Buying Guide for Mattresses & Beds

A comfortable bed is key to a good night’s sleep. Having the right mattress and bed can help give a restful night, whereas an unsupportive mattress, tends to encourage poor sleeping posture and restless sleep. If you regularly wake up with aches and pains, it may be time to change your mattress or bed.

But what is the best bed for you? There is a huge amount of choice, so selecting the right one isn’t easy. Our sales team have knowledge and experience and are always happy to offer advice and information, so visiting one of our stores, where we have a wide selection of mattresses and beds for you to test, is great idea.

One thing we would advise is that a bed is a long-term investment and, as we can spend almost one third of our time in bed, it will get a lot of use, so if possible put quality above price and spend as much as you can afford.

The information below will give some factors to consider, when selecting a new bed.

Choosing your Mattress

When buying a mattress, it is important to consider the following:

Type of Mattress

We offer a range of mattress types, as one type doesn’t suit everyone. The following information explains the difference between the main types.

• Pocket spring mattresses

Individual springs are nested in separate pockets, so each spring responds independently, according to the pressure it receives, to contour to the shape of the body. Also, as the springs are all independent, you’re less likely to be disturbed by your partners movements and it helps to avoid rolling in together.

Pocket spring mattresses are often offered with different numbers of springs and in a range of tensions to suit different requirements. Talk to our experts, to find the best one for you.

• Open coil mattresses

Open coil mattresses offer a less expensive alternative to the more luxurious pocket spring system. They are made with single springs fixed together by a wire, so they do not operate independently. Therefore they tend not to be as good for couples as pocket springs. However, for individuals, they share the body’s weight across the whole mattress, and so offer good support. They are an ideal choice for children or guest beds.

• Natural latex

Natural Latex is derived from the rubber plant. It is a highly resilient product that moulds to the body’s contours and then recovers its shape once pressure is relieved, so it makes an excellent component for mattresses. It gives great support and a wonderful cradling sensation, and has anti-allergenic properties.

• Memory foam mattresses

Memory foam mattresses are ideal for those who want excellent support, enveloping the body. Foam can be produced in various densities to create different firmness levels.

• Pillow top mattresses

Pillowtop mattresses have an extra pad attached to the top of the main mattress, to enhance its plushness, and so are ideal for those who want support but with a luxurious sleeping surface. The pillow top layer can comprise of a various materials, including cotton, wool, down, fiberfill, memory foam, or latex foam. The main mattress is usually spring-based. Pillow Top mattresses are non-turnable, and so easy to care for.

Firmness

In general, a firmer mattress is more suited to a heavier frame to give the support needed.

We would advise trying a mattress before you purchase, by popping into one of our stores. If you share the bed as a couple, it is important that you both try the mattress, together if possible.

When you test a mattress, you should gently lie in the mattress, you should not be on the top or sunken in. Your entire body should be supported and your spine straight. To test if the firmness is correct, slide your hand under the small of your back – if it has to be forced under, the mattress is too soft; if it slides in too easily, the mattress is too firm.

Spring count

For spring mattresses, as well as the number of springs, the quality is important, so a higher spring count isn’t necessarily the best. Our suppliers use high quality, durable springs that will last.

Materials and styling

A variety of materials are used in mattresses, from wool to latex and cotton to cashmere, giving different feels and levels of comfort. On sprung mattresses, side-stitching is important, with luxury mattresses featuring hand-side stitching – generally, higher quality mattresses have more rows.

Our expert team are happy to offer help and advice, to help you find the best mattress to suit your requirements.

Choosing your Bed

All our mattresses can be used on bedsteads with solid or slatted bases and divans. However, the type of base will affect to overall feel of the mattress. Sprung slats or a platform top base will give a firmer feel to the mattress, compared to a sprung posture edge base.

If you are just thinking of replacing your mattress, check the condition of your base first, as if it has sunken contours or the slats are damaged, a new mattress will follow these and will not give the support that it should, so you will not get the full benefit of the new mattress.

Divan beds

Divan bases offer a simple bed solution, but can be used with a headboard to give a more decorative look. Platform top divans have a solid padded top, giving a firmer feel, whilst sprung edge divans have a sprung unit in the top of the base to give a softer feel.

One of the key advantages of many divans is the choice of storage options. Depending upon the divan, there can be a choice of 1, 2 or 4 standard drawers, or 1 smaller (continental) plus 1 standard, or 2 smaller (continental) plus 2 standard. If you want four drawers, the continental system is ideal if you want to be able to place bedsides next to the bed but still be able to open all the drawers.

The other fantastic option if you want to maximise your storage space is an ottoman bed. These can be bottom or side opening. The top lifts up to provide storage underneath which is the length and width of your bed.

Bedsteads

Bedsteads may be part of a bedroom furniture range, so this type are ideal if you like a coordinated room, where as others are stand-alone pieces, chosen to suit the particular look of a room.

Bedsteads usually have slatted bases.

Guestbeds

Guestbeds feature a mattress on a pull-out frame stored underneath the main single bed. The stored bed can be raised to the same level as the main bed and so they can be pushed together to create a superking or they can be used as two separate single beds. They are ideal for occasional use when visitors stay.

Our expert team are happy to offer help and advice, to help you find the best bed to suit your requirements.