Divan Beds Guide

There are literally hundreds of different single divan beds available at the moment, which makes it close to impossible to pick the right one unless you narrow down your options. In this post I’ll be giving a few examples of single divan beds, as well as some tips to make sure you don’t spend hours looking at the wrong type of beds for you.

The first thing you need to do when buying any large piece of furniture, such as a divan bed, is to set your budget. If you don’t know how much you have to spend, then it becomes extremely difficult to narrow down your options. By setting a strict budget you’re immediately ruling out a large portion of the beds available and this will help you make the best decision.

Next, you need to consider how you like your bed to feel when you go to sleep. Do you like the bed to be as soft as possible? If so, then go for a spring edge bed. Do you like a firm bed? If you do, then a platform top base will be the best option. Again, if you know what kind of bed you want before you start, then you will narrow down your options and you won’t waste a lot of time looking at divan beds that aren’t right for you.

When looking for a cheap divan bed you need to keep in mind the reputation of the manufacturer as this is generally a good indication of the quality of a bed. There’s no point in buying a bed that’s a few pounds cheaper if it’s only going to last you a few years.

To give you and idea of current price ranges, here are a couple of examples of popular single divan beds available at the moment.

Budget single divan bed set – £60
There are plenty of budget options available, so if you don’t have a large budget, then this option from United Interiors is one of them. While there are other beds of higher quality, if you don’t want to spend a lot on a divan bed then this bed is worth taking a look.

Yorkshire Children’s Single Bed – £90
Childrens divan beds are a great way to provide your child with a comfortable place to sleep and some storage place for his or her toys. This is mid-range bed in terms of price and it comes with a mattress, divan bed base and headrest.

Single 2 Drawer Divan Base – £80
If you already have a mattress, then there is no need to purchase a full set. This is another mid-range option and is a good choice if you’re shopping for a new frame or bed base.

To recap, there are so many options to consider when purchasing a new single divan bed. However, if you are properly prepared and know exactly what you need, you’re going to be in a much better position to find the bed that is best for you.

Like so many things, divan beds found their start in the UK. Of course, they weren’t always known as divan beds. For years they were known as a term familiar to many of us – box springs. Over time, as beds became more sophisticated and the technology that goes into mattresses improved, box springs became much more than a simple wooden frame with springs. With the development of metal frames, specialized springs and padding and a wide variety of fabric coverings, box springs evolved into decorative pieces of furniture.

Box springs continued to improve in comfort, appearance and functionality over the last 50 years.  Unfortunately for retailers, however, whenever a customer heard the term “box spring”, he saw the product as low-end regardless of how finely crafted the box spring was. And so was born the divan bed.

A couple of retailers in the heart of London’s furniture district decided to start calling their box springs “divan beds.” Granted, their box springs were very high end and much more than just an economical bed piece. They were selling elegant beds that were highly functional, customizable and practical. However, at the heart of all their beds was the box spring. One of the retailers came up with the idea when his mother-in-law visited their store and and called one of their beds “simply divine.” And that got him to thinking… divine… divine comfort… divine bed… ahh!… divan bed! And the rest, as they say, is history.

Great story, eh? If only it were that romantic. In actuality, there was no retailer with a famous mother-in-law. Divan beds, though, do have their roots in the traditional box spring. They are similar to the traditional box spring in that they are made of a base with the mattress resting on top of it. That is about as close as they get to the original beds however.

Today’s divan beds come in a wide assortment of sizes (double divan beds, for example), comfort levels, finishes and storage options. These innovations were driven both by bed manufacturers, but also by linen retailers and mattress manufacturers who greatly benefited from the increase in divan bed sales.

Divan beds are most popular in the UK. In fact, the UK is the only European market where divan beds are sold. You would have to go to America or Australia to find other countries that sell divan beds on a large scale. However, given the fact that so many retailers have an online presence today, you could easily purchase no matter where you live. But the shipping and handling cost might cost you the same amount as the bed. Ouch!