At Natural Bed Company, we specialise in making solid wood bed frames that will last you a lifetime. While most of our beds have wooden headboards, we do have a few upholstered options to choose from.
It isn’t uncommon for us to speak to customer’s who are struggling to pick between a full wood bed frame and one with an upholstered headboard. And really, there is no right or wrong option. It all comes down to personal preference in the end! However, in this blog we will go into detail about each option, which will hopefully make the decision a little easier!
The first point worth noting about our upholstered beds is that much of the bed frame is still wooden – only the panels are upholstered. We don’t offer fully upholstered beds/divan bases, as wooden beds are our speciality!
A big perk of having an upholstered bed is that you’ll have a cosy, soft headboard panel to lean against, making reading or watching telly in bed that much more comfortable! Our upholstered panels have a plush foam inner, and we have a wide range of fabrics to choose from for the outer panel.
An upholstered bed can really help tie a bedroom look together . If you love a pop of colour, or just want to break up the look of a wooden bed, an upholstered bed may be right for you.
The panel itself will not require much in terms of maintenance. The materials used are manufactured with upholstery in mind. All of the fabric options that we offer score high on the Martindale rub test, which measures the durability of domestic-use fabrics. We recommend brushing or gently hoovering away any dust or lint build-up. For spills we’d recommend spot cleaning with a mix of soap and warm water. Ensure you soak up and clean spills immediately.
A point of concern for upholstered beds might be the type, colour and/or pattern of the fabric. There’s so much choice, and you may wonder if you’ll still like it in years to come.
If you’re after a timeless, comfortable look, wool is a great option. If you’re looking for something with a cosy feel, boucle may be worth consideration. The Eco-Velvet option gives a sleek and luxurious look. Check out our blog linked further down for our current full list of fabric options.
It is important to note that it is possible to re-upholster your bed in future, if you do decide you’d like a change! We can quote for this, but it is something that many upholsterers will be able to do. If you aren’t local to us here in Sheffield, looking into a local upholsterer will save on some of the collection/delivery costs.
Pictured to the right is our Carlisle bed in Abraham Moon & Sons Parquet fabric (colour ‘Fire’). The wooden frame around the headboard still keeps some timber on show while letting the fabric panel shine.
Another perk to having an upholstered headboard is that you can provide your own material (COM). If you have a fabric you’d really love to make your bed that bit more unique, we may be able to use it! There are a few things that are really important to consider with COM, so we would recommend checking out our Upholstered Bed FAQ’s for more info on this.
You can learn about all of our current fabrics here, and view our full range of upholstered wood frame beds here.
You can see examples of our current fabric options below – (left to right) Amatheon ‘Wisp’, Andes ‘Ecru’, Parquet ‘Old Gold’, Vaquero ‘Saddle’, Eco-Velvet ‘Plantation’ and Poole ‘Cyprus-Green’.
As you will see, the majority of our bed bases have solid wood headboards. The style and size of the panels does change from design to design. An example of our largest headboard panel can be seen on the Bamford and Hathersage beds. Our most minimal panels can be seen on the Nevada and Sahara beds.
Below you will find close up images of the (from left to right) Nevada (pine wood), Hathersage (beech wood), Sahara (cherry wood) and Bamford (walnut wood).
Of course, some timbers are more characterful, while others are more understated. Swirls and stripes are quite common in timbers such as ash, walnut and cherry. Maple and beech have fairly uniform grains and tones. Oak (our most popular timber) has a tight but pronounced grain, and is extremely versatile in that it works with so many different bedroom schemes.
If you still want that extra bit of character on your headboard panel, a chevron style panel may be right for you. This really highlights the variations in the grain and tone. Our workshop will always try to lay varied sections next to each other for a more pronounced look. Ash, walnut, oak and cherry are great for chevron headboards. If you still want the chevron, but with a much more subtle look, opt for beech or maple.
You can find out more about our timbers here. You can also order free timber samples here. If the finish/option you’re wanting a sample of is not shown, then drop us an email with your request and your full delivery address.
Below you can see examples of a chevron headboard below (from left to right): Hoxton (ash wood), Dalston (cherry wood), Kelham (oak wood) and Harrow (walnut wood).
Although we absolutely love them, you may feel like changing the fabric type or colour on an upholstered bed down the line. If you love to change up the colours and decor in your room frequently, an upholstered panel may not always fit the look you’re going for. In contrast to this, a wooden panel is truly timeless, and allows the natural timber to take centre stage.
There is also slightly less upkeep with a wood headboard. Any dust or spills can be quickly wiped away (do be careful to clean spills immediately!). As is the case with all of our beds, the wood does not need to be refinished. The lacquer used seals and protects timber, and is very hardwearing.
In the end, the choice between an upholstered panel and a wooden one is completely up to personal preference! However, we do hope this blog has proved helpful, if you are struggling to pick between the two! Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
SPECIAL OFFER - 10% OFF BEECH BEDS & BEDSIDE TABLES ORDERED IN APRIL. USE DISCOUNT CODE: BEECH10 AT THE CHECK-OUT. Limited time offer - we are passing on a special offer from our timber supplier so you can benefit from 10% off our beech beds - size double & above - and our beech bedside tables. Dismiss