Twin beds give you a lot more flexibility when arranging a bedroom. Big mattresses like queens and kings aren’t very versatile. Unless you have a house with large rooms, a king size bed, which measures 76 by 80 inches, will take up most of your bedroom, leaving room only for a small dresser for your clothes. There are only one or two ways you can arrange a big bed in a small room and still leave space to get in out of the door and get to the closet, unless you push it into a corner and make one sleeper crawl over the other one to get out of bed. And taking a large mattress up a flight of stairs to a small upper story bedroom or loft style apartment can be a nightmare.

Another thing to consider about twin beds is that couples don’t always like too much togetherness. If your partner snores, or twitches a lot in his sleep, or if you’re a light sleeper or insomniac, you might be happier in your own bed, without taking the drastic step of moving into separate bedrooms. Some couples have very different temperature preferences for sleeping and can’t stand each other’s blanket arrangements. And if you’re having guests over, they might be less than enthusiastic about sharing one bed in your guest bedroom if that’s not their standard sleeping arrangement at home.

That’s where the twin bed makes good sense. You can buy a pair of twin size mattresses and have many more options for arranging them in the bedroom than you would with a king or queen. You can shove a bed into each corner of the room and nobody will have to climb over anybody else to get up in the night. Couples can sleep in the same room without getting on each other’s nerves, and guests will be comfortable with the sleeping arrangement.

Best of all, you can buy an inexpensive conversion kit to turn your twin beds into one king size. The kits go by names like “bed doubler,” and “create-a-king,” and consist of a web belt that fastens around the perimeter of the two twin size mattresses to keep them from slipping apart. They also come with a pad made of foam or sheepskin that runs down the length of the seam between the two mattresses to make the center of the “bed” more comfortable. The best approach to padding the seam with this arrangement is a king size memory foam mattress topper.

The best strategy if you’re going to use a bed doubler is to buy a pair of twin XL beds, which measure 38 by 80 inches, five inches longer than the twin bed’s standard 75 inches length. A doubled twin XL is exactly the same size as a king size bed and can take a king fitted sheet with ease. If you convert a standard twin size bed with a doubler, then you’ll need to use sheet garters to shorten the sheets before you can use them. The two twin mattresses will need to be the same thickness.

Go ahead a buy twin beds for your kids and don’t worry about what you’ll do with them after the kids are grown. Sweet dreams!

Even the smallest bed, such as a twin or a crib mattress, needs a frame. The bigger the mattress, the more likely it is to have a center support rail running lengthwise or crosswise to provide additional support. Some bed frames have wooden slats, especially if the mattress rests directly on the frame, as is the case with platform beds.

Frames may be very plain, in which case they’re designed to be hidden, tucked away under the bedding or a bedskirt. Other types may be functional furniture, with a headboard, a footboard, and sometimes storage drawers built in.

Most frequently, they are made of metal, wood, or brass. Several elements are common to the design of all frames. They will have four legs, two at the top of the bed and two at the bottom. The support structure is usually a shelf with a 90 degree angle for the mattress to sit on. If a headboard is attached, then it will be bolted on to the frame at the head. The footboard will be bolted on to the frame at the foot.

Bed posts are decorative elements that attach to the four corners of the bed and extend up in the air, sometimes as high as five feet. Canopy beds rely on the bed posts to support a fabric umbrella that covers and encloses the sleeping area. The exposed pieces can be made more attractive with varnishes, paints, or fabric coverings. Antique wooden bed frames often have ornate, one-of-a-kind designs.

Brass beds have been around since the turn of the century. Originally made of a brass alloy that needed polishing, today’s design are more likely to be a brass plating, which is lighter and less expensive but also require less maintenance.

Iron beds can be found in antique shops all over the country. Once a bastion of America’s steel industry, they’re getting harder to find as furniture makers switch over to lighter metals. Metal bed frames can be enameled in just about any color, including matte finishes, glossy, and metallic sparkle.

Always buy a waterbed sheet set. Don’t try to use regular bed sheets on your waterbed. A waterbed is generally 84 inches long, which is longer than even a normal king size innerspring mattress. The only type of bed sheet that has even a remote chance of fitting on your waterbed is a California king size, but even this size of regular bed sheet lacks the special features found on a waterbed sheet.

