I need to buy a bed with storage. Where is a good place to go and look and have a bounce, check the robustness etc? Is there a warehouse full of them somewhere. Having not bought a bed before this is new to me. Can you negotiate with them like you do when buying a motorcycle?
Any bed selling store will be good to have a general beds and sofas. DFS or something like that. They have “sale” all around year.
Myself prefer to buy a mattress and then frame but whatever floats your boat.
R
Big bed/furniture shop like Dreams (http://www.dreams.co.uk/). They are a bit like used car sales people - I always check to see if I’ve still got my watch when I go into those places and yes there is usually some haggle room on the beds depending on how expensive the bed is in the first place. You’ll find lots of deals available - and if it isn’t on special offer you are more or less certain to be paying too much. They price them high so they can legally have them on special offer most of the time.
If it’s for yourself, it’s very important to make sure it is comfortable - so do go prepared to take the time to actually lie down on each bed for more than a couple of minutes. I spent the extra to get the memory foam mattress and I recommend the super king size since I’m a big fella (but many bedrooms are too small to fit that in).
IKEA?
Haggle except in Ikea.
It’s all about the mattress Dude! choose carefully as back pain due to cheap rubbish is very irritating!
I used Absolute Beds in NW2, very helpful and good price, they even threw in a memory foam pillow when my wife admired it.
The mattress was £2000 but this was a Hypnos superking with memory foam and zip down the middle, as otherwise its too heavy to turn.
John Lewis, and yes the mattress is very important £900 :w00t:
John Lewis, spend more on the mattress than the bed.
In fact, we bought the bed one place and the mattress from Mr Lewis as his beds didn’t suit our taste (no built in mirrors)
Memory foam can be up to £2k but you may found cheaper. Remember to check how much warranty you have. Most have 1-3 years. When you see one with 10 years you should consider it.
That’s why I said, is much better to get some frame £100-£300 and some decent mattress £700-£2000, and remember, bigger is better in case of bed!
R
Homebase seemed okay for mine, and pretty good prices. Ideally wait for a sale somewhere?
Also, these guys are around the corner from me, and I gather have some good reviews. It looks like there’s a sale on at the moment too 
http://www.warrenevans.com/beds/ If there’d been a sale on I may have got mine there too!
PS - yes, mattress is the most important bit - and good pillows too. Some of the memory foams can get rather hot and uncomfortable, even if they start off comfy. Some bed companies will let you return/swap/upgrade your mattress within a period of time too, which sounds rather sensible and good of them.
You spend a third of your life asleep. Do not scrimp on the mattress, go to somewhere like dreams and lay on all the mattresses. Pick the best for you.
ay kevsta is right… I bought the frame in IKEA then spent ages trying to find a mattress… I went through two mattresses (both broke or become uncomfortable with springs annoying me) and replaced them on warranty - I started off with the cheapest/ budget version. Every time I did I upgraded and now the mattress I have in Cheltenham is amazing… I get the best sleeps there 
For the life of me, I don’t remember where we got the mattress from… 
The only thing with Ikea frames is the sizing is slightly different to standard to try to make you buy their mattress and linen etc.
Hey Joby,
like the others have said spend as much as you can on your bed, especially on the mattress. I would go to John Lewis (or Peter Jones if you’re in Kensington) and they will give you basic info and have a good range. Spend at least £2000 on a king size. Some mattresses are designed to go with particular frames. The choice of frame is a matter of taste but also comfort. I like my bed soft so I have a sprung divan base (with drawers, nice to have storage if you have a small bedroom) and a luxury mattress on top with 4 rows of stitching (the more rows the more luxurious the mattress), that’s if you want a natural fibre mattress. If you go down the memory foam route then the manufacturers usually do the bases to go with them. A slated base or a solid divan base will give a firmer feel to the mattress.
Some other places to try that are more ‘budget’: www.sofa.com, www.loaf.com, www.bigtable.co.uk.
White company if money no object…
Good luck!
If money no object go to “And So to Bed”! I used Warren Evans and very pleased with the result - good range of personalisation to some extent and good storage options too. As others though, spend maximum on the mattress and then what’s left over of the budget goes on the frame and extras.
Great remarks guys. I didn’t realize it was such a serious business as I’ve never entered the market before and usually have to put up with whatever sh1te the rented flat comes with.
Forget all that bollox. Be a tight wad - spend as little as possible. Leaves more money for your biking
BL: You have an easy sale…I need to buy a washing machine. What you got?
Salesman; Well sir, we have a wide range, there are washing machines and washer-dryers and a whole myriad of different brands / different speeds / different temperatures / forward and reverse spin…
BL: What? Let me start again. Show me your cheapest washing machine.
Salesman: Here it is, but if you think about it and consider the different…
BL: Does it wash clothes?
Salesman: Yes
BL: Sold.