Bed and furniture buying tips

Guidelines for choosing furniture

Choosing furniture is very subjective and only you know exactly what you want. Take your time when selecting models, colours and finishes and contact us if you are unsure about anything. If materials used and construction methods are important to you be sure to ask us about them. Order only when you are confident that you will be getting what you want.

If the furniture you wish must closely match the colour of an existing item of furniture you own you should not rely entirely on the colours which appear on your computer screen since photographs can sometimes experience tonal variations. Please contact us and we will endeavour to help you.

Measure the space available in your room carefully and compare these measurements with the dimensions of the furniture item you intend to order to ensure the piece will fit in your home.

Take a close look at the access points in your home (doors, staircases, sharp corners) measuring where necessary. Again, compare these measurements with those of the item you intend to order to confirm that it will clear all obstacles when it is delivered. If you are in doubt please contact us.

When your furniture is delivered inspect it closely for any damage or defects. Make sure the delivery person is informed of any problems immediately. If you are having work done in your home please be aware that building projects are frequently delayed. If you are unable to take delivery of your furniture when it is ready we will store it for you free of charge for 7 days. Beyond this time period we are obliged to charge weekly storage.

Hints and tips for beds and mattresses

The bed or mattress you buy will probably last from 1 year to 10 years before at least the mattress needs replacing. Dependant on the quality of bed purchased.

During that period, you will spend up to a third of your life lying on it, so you want to be sure that you've chosen exactly the right bed or mattress for you! This section is here not just to show you how to buy a bed or mattress, but to ensure that you buy the right bed or mattress for you.

Bed buying tips

The following tips are the ones that we think are most useful when buying beds and mattresses, but there are several other web sites which give more detailed information - our favourite is the Sleep Council's site.

"It can be intimidating to try out a bed in a store - but your pain could be far more intimidating if you don't."

• Buy the biggest bed you can afford and comfortably fit in your bedroom - the bigger the bed, the better night's sleep you'll get
• Balance firmness and comfort, bearing in mind your weight and build - too firm and it'll be like sleeping on a board; too soft and you'll have too little support
• Buy the best quality mattress you can afford - it will repay you many times over in the quality of sleep you get
• Buy the right type of mattress for your bed type - some mattresses are designed to work best with a particular type of base
• Different back problems require different solutions and the best approach is to research the options carefully, take time to try them out and choose what you find supportive and comfortable, regardless of labels or even price tags
• Lie on each bed you are considering in your normal sleeping position for a minimum of 5-10 minutes
• Check out bed height - ensure you can get in and out of bed without pain or discomfort
• Don't just buy a bed because it says it's good for your back
• Bear in mind that the term 'orthopaedic' generally just means an extra firm bed; it is not based on any medical or other common standard
• Firmness is not determined by price, although comfort, luxury and durability do improve with better quality, more expensive beds, while additional features such as adjustability obviously cost more
• Buy as big a bed as possible, especially if two of you are going to share it. You need to be able to sleep without being disturbed (and vice versa)

Choosing the right size bed

The right size bed is also dependent on the right size mattress. Choose a mattress that is at least 4 inches longer than the height of the tallest person sleeping on it. Then choose a bed design that will fit the mattress; and finally choose a design, size, and scale that fit the room. The standard sizes for mattresses are listed below

Bed Types

Divan beds explained

The most commonly bought bed type is the divan bed and, while most of the above bed types are pretty much self-explanatory, the divan bed is available in a number of different permutations which require some explanation:

Sprung edge divan base. The sprung edge divan base provides extreme luxury. As the name implies the springs come right to the edge giving real edge to edge support

Platform top divan base. The top of this divan base is solid and padded, to enhance mattress support and provide a firmer bed. One of the distinct advantages of a divan bed is its enclosed base that allows the use of drawers to store bed linen or other goods.

Bed and mattress sizes

Most of us are aware that beds and mattresses come in four standard sizes:

• Single Bed
• Double Bed
• King size Bed
• Super king size

But you'd be surprised at how many people need non-standard sized beds or mattresses, either for those odd shaped rooms or simply because they want to enjoy a bigger bed! Spire Furniture can help this also as we specialise in supplying special size beds and mattresses. Please feel free to email your non-standard bed requirements to enquiries@spirefurniture.com and we'll happily sort out your requirements.

If you want a standard size bed or mattress, you'll need to measure up the room to see how well the desired size will fit.

Note that if you intend buying a bed with storage drawers, you'll need to allow extra room for the drawers to be fully opened.

Standard bed and mattress dimensions

Mattress types explained

There are four mattress types

• Pocket sprung mattress
• Open sprung
• Orthopaedic
• Foam

Each mattress type has its own merits and some types of mattress cannot be successfully used with some types of bed, so please ask for our advice if you're not sure.

The firmness of the support provided by a bed base can be further adjusted by the firmness of the mattress used in combination with that base. Mattresses come in four grades of firmness: medium, medium firm, firm and extra firm (sometimes called 'orthopaedic').

Pocket sprung mattress

The most luxurious in feel, offering ideal body support and comfort. Individual pocketed springs are linked together in a honeycomb pattern. They move individually as they compress and expand enabling them to adjust separately to your body shape and weight.

Open Coil Sprung Mattress

The open springs are all hinged together preventing spring noise and spreading the bodyweight evenly over the complete surface of the mattress. Some spring systems offer twice the number of springs providing a denser sleeping surface than traditional Bonnell open coil spring units.

Orthopaedic mattress

An orthopaedic mattress is a bit of a misnomer really. Essentially, it's an extra firm mattress - and that could be too firm for your needs!

Foam mattress

Foam mattress systems - with their innovative design - provide comfort, performance, shape retention and long term durability. They generally back this with longer guarantees then you would find on standard open coil mattress. But are not for everyone and can take getting use to.

The foam cells respond independently and exactly to sleepers' weight and body movement. It is ideally suited to adjustable beds as the mattress freely follows the shape of the bed when adjusted. The sculptured construction of some multizone mattress system aids ventilation too.

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