The unique construction of these sheets help them stay in place at night while you sleep, and they help make making your bed and changing the sheets go faster and easier. This is true whether you have a wooden hard side waterbed frame, or a soft sided frame.

One thing that’s special about them is that the top flat sheet and fitted bottom sheet are sewn together at the bottoms. Some designs are also sewn together up to the center sides. This forms an envelope that keeps the sheets paired, while still leaving you plenty of room to get into and out of bed.

A second special feature is called the pole sheet. These have a casing in each corner of the fitted sheet that holds a short pole. When you change your bedding, you slip the pole through the casing and into the wood frame. This holds the fitted sheet in place at all times.

Many waterbed sheets also have fitted flaps that you can tuck way under the mattress, which helps them stay in place.

When shopping for bedding, be sure to look for a high thread count design made from 100 percent Egyptian cotton, or a cotton/polyester blend with a high amount of cotton and a low amount of polyester. Cotton flannel designs are great in the wintertime for extra warmth. For an extra luxurious feel, or for special overnight guests, look for silk waterbed sheets. These make sleeping a pure delight. Your only problem will be convicing yourself to leave your bed in the morning.

When washing them, don’t use hot water. It’s better to machine wash warm and dry them on medium-low temperature setting for no longer than it takes to get them dry. Never hang a colored sheet on the clothesline in direct sunlight, or the colors will fade.

The American futon sofa bed grew out of this simple Asian concept to meet the unique demands of Westerners. At first, the futon mattress was placed on the floor like its Eastern counterpart. In the 1980s, futon manufacturers began to make futon frames to raise the bed off the floor. It was then that the possibility of developing an alternative to the clunky sofabed became a reality. Soon, everyone was making designs that could serve as a sofa by day and a bed by night. They were especially popular in New York, where the urban loft setting had its start, and where space was at a premium. However, the design ultimately found its way to every corner of the United States.

Right away, two futon bed frame approaches were developed.: the bi-fold and tri-fold. The first difference between the two is how many times the mattress is folded when the bed is converted from sleeping to upright position. The bi-fold futon frame only folds the mattress once, while the tri-fold futon frame folds the mattress twice. The second difference is which direction the frame folds the mattress. The bi-fold bends the mattress once down its length, while the tri-fold bends it twice across its width. The bi-fold futon bed has proven to be more popular because it looks more like a sofa when it’s folded and also provides more room for sitting.

Bi-fold futons have become the standard of the industry. The frames are made of metal or wood, or sometimes a combination of both.Wood futon frames are available in pine, ash, oak, teak, cherry and many others. You can choose a natural finish or an antique stain finish. Occasionally you can find a one with fabric upholstery. Today’s designs look just like sofas when folded up for the day. At night, guests will find it far superior in comfort to a hideaway sofa bed.

Folding futon beds come in a full range of sizes. Most people get a full size futon, which is the same size as a full size innerspring mattress (75” by 54”). Other sizes include king, queen, chair, cot, and loveseat. You can buy one to fit nicely in any size room in your house, and your guests will appreciate getting a good night’s sleep on a guest mattress that feels every bit as soft and inviting as the one they sleep on at home. If you shop online, you’ll find the top brands at the lowest prices.

A platform bed frame is a simple box-like structure that rests on the floor and supports an innerspring mattress or futon, with no need for a box spring. Platform bed frames have their supporting slats built into the bed, and the mattress simply rests on top. If you want to add a box spring to raise the height of the bed or because you’re more comfortable sleeping that way, this versatile design can accommodate you. But one of the things people love most about low platform beds is that it’s cooler near the floor, making sleep more comfortable.

Other advantages are that they give your mattress the best possible support. A mattress on top of a box spring will wear out faster than a mattress over a bed with slats for support. This design also provides a neat, clean appearance in your bedroom because they’re self-contained and can be bought with storage drawers underneath. Allergy sufferers like the fact that the structure has no place for dust to collect underneath. Portable, comfortable, and affordable, contemporary platform beds are being found in more and more bedrooms throughout America.

