We are regularly asked about the advantages of purchasing a solid wooden bed and the importance of choosing a hand-made base. In this blog I’ll take a closer look at why we manufacture the beds in the manner we do and why we choose natural hardwoods over veneer.

ki wooden bed foot detail
A close up of the Mandalay bed headboard post made from solid Oak
A view of the padded upholstered headboard of our hand made wooden framed shetland bed
ex-display cherry sonora - kingsize low cherry bed

The first reason is simply the inherent beauty of natural timber. As we only ever use hardwood and pine timbers, never veneers for our beds, each base is slightly different and in its own way, unique. From subtle variations in grain patterns and tone, each bed is guaranteed to have its own ‘one-off’ look. As the timber ages over the years, the wood will evolve in colour, with, for example, the cherry wood deepening to a darker, richer red, the walnut turning to a warmer chocolate brown and the oak developing a radiant, golden tone.

Sol coloured headboard bed
Summer bedroom with solid oak Shetland bed with floral headboard and oak bedside tables
Tao Bed - Oak and Pale Blue
Contemporary solid wooden 4 poster bed the Orchid in a Scandi style bedroom
Koo coloured headboard bed
Sahara a contemporary low wooden bed here in a white lacquered finish
Koo coloured headboard bed

As all our bed bases are hand made and manufactured to order, it allows us to make certain changes to our designs when necessary to ensure that our beds fit perfectly with your requirements- this is something that would not be possible with a mass-produced item. We can make alterations to the headboard height to accommodate a deep mattress or to allow more of the natural timber to be on show, produce custom sizes to fit European or US mattresses (you can read more about this here) and allow you to choose from a huge range of colours in our coloured headboard and painted range of beds (more information on this here).

Contemporary minimal 4-poster bed the Oasis, hand made in Sheffield uk from a choice of timbers
black orchid - contemporary 4 poster bed hand made from solid wood
Indian bedroom look featuring our Raj wooden 4 poster bed
Our Cube contemporary 4 poster Bed with cube bedroom furniture, all in Oak
Unique and bespoke black oak and zebrano wood Cube 4-poster bed and bedside table.
Orchid wooden four poster bed in oak shown with matching Oak Cube bedside tables

We currently have a custom four poster bed on order, combining the details of the Raj bed with the proportions of the Cube and are making bespoke under-bed drawers to be pulled out from the footboard end of the base rather than the side. In the past we have adapted our designs so that two bed bases can be used as twin beds (for info see here) and altered the heights of our Cube collection of bedside tables to suit an existing bed base. This is not an exhaustive list of the changes that can be made – please do not hesitate to contact us if you have an idea I have not mentioned here!

Cube modern wooden bedside tables hand made in Britain.
Bespoke Cube bedside tables in Black Oak with Zebrano wood drawer fronts.
Kyoto bedside shelf table available in a choice of woods.
Designed by us to go with our classic wooden Cochin bed - the Cochin table
Kumo bed with Kyoto drawer tables
Oregon bedside table in maple designed to go with our Oregon platform bed

Every Natural Bed Company bed base has a 12 year warranty, however we know that your bed will last much longer than this. A solid wooden bed can last a lifetime and can really be seen as an investment. From the natural materials used, to the the hand-made production in our Sheffield workshop through to the high quality materials used in assembly, you can be sure that your bed is designed to far outlive any mass produced item.

Speaking of our Sheffield workshop, when choosing a bed from the Natural Bed Company you are supporting an independent UK business, keeping skilled jobs local and those skills alive.

If you would like to see our designs four yourself, we’d love for you to visit our showroom. You can find directions on our website- our opening hours are 10am-5:30pm Monday-Saturday. If you can’t make the trip but would like to receive timber samples or further information on any of our products please call on 01142721984 or email [email protected].

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