Simple, classy, versatile bed: will look great in old rooms and new (Ikea Lillesand Bed Frame)

Member Name: jamesontheroad

Product:	Ikea Lillesand Bed Frame
Date:	15/01/09 (630 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Attractive matt powder coated finish

Disadvantages: Flat pack requires assembly, not to everyone's pleasure.

As much as I'd like to, I can't take the credit for choosing this great bed-frame. I'll be honest, it was my girlfriend. If you promise not to inflate her ego I promise not to either.

But it was a great choice.

Earlier today I reviewed the Ikea Sultan Hasselbäck sprung mattress. Together with a Lillesand bed frame in Ikea's double size (European standard, not UK or US) these have been the best investments we have made in our new home. The bed lives in a tall Victorian tenement bedroom in Glasgow, and the classic yet simple design suits this room perfectly. I suspect it would also look great in a more modern apartment or house, since the decoration to the frame is limited to simple baubles on the four corners.

The frame is made of black powder coated steel. This is matt in colour, but if you look closely you can see an attractive pattern of webbing caused by the powder coating process. The frame is circular section steel tubing, thicker on the principal frame and thinner for the vertical uprights at the head and foot of the bed. The bed head is 131cm, taller than than the foot, at 106cm. The bed comes in two sizes for mattresses 140x200cm or 160x200cm wide, both 200cm long. I strongly recommend Ikea sprung mattresses, especially as they come in the standardised European sizes to fit Ikea beds that British or American retailers may not stock.

When purchasing this bed, it always pays to check your store's stock levels online before you head out. As with all Ikea bed frames, slats are not included, so you should visit the mattress area of the Ikea showroom to choose the type of slats you need (dependning on your preference for springiness). We chose a pair for £9 each. The bed itself comes in three parts, normally located in at least two different parts of the customer warehouse: so in addition to the slates and mattress be sure to note down the area and shelf numbers for a) the head and foot of the bed, b) the mid-beam and c) the side beams. The last two are the same no matter what size of bed you choose, the first comes in two sizes as detailed above.

Since we were buying a mattress at the same time we rented a van to get these items home: a Vauxhall Vivaro / Renault Master, which when empty took the mattress and largest part of the bed frame diagonally in the back. See my review for 1car1.com to find out where and when to rent one for just £25 a day. You will need two people to lift, carry and assemble this bed frame, although assembly took no more than twenty minutes once we were organised. The largest box is the one containing the pre-assembled bed head and foot. See dimensions to get a general idea; all items are quite heavy.

I love this bed and the mattress. My only quibble is so minor it isn't really worth mentioning: the header and footer both have a small hole in the underside of the top of their frames - presumably necessary for the frame to be held in place while being seamlessly powder coated. It's only noticeable when you're in the bed, but then with our comfy mattress, I'm normally out like a light when I get in.

If you're in need of new lamps as well, we added a pair of Ikea Lersta floor lamps in black. At £8 (at 17.5% VAT) each they're excellent value adjustable reading lamps for this bed.

Summary: Best bed I've ever slept in