The 6 Best Bed Frames Built, Tested, and Approved by Esquire Editors

Investing in quality furniture is priority number one when it comes to the way I shop. I always think about the things my parents owned growing up, and the fact that some of their furniture has lasted them far over 20 years at this point. That's why quality truly matters. So when it came time for me to invest in a bed frame—one I would hopefully own for 20+ years—I looked to one of my favorite brands that I know offers true craftsmanship: The Citizenry.

I was first introduced to the brand many years ago and feel in love with its soft home linens, but more importantly, smart brand ethos. Committed to ethically sourcing products and artisan craftsmanship from around the world, The Citizenry supports countries all over the globe while helping smaller communities. Sure, that helps you feel good about where you're putting your cash, but it also means you're getting a top-tier product too.

Earlier this year, the brand released its first line of large furniture with bed frames, and I knew this was the choice for me. There are a couple of different styles, but I choose the Laurel Bed Frame, which is customizable. I have it in a king size, with gray natural linen, and walnut oak accents. When I say this thing is beautiful, I mean it—"beautiful" doesn't even do it justice. It instantly made my bedroom feel like a totally new, relaxing space. My mattress slipped right into it and it feels solid and sturdy. I love the fact that it has a large headboard, and even a perfect little footboard. (Although, the footboard is still low enough I can jump out of my bed from the bottom without even noticing it.)

The brand offered white glove delivery service and set it all up for me. It was truly a seamless experience. While I could rave about it forever, there's one main point I want to make aside from just the style. It is the perfect height and has so much under-bed storage space. There aren't a ton of "legs" under the bed so I can stuff a lot under there. Plus, at seven inches tall, it holds my favorite under-bed organizers which are on the larger side. My old bed frame couldn't house these, and it was the main reason I let it go.

This is the most stylish and functional bed that I will hopefully own forever, and I couldn't recommend it enough. Sure, it costs a pretty penny, but I would rather spend that once, than $1,000 every five years like everyone else. This is made to last. —Krista Jones, Commerce Director

When it came to shopping for a new bed last year, my wife and I had a long laundry list of requirements. We were in the midst of moving across the country—from New York where we lived a tiny-apartment NYC dream life to a ground-floor LA bungalow with one more bedroom and double the space. This was great news for a couple that works adjacent to the fashion industry, suddenly presented with all the space in the world to hang and fold all over our new square footage. But, this move meant we needed a bed, and this new bedroom meant we could finally spring for a King (finally!) and our (my) addiction to stuff meant that we required any extra storage we could muster up.

After searching high and low across the internet, we realized stylish storage bed aren't that easy to come across. Then after we received a few recommendations to look at Castlery, we found the Dalton Bed and were sold. It hit all the marks of stylish, space-saving, and even affordable. After it's arrival we were impressed at how great it looks in our new bedroom. We love the rounded, cozy aesthetic and the versatility it allows us to design the rest of our bedroom. All in all, we're very happy with it and won't be replacing it anytime soon. —Ben Boskovich, Contributing Editor

When I finally—finally!—leveled up to a king-size mattress recently, I realized I also needed a new bed frame. In all honesty, it wasn’t the biggest concern at first. The thought process went something like: “Get a cheap, anonymous-looking one because who cares.” But then I started looking around. All those cheap, anonymous-looking bed frames I imagined didn’t materialize. Instead, it was not-very-cheap-but-certainly-very-ugly options that abounded. Time to rethink.

I started looking around—again!—with actual emotional investment in the process. I knew I wanted a platform bed frame. I knew that, if I was exiting the “who cares” mentality, I wanted something that fit my general home décor vibe: relatively minimal, with clean lines and natural (or at least not-too-dark) wood. If I could get a headboard so my pillows would stop sliding in that gap between the frame and the wall, all the better. The Thuma bed frame hit all the marks, though I opted for a pillowboard when I saw one was available and remembered how often I crack the back of my noggin on headboards.

