A–Z of bed types

Upholstered divan bed with matching headboard in a calm cream bedroom — A typical UK upholstered divan bed set in a real bedroom layout.

In short

An A–Z directory of bed types used in UK and global furniture terminology. Each entry defines the structural form — frame geometry, storage mechanism, or historical typology — without product rankings. Linked guides expand selected types (divan, ottoman, slatted, sleigh) into deeper mechanical explanations.

62 bed types · Deep guides marked with “Full guide”

A

A bedstead whose mattress platform moves at the head and/or foot via motors or manual ratchets, altering torso and leg angles.

Also known as: articulating bed, electric adjustable base

The process of joining bed parts — feet, half bases, linking bolts, headboard, slats or gas struts — into a safe finished sleep platform.

Also known as: bed assembly, joining a divan

B

Box bed

A historic enclosed sleeping cupboard or panelled box that contains the mattress, common in vernacular Scottish and northern European interiors.

A timber-framed base containing coils under a fabric top, historically paired with innerspring mattresses; distinct from a solid foundation without springs.

Also known as: sprung foundation

Brass bed

A metal bedstead whose visible frame is brass or brass-plated tubing, often with cast joints; structure follows standard side-rail engineering.

A stacked frame with two (sometimes three) sleeping levels sharing one footprint, typically with a ladder or stairs and safety rails on the upper berth.

C

Camp bed

A portable folding cot with a tensioned fabric or mesh sleeping surface on a collapsible metal or timber frame.

Canopy bed

A four-post or tester frame designed to carry fabric panels above the sleeping area for enclosure, draught reduction, or decorative drape.

Captain’s bed

A raised storage bed with drawers or cupboards built into the base beneath the mattress platform; related to cabinetry-integrated sleep furniture.

Also known as: cabin bed

shop shorthand for an upholstered bed or headboard covered in chenille yarn fabric; a cover class with a soft, often matte face.

Chesterfield bed

An upholstered bed or headboard styled with deep buttoning or crystal tufting, often with scrolled ends; a furniture face treatment, not a mattress type.

Also known as: buttoned bed, deep-buttoned bed

Cot

In UK usage, a high-sided infant bed (crib). Distinct from North American “cot” meaning a narrow portable adult bed.

Crushed velvet bed

shop shorthand for an upholstered bed or headboard covered in crushed-velvet pile fabric; describes the cover, not the support mechanism.

D

Daybed

A hybrid seating–sleeping frame, often with a back and arms, sized for daytime lounging and occasional overnight use.

A box-like upholstered base that supports a mattress; tops may be solid platform or sprung-edge, with optional drawers.

Also known as: divan base

Retail package usually combining a divan base, a matching or included headboard, and often an optional mattress sold as one configurable set.

Double bed

A bed sized for a UK Double mattress, nominally 135 × 190 cm — distinct from EU doubles commonly sold at 140 × 200 cm.

A divan base with pull-out storage drawers in layouts such as same-side, foot-end or four-drawer configurations.

Also known as: storage divan

E

Emperor bed

A non-standard oversized UK retail size, most often a square 200 × 200 cm mattress footprint larger than Super King.

Empire bed

A classical furniture form with scrolled or swan-neck ends influenced by early nineteenth-century Empire style; related visually to sleigh beds.

End-lift ottoman

An ottoman storage base whose mattress platform hinges at the head and lifts toward the foot, needing clear space at the bed end.

Also known as: end-opening ottoman

F

Floor-standing headboard: A headboard that stands on legs or its own depth against the wall rather than bolting only into divan strut sockets; often taller than strutted boards.
Full guide →
Folding bed: A bedstead engineered to collapse for storage or transport, including cross-frame and hinged-platform designs.
Four-poster bed: A bedstead with four vertical posts at the corners, historically able to support a canopy, curtains, or open decorative posts.
French bed: A low-post or curving end-board bedstead without tall posts; in retail, sometimes used loosely for continental-style frames.
Futon bed: A flexible mattress (often cotton or foam layers) used on a folding wooden or metal frame that converts between sofa and sleep positions.

G

Guest bed: A secondary sleep surface intended for occasional use — sofa beds, daybeds, trundle units, or spare single frames.

H

Half-tester bed

A canopy form with a shortened tester projecting from the headboard only, rather than a full four-poster roof.

An upright panel at the bed head — upholstered, wood or metal — fixed by struts, floor-standing legs, or wall mounts for comfort and wall protection.

