Ottoman beds are bought for one reason above all others, which is storage. In homes where the loft is boarded but full and the airing cupboard holds the boiler and little else, the space under a bed is the largest unused volume in the house. That makes the purchase a considered one, often planned around a house move or a redecoration. Timing is part of the decision, and shoppers frequently ask about reserving an item now and paying for it later. This article explains how that idea works in the furniture trade, how it differs from paying in instalments, and what to check before an ottoman bed arrives.
The phrase describes an arrangement where a shopper secures a specific item, often with a small holding amount or none at all, and settles the balance at a later point such as collection or delivery. It grew out of showroom retailing, where a physical item could be labelled and set aside. Online it is less common, because stock is managed centrally and allocated at the point of order. It is worth being clear that reserving is not the same as paying in instalments. Reserving delays payment while holding stock. An instalment schedule takes payment in parts after the order has been placed and, in most cases, after the goods have been dispatched.
Our orders are placed and confirmed online, with payment taken at checkout by card or through PayPal, where PayPal Pay in 3 is available as an option provided by PayPal. There is no separate showroom reservation stage, which in practice suits how most people now buy beds. Once the order is confirmed, the stock is allocated to you and the delivery is arranged, so the item is held for your address rather than sitting on a shop floor. Delivery is free across the UK. If a particular design is temporarily out of stock, the sensible approach is to check the product page for its expected availability rather than trying to reserve it informally.
An ottoman bed lifts on gas struts, so the entire sleeping platform rises to reveal a lined base underneath. There are two common actions. A side lifting design opens from the long edge and suits a bed placed with both sides accessible. An end lifting design opens from the foot and needs clearance at the end of the bed instead, which is the better choice when one side is against a wall. Capacity is generous. A double base typically swallows a duvet set, several pillows, a suitcase and seasonal clothing. Because the lid is the mattress platform, everything stored is out of sight and out of dust, which is why the format has become a fixture in British bedrooms. Our range of modern ottoman beds UK sale covers both lifting styles in single through to super king sizes.
This is where ottoman beds catch people out. The floor area is the same as a standard bed of the same size, but the bed needs vertical and horizontal clearance to open. A side lifting double needs roughly the width of the mattress as swing space to one side, and enough ceiling height that a raised platform clears any sloped or low ceiling. In an attic room with a coombed ceiling, an end lifting design is usually the only workable option. Measure three things before ordering, which are the floor space, the clearance beside or in front of the bed, and the height from the mattress top to the lowest point of the ceiling above it.
Gas struts are matched to a range of mattress weights, so a mattress that is far heavier or lighter than expected changes how the bed behaves. Too heavy and the lift feels stiff. Too light and the platform can rise quickly when released. Most manufacturers state a suitable weight range, and a standard pocket sprung or memory foam mattress of the correct size sits comfortably within it. If you are replacing the mattress at the same time, choose it alongside the base rather than afterwards. Browsing mattresses UK sale options with the base specification to hand avoids the awkward situation of a very heavy mattress on a lifting frame.
Fabric bases are the most common because they soften a bedroom and come in the widest range of tones. Textured weaves in grey, stone and navy hide everyday marks better than flat pale finishes. Options in fabric beds UK also tend to feel warmer against the back of the legs, which matters if the headboard is tall enough to lean against. Faux leather wipes clean and suits households where bedding is changed often or where a child sleeps in the room. Velvet reads as more formal under lamplight, though it shows the direction of the pile. Whichever you choose, check the headboard height against any window sill or radiator behind the bed.
Ottoman storage is at its best for bulky items that are not needed weekly. Spare duvets, winter bedding, occasional pillows, suitcases and off season clothing all suit it. Vacuum bags increase capacity considerably and keep textiles fresh. What does not suit it is anything you need daily, since lifting the platform means clearing the bed first. It is also worth avoiding anything damp, and anything scented strongly enough to transfer to bedding. Keep heavier items towards the hinge side so the weight does not fight the struts. Distributing load evenly makes the lift feel lighter and extends the life of the mechanism.
Ottoman beds arrive flat packed in several parcels because a built base will not pass through most British doorways. Assembly takes two people and a couple of hours, mainly because the frame must be square before the struts are fitted. Clear the room first, keep the old bed dismantled and out of the way, and check the fixings against the parts list before starting. Attaching the struts last is standard practice. Once built, test the lift with the mattress in place before loading it. You can plan the whole bedroom in one order at Furniture in Fashion, which keeps the finishes of the bed and surrounding pieces consistent when they arrive.
Because the base is solid rather than open, an ottoman bed carries more visual weight than a slatted frame. In a small room, that can make the floor feel smaller, so keep the surrounding furniture light. Wall mounted bedside shelves, a slim chest and a mirror opposite the window all counteract it. Where the room is large enough, matching the bed to a chest and wardrobe in the same tone creates a settled scheme without needing a full set. Comparing tones across our modern bedroom furniture UK collections is the simplest way to keep the palette to two or three finishes, which is usually what makes a bedroom feel restful.
An ottoman base rewards a particular way of organising, and households that treat it like a chest of drawers usually end up frustrated. The lift takes two hands and a clear space, so it is not somewhere to keep anything you reach for every morning. Used well, it becomes seasonal storage. Winter bedding goes in when spring arrives, summer duvets go in when the nights turn, and suitcases sit flat in the middle where the platform is deepest. Households who sort the space into two or three soft bags find retrieval far easier than those who fill it loose, because a bag can be lifted out in one movement while loose items have to be reached for while holding the base open.
Ventilation deserves a thought too. A closed base with a boarded platform holds still air, so anything stored slightly damp will stay slightly damp. Bedding should go in dry and, if the room is prone to condensation on the windows in winter, it is worth opening the base for an hour every couple of months to let air move through. That single habit prevents the musty smell that occasionally gets blamed on the bed itself.
The most frequent is measuring the footprint and forgetting the arc of the lift, which leaves a bed that cannot be opened fully once a wardrobe door or radiator is in the way. The second is storing heavy items such as books or tools, which strains the platform and makes the base harder to lift than it should be. The third is assembling the frame in the wrong part of the room, since a completed ottoman base is heavy and dragging it into position puts load through joints that were not designed for it. Build it where it will stand, keep the stored contents light and bulky rather than dense, and check the lift clearance before ordering.
No. Reserving holds an item while payment is delayed, usually in a showroom context. An instalment schedule is a payment method applied to a confirmed order. At our checkout, PayPal Pay in 3 is available as an option provided by PayPal.
Yes. A side lifting design needs roughly the mattress width of clear space at the opening side, and an end lifting design needs that space at the foot. You also need enough height above the mattress for the platform to swing up.
Almost any of the correct size will fit, but check the weight guidance for the gas struts. A very heavy mattress makes the lift stiff, and a very light one lets the platform rise faster than expected.
Yes, once the struts are correctly matched. The mechanism is designed so the mattress weight is balanced, which means the lift needs a steady hand rather than real strength.
They suit different rooms. Drawers give quick access to smaller items and need pull out space at the side. An ottoman holds much more, including bulky bedding, but takes more effort to open. If storage volume is the priority, the ottoman wins.
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