Our Collection of Japanese Look Bed Bases and Futons

At Natural Bed Company we are known for our collection of Japanese look bed bases – simple, solid bed frames with a refined, elegant style. They are particularly popular with those who love minimalist interior design, and who wish to create a calming ‘zen’ bedroom. Often these beds are paired with our futon mattresses for the ultimate in ‘Oriental’ style. Here we’ll take a look at our Japanese inspired beds – the sizes, timbers, and options available, the furniture and accessories that suit this look, and the prefect bedding to dress them with – ideal for a beautiful and calming bedroom.

The Kyoto Collection

The Kyoto collection is a range of low beds, available in a range of solid hardwoods and solid pine, which includes the Kobe, Kumo and Kyoto designs – these bed bases are almost identical – they just differ in the height of their bed legs. The Kyoto collection beds have a classically Japanese look – a pared back style with two chunky wooden rails which run the width of the bed and support the sleeping platform. It is the height of these ‘rails’ which differ – the lowest option is the Kobe. The Kobe is one of our ultra-low beds, the height from the floor to the top of the side rails is just 14cm. This distance is 23cm on the Kumo bed, and 28cm on the Kyoto.

There are a number of decisions to make before you order a bed from the Kyoto collection – from: “which timber and finish?” to “what size and height will suits our needs best?” and “do we want to order the bed with or without a headboard?” If you call us to place an order we will talk this all through with you, but it’s always a good idea to first spend some time looking at the product pages and thinking through your options. If you have a pitched roof, and therefore a very low ceiling in your bedroom, you may prefer to choose the Kobe. If you want to add under-bed drawers for extra storage, it’s best to select a Kyoto bed.

We will help as much as we can, we try to show photographs of the beds in various finishes and to show how they would look with and without a headboard panel. We are also happy to send out samples of our timbers and finishes free on request. Please just let us have your postal address and list the timbers/finishes you would like to see. These beds are available in the following timbers: pine, beech, maple, cherry, oak, ash and walnut; and the following finishes: sanded timber, coated with ‘natural lacquer’, pine stained wenge, white-wash or antique pine. To find out more about the materials and finishes available please take a look at our timbers page.

Japanese Style Bedroom Furniture

We have a wide range of solid wood bedroom furniture that will suit a Japanese inspired aesthetic. We suggest selecting simple, bold shapes – the Kyoto bedside drawer table, Kyoto shelf table and the low Cube tables are great options for your bedside and are available in the same range of timbers and finishes as the Kyoto Collection of beds.

We also have a collection of Ethnicraft furniture that will suit this look perfectly – all available in solid oak with a soft, matte, oiled finish. The Madra bedside unit and the Flat tall boy particularly suit an oriental look – as they have pure, geometric shapes and a lack of unnecessary decoration, pleasing proportions and contemporary style. If you wish to pursue a minimalist look you will definitely need good storage, so we recommend bedside tables, under-bed drawers and chests of drawers to supplement your wardrobe and allow you to keep your surfaces clear of clutter.

Bedding to suit our Japanese Look beds

A classic oriental look will incorporate simple, but boldly coloured bedding in black, red or white. We suggest you take a look at the black Zari duvet set – a black cotton duvet with a square design in red and gold brocade – or the stunning Pha Tung silk duvet cover in crimson.

However if this colour palette is a little strong for you – don’t worry – a low-key, minimalist take on this style will also work well, choose neutrals in ivory, grey, stone or taupe. Such classic shades will never date and make a great back-drop for accessories in stronger colours (which can be quickly and inexpensively changed if you decide on a change of style.) We have an extensive range of bedding in neutrals – from luxurious washed linen bedding or 1000 thread count cotton bedding, to simple wool throws and quilted cotton bedspreads.

If your Japanese look bed is for a guest room (and therefore only used occasionally to sleep on) you may wish to use an attractive futon mattress without any bedding. Add a bolster cushion or two and our Kyoto collection of beds (particularly those without headboards) make stunning day-beds when paired with a futon.

Looking for further decor inspiration? Take a look at our Pinterest Board – Japanese Style Bedrooms or our look-book page – Japanese Beds & Bedroom Design.