A raised single sleeping platform with usable space beneath for a desk, sofa, or storage — common in compact children’s rooms.

Also known as: cabin bed, loft bed

Hospital bed

A clinical adjustable bed with articulated sections, side rails, and often castors, engineered for care access rather than domestic furniture styling.

I

Iron bed: A ferrous metal bedstead (wrought or tubular steel/iron) whose rails and ends form the structural frame for a mattress base.

K

King bed: A bed sized for a UK King mattress, typically 150 × 200 cm — narrower than many EU King sizes near 160 × 200 cm.

L

Loft bed: A elevated sleeping platform that frees floor area below; similar to a high sleeper but often used in adult studio layouts.

M

Murphy bed: A wall bed that folds vertically or horizontally into a cabinet or wall cavity when not in use, reducing floor occupancy.
Also known as: wall bed, fold-away bed

O

Ottoman bed: A storage bed whose mattress platform lifts on hinges assisted by gas struts to expose a void in the base.
Full guide →

P

Panel headboard: A headboard with a plain or lightly padded rectangular face without deep buttoning; the most common strutted divan companion style.
Full guide →
Platform bed: A low bedstead with a flat, usually solid or closely boarded top that supports a mattress without a deep box-spring.
Plush velvet bed: shop shorthand for an upholstered bed or headboard covered in even-pile plush velvet; a fabric cover class, not a support type.
Full guide →
Poster bed: A bedstead with prominent vertical posts; includes four-poster and twin-post variants that may or may not carry a canopy.

R

Reinforced divan: A divan base with extra timber supports under the platform to increase stiffness and durability under heavier mattresses or sleepers.
Full guide →
Round bed: A circular mattress and matching frame; non-rectilinear geometry requires custom sheets and careful doorway planning.

S

Side-lift ottoman

An ottoman storage base whose mattress platform hinges along a long side and lifts laterally, needing clear flank space.

Also known as: side-opening ottoman

Single bed

A bed sized for a UK Single mattress, typically 90 × 190 cm.

A frame supporting the mattress on parallel solid or sprung slats; slat spacing must meet the specific mattress maker’s support requirements.

A bedstead with outward-curving headboard and often footboard, derived from nineteenth-century sleigh and Empire silhouettes.

Seating furniture that converts into a sleep surface via fold-out mechanisms, click-clack frames, or pull-out mattresses.

Also known as: guest bed, sofa sleeper

A divan base delivered as two half chassis linked with bolts for stair and doorway access; common on Double and larger UK sizes.

Also known as: split platform divan, two-piece divan

Storage bed

Any bedstead integrating drawers, lift-up ottoman voids, or cabinetry beneath the mattress platform.

Strutted headboard

A headboard with vertical struts that bolt into sockets on a divan or compatible bedstead so the board moves with the base.

Super King bed

A bed sized for a UK Super King mattress, typically 180 × 200 cm.

T

Tester bed

A canopy bed with a full rectangular upper frame (tester) joining the posts above the mattress.

Truckle bed

A low secondary bed on wheels or runners stored beneath a primary bed and pulled out for guests; historic form of the trundle.

Trundle bed

A spare mattress on a low wheeled frame that stores under a main bed and rolls out for additional sleeping capacity.

A bed with a powered screen lift hidden in the footboard (also called a media bed); the mattress remains a separate sleep surface.

Also known as: media bed, TV ottoman bed

Twin bed

North American term for a narrow single; in UK contexts, “twin beds” usually means two matching Singles rather than a US Twin size.

U

Upholstered bed: A bedstead whose headboard and often frame are padded and fabric-covered, with an internal timber or metal structure.
Full guide →

W

Wall bed: A bed that stows against or into a wall; commonly synonymous with Murphy bed mechanisms in modern housing.
Also known as: Murphy bed
Waterbed: A mattress whose support medium is water held in a vinyl bladder, often within a rigid frame with a heater in modern soft-side designs.
Winged headboard: A headboard with forward-projecting side panels (wings) that partially wrap the pillow zone; increases furniture width beyond the mattress.
Full guide →
Wooden bedstead: A timber-framed bed with side rails and ends supporting slats or a sprung insert; the dominant domestic material class in UK furniture.
Full guide →

Z

Zip-and-link bed: A bed setup using two mattresses (often two Singles) joined by zips or links — commonly on paired bases or ottomans — so firmness can differ per sleeper.
Also known as: zip link bed

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Questions about bed types

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