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.

But after about a week of sleeping on the floor, it’s safe to say that my perspective changed. I had to get a bed! So I started looking online and I realized that I needed a lot more than just a bed. I needed storage, a lot of storage because my room didn’t have a closet and all I had for my clothes was a small hand-me-down dresser from my older brother.

All I kept finding were futons and other “college” beds, like bunk beds. And that’s when I heard about divan beds from one of my neighbors who had been living there for a year. He was like, “you have to get a divan bed!” So I checked them out and he was right. These beds have drawers built into them, which is awesome because I can store so much stuff without using another piece of furniture.

Of course, I started looking at the double divan beds right away because I wanted to have the biggest bed possible. But then reality hit me when I realized that my tiny dorm room was built for single divan beds, not doubles. It was cool though. I was still able to find a single divan bed that had tons of storage space in its drawers. And the mattress… wow, don’t even get me started. It’s amazing! I feel like I’m sleeping on a could every night. The flipside to that, though, is that I literally have to drag myself out of bed every morning because I just don’t want to leave it.

It’s been about a month since I bought my divan bed and I couldn’t be happier. It looks great and stores all my clothes and my towels! I didn’t need much more to turn my dorm room into a comfortable pad, just a night stand, a writing desk and a couple of lamps. The best part is that with the money I saved buying my cheap divan bed, I was able to get a sick flat screen! Ahhh… college life!

Once we got to the store I figured it was safest for me to start looking at furniture, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about patterns and designs and accents. But before I knew it was surrounded in a sea of dressers, wardrobes, this tables, that tables and beds. Lots of beds. I thought I was going to drown in the middle of this superstore. It was like that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when they put the boxed up ark into storage in that massive warehouse – just endless rows of furniture.

So I had to come up with a plan. I knew my wife would have endless questions for me if I didn’t offer her some options. I decided that I needed to find a solution that would kill as many birds with one stone as possible. And that got me to thinking… how can I get multiple pieces of bedroom furniture into one? Because this is how guys think. If you don’t believe me, then how else did we come up with the turducken?

Anyway, back to my plan. It seemed to me that there had to be a bed that my wife would find suitable to her taste and that also had tons of hidden storage spaces. So I started walking through the aisles and I was surrounded by every kind of bed imaginable! Bunk beds, brass beds, canopy beds, platform beds, futons… everything you could imagine. And then I saw it. It was like a dream. Before me was a bed that was big enough for the both of us, actually looked nice and had drawers built right into the base! It was a kingsize divan bed with extra deep divan bed drawers. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning as I rifled through all the drawers marveling at all the space we would have. I knew my wife would love it and, more importantly, I knew I was that much closer to getting back home and in front of the tv!

About fifteen minutes later my wife found me as I was laying on the mattress. I didn’t have to say a word. She saw it all on my face. Our bed had been chosen. Ever since then, divan beds have been my favorite kind of bed.

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!

Size

The first matter to consider is the size of your bed and the greatest deciding factor in the size of your perfect bed is the size of the room you will put it in. For example, if you’re redoing your 10-year-old son’s room, then it makes the most sense to pick a nice, practical single divan bed. It will give your youngster plenty of room to get his nightly zzz’s without crowding the rest of his furniture. Or you if you wanted to spruce up a guest room, a double divan bed is all it takes.

Generally speaking, divan beds come in the following standard sizes:

• Micro Single – 2′6″ ( 76cm x 190cm)
• Single – 3′ (90cm x 190cm)
• Super Single – 4′ (122cm  x 190cm)
• Double – 4′6″ (135cm x 190cm)
• King Size – 5′ (150cm x 200cm)
• Super King – 6′ (180cm x 200cm)

Storage Options

One of the main reasons people decide to purchase a divan bed is because of the built-in storage options they offer. Depending on how you configure your storage options, you can quite literally double the storage available in your room simply by choosing the best fit for you. Typically, the divan bed base can be configured to hold drawers or built-in cabinets. You just need to choose what’s best for you.

Many people like to store their linens in their bed. For them, the best solution is usually to go with a set of drawers, whether it’s a couple of large side by side drawers or a set of four stackable drawers. Either solution provides perfect storage space for all your sheets, pillows and extra blankets.

Others like to use the storage space for more stackable items, such as books, cd’s or dvd’s. For them, cabinet options are usually best. These solutions typically consist of exposed shelves in the base of the bed. They’re also great for storing children’s toys.

Finishes

The other major deciding factor is the finish of the bed. This is the best way to a divan bed your personal touch. For a traditional look, try a simple pine finish. It’s classic, easy to maintain and durable. Of course you could also go for a more elegant look with an iron frame and a fine upholstery, such as velvet or suede. There really are no limits when it comes to the finishes of your divan bed.

And if you really want to give it that divan feel, be sure to add your favorite cushions to spruce it up.

In the end, all the choices come down to need and personal choice. Choose a bed that fits your room and meets your needs. There is no space that isn’t perfect for a divan bed.

Recently, I was in the market for new bedroom furniture and during my search for the perfect bedroom setup I kept hearing about divan beds. Everyone kept talking about them, but nobody could tell me just what makes a bed, a divan bed. But after a lot of research and a lot of explanations I found out exactly what they are. I decided to put together this site to save others the trouble that I went through.

So… what are divan beds? Well, first off, they are some of the most popular beds in the UK.  (So that’s why nobody here in Los Angeles could tell me much about them!) They are practical beds that consist of just the base and mattress. The main benefit of a divan bed is its storage options. Typically, the base of the bed will include a set of built in drawers. This incredibly handy storage feature maximizes your living space without sacrificing the bed’s aesthetics.

Divan beds do not include a headboard. They are simply placed against a wall or a corner of a room. Most people use cushions and pillows to give the bed a personal touch and additional comfort. If you prefer a headboard, one can be easily added to the base like most other beds. Another popular option and very cool idea is to mount the headboard directly to the wall and place the bed in front of it. This is a particularly handy option if your bed has castor wheels, as it can easily slide away which makes fixing the bed a snap each morning!

Divan beds are available in a wide variety of sizes to accommodate any room’s dimensions, from compact single (very tiny!) to super king (very large!) They are also equipped to handle nearly every type of mattress, from simple coil spring mattresses to custom memory foam mattresses.

If it’s not obvious already, the beauty of divan beds is their almost limitless customization possibilities.  You could go dorm style and get a simple single divan bed on wheels with one drawer. Or you could create a spa-worthy king size oasis with a pillow top memory foam mattress, custom drawers and a suede headboard. Because of their customized options, divan beds are often ordered online and can either be delivered or, in some cases, picked up at the manufacturer’s warehouse.

For additional information about divan beds, please have look around the site and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. In the near future we’ll have recommendations for where to buy cheap divan beds.