When I left off with the bedroom changes-painting the accent wall white, updating the art and lighting situation-I mentioned needing a new bed. Since moving in this house, we’ve severely lacked a real bed. Immediately after moving in, we used a metal frame with the headboard from our old guest room, which was a slight step above a poor college student mattress on the floor look. For crying out loud, we didn’t even have a bed skirt to hide the box spring.
After getting sick of the wobbly headboard, we quickly built a platform frame with a built-in bench at the end. Neither of us really loved it, so we never finished it off with an upholstered seat and headboard.
It stayed this way until this spring when we hacked off the bench in an attempt to salvage the frame.
So that’s where we are today, with a half-finished frame neither Ben or I like. Instead, I have plans for a new frame. Something simple, with an upholstered headboard. I really like the clean, simple look of this West Elm bed frame:
I’m just not sure I want that much space between the floor and the bottom of the rails, because I think our king bed would look like it’s floating. On the other hand, I think this beautiful Restoration Hardware bed is a touch too close to the floor, which would make it nearly impossible to vacuüm/clean under. Yet again, those simple lines are what I’m after.
Then there’s this Crate and Barrel beauty:
The proportions are great, and I love the thicker cap surrounding the mattress, but I wouldn’t get the soft fabric headboard I’m dreaming about. Oh yeah, and I’m entirely too cheap to spend $1,800 on a bed frame. To save oodles of money and get exactly what we want, we’re planning a DIY build, a modified version of the beds we built for the boys’ room.
The legs and frame will look similar, but we’ll add a cap over the legs to beef up the frame. Also, the head and foot of the frame will look the same, but we’ll attach an upholstered headboard to differentiate between the two.
Instead of sealed wood, I’m leaning toward white paint, to help blend in with the wall and allow the headboard to be the star. Though a dark stained wood to match the nightstand could look nice, too.
Regardless, it’ll be nice to finally have a finished bed to complete the room. What’s that lingering thing looming over your head? Not that there’s only one, in fact, I’d safely say there’s one thing in each room of our house.
ourhumbleabodeblog.com 
That bed you are designing is exactly what I’ve been looking for. You and your hubby are amazing.Would you give us step by step as you build?
Hi Beth!
I’ll definitely share the progress and plans once we’re finished.
Thanks!
Amanda
Be aware that most of the beds you see in catalogs are shown without a box spring, and if you try to go without your back may rebel against you! I did this with a west elm bed purchase and now i am back to the same ugly box spring showing situation you had in your first pic, which is NOT the look i was going for!!!
Hi Pxlgirl! You’re totally right about the lack of box spring space in the store bought frames. Our current mattress sits on a platform, so it won’t change the feel of our bed, but I can see how the switch could be problematic.
Thanks!
Amanda
I love the feather painting you have in the last picture. Would you be willing to share the source? Thank you!
Hello Andrea!
Actually, I painted the feather art. If you really want something similar, I’d be happy to paint one for you, too! If you’re interested, email me at ourhumbleabodeblog@gmail.com
Thanks!
Amanda
I had the same thing happen as pxlgirl3030. I bought this bed http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Tribeca-Queen-size-Bed/1448615/product.html whose simplicity and lower profile I loved. The mattress rests on planks rather than a boxspring, and I had no idea how much comfort that thing was providing! The mattress had much less give and was hard on my shoulders and back. I ended up getting a 2in latex foam topper that has helped somewhat, but raised the level of the bed from that perfect height I wanted, and still isn’t as comfortable as it used to be.
But I guess if you’re already going without a boxspring, you’re used to it! I wish I knew the secret to comfort on these platform beds, because I love their look. Maybe I just require a softer mattress.
Hi MEL!
I know our bed feels firmer when it’s on a platform, but it was too soft for us when we briefly had it on boxsprings. I wonder if a sleep number or memory foam bed would be better options? Sorry for your problems with the frame!
Amanda