My New Bed
Last year I decided it was time to replace my bed frame. My previous frame was some forgotten Ikea model that I’d inherited from a housemate nearly 10 years prior and it had been with me through two moves. It was all metal, very sturdy, and simple to assemble – four pieces that slotted into each other without screws, plus a mid-beam and wooden slats. But in recent years I’d become dissatisfied with it. It had gotten creakier over the years and I hadn’t figured out how to stop its squeaking. I had also become annoyed by the foot board, both aesthetically and practically, since it prevented me from exiting off or sitting on the end of the mattress. I was also ready to upgrade from a double mattress to a queen.
I was already partway through the process of stripping the bed to take it apart when I took this photo.
I spent a lot of time considering what I wanted in a bed and what price I was willing to pay for it. There’s a whole range of prices to the beds people recommended to me when I asked around, from less than a couple hundred dollars to over a couple thousand!
Ultimately I ordered the Oslo bed frame from Copeland Furniture. I liked its simple modern look and the finish of the natural oak wood. My partner Ruthie has a bed of a different model from Copeland Furniture and it feels very sturdy and she’s happy with it.
Never mind my uneven bed-making job 😅
I bought it through Circle Furniture in Cambridge. At $2,029, it was the most expensive bed frame I was considering. Though it has a similar look to some of the cheaper frames I was looking at, I think it’s a little more refined. The dovetail joints and hidden screws are clever touches and I’m hopeful that the solid oak wood will make it a multi-decade, if not lifetime, purchase.
I added on a $1,299 mattress, Chloe Gel Memory Firm, I liked when testing at the store. They gave me a discount of a few hundred dollars for getting both frame and mattress together, but with taxes and delivery fees it all came to $3,470. It’s probably the single most expensive purchase I’ve ever made¹!
They arrived in early December and, one month in, I’m in love with bed and mattress both. The frame feels sturdy and I the look of it. The short foot board and lighter color make the room feel larger and more open. It better shows off my beautiful quilt, made by my amazing sweetie Ruthie for my 30th birthday years ago. In sharing photos of the bed on social media, I’ve received many compliments on the quilt – sometimes even from people who have definitely seen my bed with it on before!
The mattress, on first test, struck me as a little firmer than I remembered it from the store, but over the past month I think it has either softened up a bit or I’ve gotten used to it. It’s still very firm, but I like it, and the memory gel has a nice plush feel while maintaining good temperature control. With L.L. Bean’s soft flannel sheets, it’s a perfect cozy winter hideout.
I decided that, after splurging on the bed, I’d go frugal on the nightstands. I bought a pair of Ikea bamboo Nordkisa nightstands. One I got used for $100 and the other new for $129. I like them, with my only real complaint being the lack of slides and stops on the drawer.
I had already acquired the used nightstand before I got the new bed, seen in the first image, but here are both matching nightstands with the bed.
I’m still looking to upgrade other parts of my bedroom setup. I’m looking into what pillows, area rugs, nightstand lamps, and storage chests might be best for my needs.
But, I will say, after taking a ten day trip back to California for the holidays, returning to my new bed after getting in from the airport felt like home.
Except possibly some medical expenses because, after all, I do live in the USA 🦅🇺🇸 ↩︎