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The bed is the piece of furniture most people live with longest and replace least often. The sofa gets recovered, the dining table gets updated, t...

The bed is the piece of furniture most people live with longest and replace least often. The sofa gets recovered, the dining table gets updated, the curtains change twice in a decade. The bed tends to stay until it can't be ignored any longer, which means when the decision does come around it matters more than the price tag alone suggests. Getting it right involves more than just the mattress: the frame affects how the bedroom looks every day, how much storage you have access to, and whether the room feels properly finished or just adequately equipped.


Our beds collection covers fabric beds in a range of headboard styles and upholstery options, divan beds with integrated storage drawer options, ottoman beds with hydraulic lift storage beneath the base, and sofa beds and corner sofa beds for rooms that need to work as both. Sizes run from single through to super king. Each type suits a different household and a different room, and the right choice depends on how the room is used as much as how the bed looks.


Finance is available on many of our beds, subject to status. We deliver nationally across the UK, and our Manchester showroom is open if you'd like to see beds in person before you order. For a purchase you'll be sleeping on for years, it is worth getting it right before it arrives rather than after.

What's in this collection

Our beds collection divides broadly into four types: fabric-framed beds, divan bases, ottoman beds, and sofa beds.

Fabric beds are upholstered frames with a headboard as the defining design element. Headboard styles vary across the collection: high headboards with a contemporary panel design, buttoned headboards with the tufted quilted detail across the back, sleigh bed profiles with a curved head and footboard, and more minimal designs where the upholstery is the feature rather than the shape. Upholstery options include fabric and velvet, with frame finishes in a range of colours. The right headboard style depends on the room and the aesthetic being aimed for.

Divan beds are a base and headboard combination where the base sits directly on the floor and typically incorporates drawer storage in the sides or foot end. They suit rooms where the priority is maximum storage without the visual complexity of a frame, and the base tends to have a more contained footprint than a frame equivalent at the same size.

Ottoman beds use a hydraulic mechanism to lift the entire mattress platform and reveal the storage space below. The storage capacity of an ottoman base is considerably greater than a divan's drawer arrangement at the same size, which makes it the strongest storage option in the collection for a room where storage is a genuine priority.

Sofa beds and corner sofa beds are covered separately from the standard bed range and suit rooms that need to function as both a living space and a sleeping one. A dedicated sofa bed page covers the specific considerations for that type in more detail.

Choosing the right bed size

The right size is determined by the room and the people sleeping in it, and measuring carefully before you order is always worth doing rather than assuming a standard size will fit.

As a guide: a single bed suits a child's room or a compact spare room. A small double gives a single adult more room without a full double footprint. A double suits a couple in a standard bedroom or a single adult who wants space. A king bed suits a couple who want proper room to sleep without one person on the edge. A super king is for a bedroom that can genuinely hold it with clearance on all sides and a household that wants maximum sleep space.

Allow at least 60 to 70cm of clearance around the sides and foot of the bed for movement around the room. In a bedroom with a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, or other furniture, measure the actual usable floor space rather than the room dimensions, and apply the clearance to what is realistically available. A bed that technically fits a room but leaves no space to open the wardrobe door or walk around the foot is not a bed that works in that room. If you'd like to share your room dimensions with us before ordering, we're happy to give you a straight answer on what will fit properly.

Bed types in our collection

Fabric beds are the most design-led option in the collection. The headboard is the dominant design element, and the choice of headboard style and upholstery affects how the room looks more than the base design does. A high-upholstered headboard in a velvet bed configuration gives the room a quality of considered occasion that a plain divan doesn't achieve. A buttoned bed with a tufted headboard suits a traditional or transitional bedroom where the furniture has some detail and warmth to it. A sleigh bed with its curved head and footboard suits a room with classical proportions or a bedroom that is specifically being furnished in a more traditional register.

Fabric beds do not typically include integrated storage in the base, though some designs allow for the use of under-bed storage if the clearance beneath the frame allows it.

Ottoman beds solve a specific problem: a household that needs more storage than the bedroom currently provides and doesn't have space for additional furniture to accommodate it. The entire floor area beneath the mattress becomes accessible storage, which at a double or king size is a substantial amount of space. The mechanism is straightforward to operate and the storage is accessed by lifting the mattress platform from the foot end. Ottoman beds suit any household where storage is a genuine priority rather than a secondary consideration.

Divan beds combine a practical base with headboard options and drawer storage built into the sides or foot of the base. They tend to suit rooms where the priority is function and a clean, unobtrusive look over a statement headboard design, and the drawer configuration can be chosen to suit the room's layout.

Spreading the Cost

Finance is available on many of our beds, subject to status. A bed is one of the most significant furniture purchases a household makes, and spreading the cost can make the right bed more accessible without compromising on size, storage, or the headboard style you actually want. We are happy to talk through the options at any point before you order.

Why buy from Shawcross

We are based in Manchester and our showroom is open if you'd like to see beds in person before buying. Headboard height, upholstery quality, and the feel of the frame are all things that product photography consistently underrepresents, and for a piece of furniture you'll be looking at every day and sleeping in every night, a showroom visit is time well spent.

We deliver nationally across the UK, and you can contact us at any stage for guidance on sizing, storage options, bed type, or room fit before you order. We'd rather help you choose the right bed before it arrives than deal with a problem after delivery.

Bed FAQs

What size bed do I need?

