and Board showroom was just how immoveable it was. I gave it a firm shake and couldn’t budge it even a millimeter. The lacquer finish, which comes in 18 saturated hues, is beautifully glossy and really nice to touch. It’s the frame of choice for designer Anki Spets, the founder of AREA Home, who appreciates the combination of the frame’s indestructible construction with its “airy look,” thanks to its streamlined design and the fact that you can see under it. It’s also great option for injecting your room with a bold color: “How about orange or onyx gloss?”
Style: Platform | Material: Steel | Price: $
If all you need is the simplest of bases for getting your mattress off the floor, try this affordable Zinus model that comes in heights ranging from 6 inches to 18 inches. The brand makes some of our favorite affordable and highly rated mattresses and inexpensive beds, including a wooden platform frame that I personally own and use in my guest room. Tons of reviewers testify that this model is easy to assemble and “stable and sturdy,” considering its sub-$150 price tag. It’s a simple metal box that requires no box spring and, instead, uses wooden slats (with a sticky panel) to support and secure the mattress. And depending on which height you choose, you can store things under the bed.
Style: Minimalist | Material: Coated steel | Price: $$
This simple steel platform bed frame is another inexpensive choice, and I like that it comes in an unexpected gold-tinged finish. Colony design-group founder Jean Lin first told me about it, calling the frame her “price-conscious favorite.” Lin appreciates the frame’s gold-brushed finish, which gives the otherwise clean-lined construction a softer — and more versatile — look. “The Keetsa frame is so straightforward in form and materiality that it works with nearly everything,” says Lin. “The bronze-hued finish dresses up earthen neutrals and tones down brighter palettes.” Plus, she adds, “it’s so affordable that it allows for a splurge elsewhere in the room.”
Some more bed frames we’ve written about
Our experts
• Tze Chun, founder of Uprise Art
• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior writer
• Liza Curtiss, partner at Le Whit
• Katherine Gillespie, Strategist writer
• Jean Lin, founder of Colony
• Molly Schoneveld, interior-design publicist
• Devin Shaffer, Decorilla lead designer
• Anki Spets, founder of AREA Home
• Emma Wartzman, Strategist writer
• Alessandra Wood, design historian
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