What is a Divan Bed? Your Questions Answered

Bunk beds, ottoman beds, sofa beds, and daybeds; surprisingly, there are a lot of different types of beds that you can rest on at the end of a long day.

With that said: What is a divan bed?

A divan bed is a type of bed consisting of two main components.

The base of a divan bed is a solid wooden frame, sturdily built and upholstered in fabric, while the mattress can be whatever you choose.

Divan beds are common nowadays, having gradually replaced the old solid slat-and-frame designs in popularity.

The bases of these beds are built specifically for certain mattresses, meaning divan beds are super space-efficient.

These bases often have drawers built in, further increasing spatial efficiency.

They perform a similar function to ottoman beds, in that ottomans, too, are designed as both usable furniture and storage units.

Why Should You Choose a Divan Bed?

Moving into a new place and it’s smaller than you’re used to?

Struggling to fit your old bed base and mattress around tight corners, or upstairs?

Or have you realized that you’ve simply got far too much stuff?

A divan bed may be the bed for you.

Divan beds are ideal for all of the above situations, and more.

They’re great for when you don’t have much space, or when you want to keep what floor there is as uncluttered as possible.

When you’re out of space, you may not be able to fit a decent chest of drawers or a closet into your bedroom.

Divan beds can have built-in storage capacity and are self-contained. In other words, everything you need can be stored in the bed base.

Pros and Cons of Divan Beds

Pros

They take up only a marginal amount of space
Plenty of storage capacity within bed base
Bases are tailored to mattress size
Easy to transport, often delivered in two pieces
Easy to assemble (see below)
Small enough to fit through tight spaces like apartment stairwells
Minimal and stylish aesthetic quality

Cons

Difficult to fit into loft conversions as the base will be delivered (generally) in two boxed halves
Wasted space underneath if no drawers are installed
Hard to clean underneath without moving it entirely

Types of Divan Beds

Divan beds, while a class of their own, can be divided into two main types. These types are differentiated by the construction of the base.

One kind of divan bed base is the sprung base.

Offering a lot of support due to the spring system and cushioned surrounds, these bases can add a level of forgiveness to even the most rigid of mattresses.

The second type of divan bed base is the platform model.

These consist of a panel top (essentially a solid piece of material) and a frame of timber, upholstered together in fabric.

These are incredibly rigid beds with many orthopedic benefits. Our platform divan models are manufactured with an anti-slip material on top of the base to ensure your mattress says where it should be.

Divan Bed Drawer Storage

One of the best features of divan beds is their drawer storage.

There are multiple options regarding the number of drawers you may want, depending on floor space around the bed.

Our divan bed bases are available in a number of storage configurations. They are:

No drawers
2 plus 2 conti-drawers
4 Drawer
Left-side drawers only
Right-side drawers only
Ottoman side lift
Ottoman end lift

Ottoman vs Divan Beds: What’s the Difference?

Divan beds are made of two parts: The bed base, and the mattress. Storage capacity is available in drawer form in the bed base.

Ottomans are another kind of bed with storage capacity, but the way it operates is different.

So, what are the differences between ottoman and divan beds?

Ottoman beds have a piston-lift system in place to raise the mattress out of the base, and store items within.

They’re a one-component model, and their storage compartment is divided down the middle to create two.

Traditional ottoman beds are different because they use the entire floor space occupied by the bed as a storage unit, rather than extendable drawers.

In this way, ottomans are even more space-efficient than divan beds.

Our divan bed base range does include an ottoman variant (both end lift and side lift options), should you prefer the piston-lift system as opposed to a drawer storage system.

How to Assemble a Divan Bed

Assembling a divan bed is one of the simplest things you can do, and far less hassle than a frame-and-slat model.

To assemble a divan bed, all you need to do is follow the instructions below- provided you have the materials (base, legs, mattress) on hand.

Assemble Bed Base

Turn the base upside down, and screw in the base legs
Following that, turn it the right side up
If the base is made up of two parts, fix them together using the attached metal clips for a seamless finish
Place your mattress on top of the anti-slip divan bed base

Assemble The Headboard

Headboards are single pieces in almost all cases and don’t need to be assembled.
However, if you want to have one on your divan bed, they’re attached manually.

Are Mattresses Included?

All our divan bed bases and mattresses are sold separately.

However, should you decide to buy them together, you’ll receive a 10% off discount on your mattress purchase.

Whether mattresses are included in your purchase is entirely up to you.

We have a wide range of mattresses available here at MyBedFrames.

These include;

Any of these mattresses will compliment our divan bed bases - it’s just personal preference as to which type of mattress you find the most comfortable.

Why Should I Get a Divan Bed?

Divan beds are a great option for anyone who wants to make use of their storage possibilities while still saving on space.

For those in loft ceilings, the headboard-less option may be ideal. For tight staircases (and even tighter bedrooms), a divan bed could be perfect due to it being delivered in two pieces.

Easy to set up and assemble, as well as being low maintenance and available to your specifications, a divan bed is a great choice if you want a space-efficient bed without skimping on quality or comfort.