If there’s one thing UK homeowners and renters have in common, it’s a lack of available storage space in their homes. Clothes, children’s toys, books – everything takes up space, and after a while it becomes the norm to live in a permanent clutter.
Enter the ottoman bed. An ottoman bed lifts the whole mattress platform on a gas-lift mechanism to reveal one large storage compartment underneath, perfect for de-cluttering. It’s the most space-efficient bed design sold in the UK, and the reason it works is simple: the storage area is the entire footprint of the bed, with nothing interrupting it.
And while an ottoman is definitely an investment worth making for your home, there are a few practical things to consider before you buy. From mattress weight and lifting mechanisms to access and room layout, here’s how to find your perfect ottoman bed.
Measure The Lift Height As Well As The Floor Space
The base rotates upwards on hinges, so the bed needs clear space above it as well as around it.
- Measure from the top of the mattress to the ceiling, and allow for the mattress sitting at roughly 45 degrees at full lift.
- Check for sloped ceilings, ceiling lights and coving above the bed.
- Look at where a window sits, since a lifted base can block one.
- Leave room to stand at the side or foot of the bed while it’s open.
Decide Which Way It Should Open
Ottoman beds open either from the side or from the foot end. End-opening is the most common arrangement and suits rooms where the bed sits against a wall on one side. Simba’s ottoman collection – including models like the Ludlow and Wilmslow Ottoman – uses an end-lifting gas-strut system to maximise accessible storage space without taking up side clearance along your walls.
Check The Mattress Weight Against The Mechanism
Gas-lift struts are rated for a weight range. A mattress that’s too light can make the base rise too readily, and one that’s too heavy makes it hard to lift and lower with control.
Deep hybrid mattresses are heavy. A super king in the 30cm range is a genuinely substantial item, so check the manufacturer’s stated mattress weight range for the bed and compare it with the mattress you own or plan to buy. Most bed frames with built-in storage publish this information, and it’s worth double-checking before you commit.
Think Honestly About What Goes Underneath
Ottoman storage is generous in volume and awkward in access, because you have to clear the bed to open it.
It suits things you need a few times a year. Spare bedding, suitcases, seasonal clothing and keepsakes all work well. Anything you reach for weekly belongs somewhere else, which is the argument for a divan with drawers if your storage needs are more everyday. Divan bases typically come in two-drawer or four-drawer configurations, giving you smaller compartments you can open without moving anything.
Look At The Base The Mattress Sits On
Ottoman bases come either slatted or upholstered as a solid deck. Simba’s ottoman beds use a solid platform top, so airflow is instead supported within the mattress itself, through features such as breathable sleep surfaces, open-structure Simbatex® foam and Aerocoil® springs designed to encourage airflow.
Plan For Delivery And Assembly
Storage beds arrive as flat components and need building in the room they’ll live in. Simba delivers its bed frames in manageable cardboard boxes designed for easier transport up stairs. To take the strain out of setup, Simba also offers a VIP Delivery & Assembly service at checkout, where a professional team will assemble the frame, fit the gas struts correctly in your room of choice, and clear away all packaging.
Measure your access route as well; boxed components are easier to get up a narrow staircase than a pre-built base, but they’re still long and heavy.
Check What You’re Covered For
Storage beds have moving parts, so the terms matter more than they do on a static frame. Look at the length of the guarantee and whether it covers the gas-lift mechanism specifically. Check whether there’s a home trial and how long it runs, since a bed is difficult to judge in a showroom. Simba beds come with a 200-night trial and a 10-year guarantee, which is a useful benchmark for what to expect at the upper end of the market.
Important Safety Information
Ottoman beds have moving parts and a heavy lifting base, so they need a few sensible rules in a household with children. The gas struts hold the platform under tension, which means the base should be either fully open or fully closed and never left resting part way.
Children shouldn’t operate the lift or be in the room while it’s being raised or lowered, because fingers can be caught along the hinge line and at the points where the base meets the frame. The storage compartment isn’t a play space; the platform is heavy and the space underneath is enclosed.
Pack heavy items low and evenly so nothing shifts against the mechanism as the base moves, and check the struts once or twice a year for stiffness or a base that no longer holds itself up. If the lift starts to feel heavy or the platform drops under its own weight, stop using the storage until the struts are replaced.
The Checklist In Full
- Ceiling clearance above the bed at full lift.
- Opening direction, side or end.
- Mattress weight within the gas-lift range.
- Realistic storage plan for what goes inside.
- Delivery access and assembly arrangements.
- Guarantee terms covering the mechanism.
FAQs
Are ottoman beds hard to open?
No. The gas struts carry most of the weight, so lifting the base takes modest effort once the mechanism is correctly fitted. The exception is a mattress that falls outside the recommended weight range, which makes the lift feel either heavy or unexpectedly springy.
Do ottoman beds need a special mattress?
Any mattress of the right size will fit, though weight is the thing to check. Very heavy mattresses strain the lift, and very light ones can make the base rise too quickly.
Is an ottoman bed better than a divan with drawers?
They solve different problems. Ottoman storage gives you one large space for bulky, occasional items. Drawers give you smaller compartments you can access daily, though they need clear floor space at the side of the bed to open.
Can you put an ottoman bed against a wall?
Yes, if it opens from the foot end. A side-opening base needs clearance along the side it lifts from.
Does anything need to come off the bed before opening it?
Bedding can stay on, and most people leave the duvet and pillows in place. Anything loose on the surface, such as books or a laptop, needs clearing first.