Divan or bed frame? Which is right for your bedroom

Short answer: a divan if you want storage, a firm base and the simplest life; a frame if you want the bed to be a piece of furniture. Neither is better for your back. Here is how to decide.

What each one is

A divan is an upholstered box on castors or glides, usually with a platform or sprung top, that the mattress sits directly on. It comes in the same size as the mattress, often in two halves for king and super king, and the headboard bolts onto the back.

A bed frame is a freestanding structure, upholstered, wooden or metal, with slats across the middle that the mattress sits on. The headboard is part of the frame, the frame is a few centimetres bigger than the mattress on the outside, and it usually arrives flat and is assembled in the room.

Storage

Divans win outright. Two or four drawers built into the base, or an ottoman that lifts the whole top on gas struts and gives you the entire footprint of the bed as a cupboard. Some frames have ottoman versions too, but the drawers under a frame are an afterthought, if they exist at all.

Looks

Frames win. A tall upholstered headboard, a winged or sleigh shape, a mirrored panel: a frame makes the bed the centre of the room. A divan is a mattress on a box; the headboard does the work. If the bedroom is going to be photographed, it is a frame.

Height and getting in and out

Divans sit higher and firmer, which is easier to get up from, particularly with a deep mattress on top. Low frames look good and are a pain for anyone with knees.

Support and mattress life

A divan gives a flat, solid, even base and a mattress lasts longest on it. A frame with slats is fine provided the slats are close together (no more than 7cm gaps) and firm. Wide-gapped or bowed slats let the mattress sag between them and shorten its life. Check the slats before you buy the frame.

Getting it in the house

A divan king or super king comes in two halves and goes up most stairs. A big frame comes flat-packed and goes anywhere, but then somebody has to build it. Our two-man delivery team assembles frames in the room; if you are buying elsewhere, ask who does.

Price

A plain divan base is the cheapest way to get a mattress off the floor. Add drawers or an ottoman and it climbs. A basic upholstered frame starts around the same as a two-drawer divan; a statement frame costs considerably more. Remember a frame plus a mattress is two purchases; a divan set is usually priced as one.

Our take

Small room, need storage, want the simplest solution: divan, and our Signature sets come as mattress, base and headboard in one price from £449. Bigger room, want the bed to look like something: bed frame, from £299, with a mattress of your choosing. Both are on the floor in Clydebank, next to each other, which is the easiest way to decide.

Paul James Home, Co-op Department Store, Clydebank. Monday to Saturday 9 to 5. 0141 266 0400.