The right size depends on who is sleeping in it and what the room can comfortably hold, and both questions are worth answering properly rather than defaulting to the largest size that technically fits.

For a couple, a king is the most comfortable everyday choice for most households: enough room for two adults to sleep without one being on the edge, and a footprint that suits most standard double bedrooms with proper clearance. A double suits a couple in a smaller room or a single adult who wants space to sleep without a full king footprint taking over the bedroom. A super king suits a bedroom that is genuinely large enough to hold it with clearance on all sides, which means at least 60 to 70cm free on the sides and foot of the bed after all other furniture is accounted for.

For a child's room or a spare room, a single is the practical choice in a compact space. A small double gives a single occupant more room without the full double footprint and suits spare rooms where floor space is limited but a single would feel too narrow for an adult guest.

The most useful thing to do before choosing a size is to measure the room properly: wall-to-wall dimensions, minus the space taken by existing furniture, minus the 60 to 70cm clearance on sides and foot. The resulting figure tells you the maximum bed size the room can comfortably hold. If you share your dimensions with us, we will tell you which sizes work before you commit to anything.

What's the difference between a divan bed and a fabric bed?

A divan bed is a base-and-headboard combination where the base sits low to the floor and is typically upholstered in a fabric that matches or complements the headboard. The base often incorporates drawer storage, either in the sides or the foot end, which is the divan's main practical advantage over a fabric frame. The overall look is contained and relatively understated: the headboard is a separate element attached to the base, and the base itself is not a design feature in the way that a framed bed is.

A fabric bed has a visible frame: legs or feet raise the base off the floor, and the headboard is integrated into a frame structure that defines the overall shape and look of the piece. The headboard is typically the dominant design element, and the choice of headboard style, height, shape, and upholstery gives the fabric bed considerably more design range than a divan. The trade-off is that fabric beds don't typically include integrated storage, though the space beneath the frame may be usable with separate under-bed storage if the clearance allows.

The honest practical question is whether storage is a priority. If it is, a divan with drawers or an ottoman bed is the more efficient answer. If the bedroom has adequate storage elsewhere and the design of the headboard is the main consideration, a fabric bed gives more options.

Is an ottoman bed worth it?

For a household where bedroom storage is genuinely limited, yes, and the honest reason is the scale of the storage available. A standard divan with side drawers gives you a few drawers. An ottoman base gives you the entire floor area beneath the mattress, which at a king size is a considerable amount of accessible space for bedding, seasonal clothing, or anything else that needs a home but doesn't need to be accessed daily.

The practical consideration is that the storage is accessed by lifting the mattress platform, which means it is not designed for things you need to reach frequently. It suits items that are stored for weeks or months at a time rather than daily-use items. The mechanism is straightforward to operate once you know how it works, and a quality ottoman mechanism handles the weight of the mattress without difficulty.

If bedroom storage is not a genuine problem in your household, an ottoman base adds cost and mechanism complexity that a fabric frame or a divan without drawers doesn't carry. The right reason to choose an ottoman bed is a specific and real storage need rather than a general preference for having more space.

Do beds come with a mattress?

Beds in our collection are sold as frames and bases without a mattress unless specifically indicated otherwise. The mattress is a separate purchase, which is the approach most households prefer because the right mattress depends on factors that are specific to the sleeper, firmness preference, weight, sleep position, and any specific support needs, rather than to the bed frame itself.

Our mattresses collection covers mattress options separately, in sizes to suit the beds in this collection. If you are buying a bed and a mattress at the same time, we are happy to advise on compatibility and help you choose both together rather than treating them as separate decisions. The showroom is the most useful place to make the mattress choice: lying on a mattress for a few minutes in a showroom tells you more about whether it suits you than any specification can.

What if I need the room to work as both a bedroom and a living space?

A sofa bed or a corner sofa bed is the specific answer to that problem, and both are in the collection. A standard sofa bed opens out from a sofa configuration into a sleeping surface, and suits a spare room or a studio that needs to function as a living room during the day and a bedroom at night. A corner sofa bed does the same thing with a larger sofa format that suits an open-plan living space where the sofa is the main seating as well as the occasional bed.

The honest trade-off for a sofa bed is that neither the sofa nor the bed is as good as a dedicated piece of furniture at the same price point. The sofa is typically firmer and less deep than a standard sofa, and the sleeping surface is thinner than a full mattress. For occasional use, a guest who stays a few times a year, those trade-offs are entirely manageable. For a room where the sofa bed is used for sleeping regularly, it is worth thinking about whether a proper bed with some sofa seating elsewhere in the room is the more practical arrangement.

How does delivery work, and can I see beds in person first?

We deliver nationally across the UK. Once your order is placed you'll receive a confirmation, and we'll be in touch closer to the time to arrange a delivery date that suits you. Delivery for beds is typically within 28 days. Beds are delivered in component form and assembled in the room rather than arriving fully built, which makes access to most properties straightforward, but if there is anything worth knowing about your property in advance, such as a narrow staircase, a tight landing, or restricted parking, let us know when you order so the delivery team can prepare.

If you'd prefer to see beds in person before you commit, our Manchester showroom is open and you're welcome to come in without any obligation. Headboard height, upholstery quality, and the overall scale of the piece in a real space are all things that product pages find difficult to convey accurately, and for a piece of furniture you will be sleeping in every night for years, a visit before you buy is time well spent. If you'd like to confirm whether a specific bed is currently on the showroom floor before travelling, just give us a call.