The practical thing is that inexpensive platform beds still give great value. If you’ve thought of buying a queen size bed because you can’t afford a king, you’ll find the pricing on a king size platform bed much friendlier to your wallet than a mattress and box spring set. The simplicity of the bed’s design can accommodate almost any budget, while flattering your bedroom with the clean cut look that shows off your decorating taste. For a really cheap platform bed, there are even platform bed plans available online for do-it-yourselfers. Most people building a platform bed themselves do so with wood.

The most basic model is simply a boxy structure that rests on the floor and has no headboard or footboard. The support structure for a platform bed mattress is the slats, which keep it from sagging, yet flex ever so slightly to give some cushioning. Some high-end designs put a layer of padding over the slats for even more comfort. People with back problems often say they can’t sleep on anything else and still get a good night’s sleep.

Platform bed frames come in any size that you can buy a regular bed in: king size platform beds, a queen size platform bed, full size, or twin. You can even have a round platform bed. The more complex designs include footboards, headboards, a canopy, ornamentation, and storage space. Storage drawers can be built in, or can be on casters that roll out from under the frame for easy access.

There are many ways to show off this eye catching design in your bedroom, whether you want to replace the bed you have now, or buy a completely new bedroom set. You can position the bed under a large window so the daylight acts as a spotlight. If you do this, be sure to use a light filtering window covering, such as sheer curtains or blinds, so the sunlight doesn’t fade your bed cover. At night, use track lighting to subtly accent the beauty of this design.

A metal platform bed will typically have clean, modern lines, sit low on the floor, and reflect European and Scandinavian design. Metal platform beds come a tremendous variety of colors, finishes, and styles. Typically they are made of rolled steel and have holes predrilled so the height is adjustable. A hex head wrench is supplied with the frame so you won’t strip the bolts that hold it together. A modern platform bed usually is finished in solid, neutral tones with bold design features. Microfiber or leather upholstery is often added to the headboard and footboard, which you can use as cushioning while you sit up in bed to read. Some modern styles use anodized aluminum accents. These work best in apartments and homes with contemporary décor.

Wood platform beds have a warm, inviting appearance and can fit into traditional, transitional, or modern decorating schemes. A wooden platform bed can be made from particle board or veneers. If you’re a fan of solid hardwood furniture but have trouble with the price tag, you’ll love the fact that a solid wood platform bed is made from such a simple design that it has a good chance of fitting into your budget. Woods used in construction include oak, maple, teak, and cherry.

A modern wood design will have simple, square lines. Transitional style wooden platform beds may have intricate carving on the headboard and footboard. One of the most beautiful styles available for solid wood platform beds is the Mission style. This is a traditional style which looks like the Arts and Crafts furniture found in Prairie and Southwestern homes designs.

Another popular style is the Japanese platform bed. This style has an Asian look and feel. Some Japanese platform beds are meant to be used with tatami mats. An Asian platform bed may be made from bamboo. Some Asian platform beds are made from hardwood with a wenge finish. These styles invoke the feng shui decorating approach that seeks harmony in the placement and style of all objects in a room.

Platform storage beds are fitted with drawers in the base of the frame to use for storage space. A platform bed with storage may also have drawers in the headboard and footboard. Storage headboards may retract into a platform bed with drawers to provide deep storage without overwhelming the design.

The physics of sleeping on one are every bit as pleasant as its appearance. They are easy to get in and out of because they sit at just the right height from the floor. For people with disabilities or who are recovering from an illness or surgery, they can make life much easier. A platform bed mattress can be made of memory foam or organic latex, which are in great demand for their comfort and health benefits. Finally, couples point to the romantic possibilities of having a bed close to the floor!

Platform bedding requires a new way of thinking as you choose your linens. Bedskirts aren’t needed because the frame encloses the space under the slats. Choose comforters with big, bold patterns, or use a simple duvet cover. You can buy a canopy platform bed and dress it up with a simple canopy in a solid color. Storage platform beds are great for holding extra linens that you’re not using.

When shopping, choose a designer furniture store or take a look at the offerings. There are models to suit every taste and budget, from discount platform beds right on up to high-end designer models that bring a one-of-a-kind look to your bedroom.