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Divan or upholstered bedframe: What’s the difference between them?

Sue Perry asked
8th October 2021

I’m planning to buy a new bed to change from a slatted base. Is a divan better than an upholstered bed frame?
All the options on the interactive mattress selector come up with Artisan 02 for me and not the most expensive. …. I wonder why?
many thanks

1 Answer
Lee Staff
answered 3 years ago

Hi Sue,

Many thanks for your question about mattress bases and which are best.
When it comes to mattress bases it’s all about providing consistent and stable support for whichever mattress you place on top of it.
Roughly speaking there are two price points for mattresses and quality standards.

  1. Slatted bases are usually the cheapest and offer the least consistent support
  2. Divan or Upholstered bedframes are often more expensive but provide the most consistent support

Slats offer a basic amount of support and can be bought cheaply due to the fact they can be easily broken down and packaged for cheaper transport costs. However, the gaps between the slats can be really troublesome if you don’t make some adjustments.

Divans vs Bedframes:
Both divans and quality upholstered bed frames offer the best consistent support. However there are a few key difference between the two.

Bedframes can offer a far nice or fancier aesthetic. ie they come with a variety of headboards, shapes, details and stylised options. However, they are nearly always a platform top, ie no springs so can’t offer extra progressive support.

Divans can offer a multitude of drawer options for storage, provides the possibility for a sprung edge base for progressive support. They don’t offer all of the stylised options but do come in a mix of different fabrics and drawer options.

So it really depends on whether you want a sprung edge base with storage or something more aesthetically led.
You can read more on each of the different mattress base types here if you need more detail.

Our mattress selector uses the answers to the questions to provide a guide as to which mattresses will be suitable. We will never suggest a more expensive mattress than your needs require so this is the reason why you will be suggested the same model. However, for more tailored advice why not give our friendly team a call to assist?

If you have any more questions please get back in touch with us on 0161 437 4419.

All the best John & Ryan

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