The looks were what sold me, but when I put the thing together—pretty much unassisted, in the span of about 15 minutes—I realized that the ease of assembly is perhaps the biggest plus. Everything’s inspired by Japanese joinery, so you don’t need tools. You simply slide the parts together (think bed frame Tetris on super-easy mode) and you’re done. Well, mostly. There are two screws, which can be tightened by hand, to secure the central bar. With those snugly in place, I was done. I had a bed frame that made me realize getting a great-looking bed frame is something adults should absolutely do, I hadn’t gotten in a stupid fight with my wife after misplacing an allen wrench, and there was still time to throw the mattress on top and lie back for a few minutes before we ran out to pick our kid up from preschool. —Jonathan Evens, style director

There's no doubt the Floyd Bed Frame is one of the best on the market, so I obviously had to try it. What makes it so great you ask? Well the bed frame’s ridiculously easy to build using just two or three main wood panels (depending on the size you get) and that’s what makes up the platform, along with some steel brackets that supports them. The design is genius, simplicity is amazing, and the style is hard to beat.

For me, the assembly was easy: Slide the brackets onto the panels, then tighten the brackets with ratchet straps that holds everything in place by tension, then bazinga, your Floyd bed frame is ready for your mattress and you. No screws, toolbox, boxspring, or even a handyman is needed and that's what I love the most about Floyd’s newwave design. However, while this bed frame is minimal, it also is functional, because the brand provides a handful of add-ons that'll make your life easier. Ranging from under-bed storage drawers to an attachable side table and even a pillow headboard, you'll find yourself wanting all the above.

My favorite thing: The platform itself, for instance, leaves its edge exposed so you get to have some nice shelf space to put away stuff you need right before bedtime. Really, the bed frame offers a great modular system you can change over time and that's impressive. You can read my full review of the frame here. — Maverick Li, assistant commerce editor

Living in New York City often means compromising when it comes to space—and that includes sleeping arrangements. My first apartment in the city came with a bedroom that was barely big enough to fit a futon. The place we bought in Brooklyn back in 2005 was a bit more spacious, but the quirky dimensions of the bedroom only allowed for a queen-sized mattress sitting on top of a just-the-basics metal frame. I loved a lot of things about that apartment—the location, the view, the high ceilings—but I was always kind of bummed that there was no realistic way to wedge in a real bed. It made me feel a little bit like I was still sleeping on the futon. Hadn’t I made any progress in life?

Last summer, we finally faced the inconvenient truth that our 16-year-old Serta mattress had run its course. (Regularly waking up with a backache was one obvious signal.) After a flurry of research, I decided to purchase a Saatva, and installed the lush, new, supportive mattress on top of the cheap, metal frame. The mismatch between the two was depressing. But what could we do? There was no space for a frame worthy of the mattress.

Here's what we did: We moved! Not just to get more bedroom space, but the fact that our new apartment would have room for a proper bed was a major plus. Which frame to choose? I decided to keep things simple and get a Saatva frame to go with my still relatively new Saatva mattress. I was immediately attracted its simple but elegant platform frame inspired by Scandinavian design. We ordered it in graphite vintage velvet.

A couple of weeks later, two guys from the delivery company arrived with the goods. They were a model of efficiency. In less than 30 minutes, they dismantled the old cheap frame (for an extra tip), assembled the Copenhagen, placed my Saatva mattress on it, and were on their way. After a couple of decades of oddball arrangements, I finally have a real, adult bed to sleep on. —Brian O’Keefe, Executive Editor

I am willing to bet you that even without knowing what other bed frames are in this roundup yet, that mines the coolest. I’m all for minimal design, but with bed frames, it's been taken too far. Every frame is plain, boxy, shapeless, and just end up feeling boring and stale. For something you're going to keep for a long time, this is not the vibe.

That's why when it came to getting the bed frame of my dreams, I opted for the Nadi Cane Queen. Topped off with some deep olive-shaded bedding, too many blankets, and sitting next to my beautiful oak night stands fitted with a Loftie alarm clock, and a slick pine and sandalwood candle—this thing looks fucking great.

Now you know what my classy bedroom looks like, but for real, this is a statement piece while being so damn well made, and it's really impressed me. It has the retro, vintage, and modern flare somehow all packed into one. It doesn't squeak, was easy set up, and man, this thing is sturdy as hell.

The only downside is based on your space needs, with great design comes lack of room. The headboard and frame are sturdy, but also thick as a result, cutting down on some square footage might happen. So if you're living in a small space this beauty may not have the space to fully soar. But that's a problem, and if you don't have the space for this bed frame, I’d simply move. Honestly, my bed frame could beat your bed frame up, and that's that. —Cameron Sherrill, Lead Motion Graphics Designer