This site uses cookies - see our privacy policy. Ads & links in bold may give us a small payment from the seller, at no cost to the buyer. However, this never affects our views - if we like it, we recommend it.
5 Best King Size Beds 2020 and 2021
In the UK, a king size bed is 150cm wide and 200cm long, which is 5 foot wide and 6 foot long. King size beds are particularly good for tall people, as you get an extra 10cm length compared to a double bed.
You can either buy a king size bedframe/bedstead/divan base on its own, or get a king size bed which includes a mattress.
In this guide, we've picked out 5 of the best value king size beds including wooden king size beds, metal king size beds, upholstered king size beds, king size divan beds and king size ottoman beds.
Once you've chosen your bed, have a look at our pick of 5 outstanding king size mattresses at the bottom of the page (or skip straight to the king size mattresses by clicking here).
Prices are correct at the time of writing (2021).
You can either buy a king size bedframe/bedstead/divan base on its own, or get a king size bed which includes a mattress.
In this guide, we've picked out 5 of the best value king size beds including wooden king size beds, metal king size beds, upholstered king size beds, king size divan beds and king size ottoman beds.
Once you've chosen your bed, have a look at our pick of 5 outstanding king size mattresses at the bottom of the page (or skip straight to the king size mattresses by clicking here).
Prices are correct at the time of writing (2021).
1. John Lewis & Partners Wilton King Size Wooden Bed - £250
|
A king size wooden bed - like this one from John Lewis & Partners - is a good option for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, wooden beds come with a headboard included so you don't have to budget another £50-£100 (or more if you want a fancy one). Secondly, you can be fairly confident that a wooden bed won't go out of fashion unlike your sister-in-law's bright purple crushed velvet bed with leopard skin headboard. This wooden bed makes our top 5 because it gets positive reviews (4.3/5 from about 500 customers) and is reasonably priced, despite being from the multi-award winning retailer. You can choose from white, a natural wood colour or grey. It's made from pine which is a bog-standard furniture for what I would call 'normal priced' bedroom furniture. The upgrade is called the Montreal bed which is made from oak, but that'll cost you more than twice the price. Oak is harder than pine so is more hard wearing but pine does the job adequately. The base of the bed has 'solid slats' which is generally seen as a good thing. Most beds either have solid slats (which give a slightly firmer feel) or sprung slats (which give a bouncier and slightly softer feel to your mattress). My main reservation about wooden beds is a more personal thing. I'm a little clumsy and tend to wallop my knee on the corner of wooden beds, particularly at 3am whilst creeping to the toilet. A cheaper alternative to this John Lewis model is this king size wooden bed from Happy Beds, which is £189 at the time of writing. |
Hundreds of customers have given this John Lewis wooden bed a positive review...
...or you can pay about twice the price for a posher one made from oak
|
2. Dreams Ava King Size Metal Bed Frame - from £299
|
A metal king size bed has a lot of the same advantages as a wooden bed. You get a built in headboard which matches your bedframe. Plus, they're easy to clean and they are durable.
The downsides are also the same - they can be painful if you're inclined to bump into them and they can be a bit squeaky. You can usually stop the squeaks by tightening up the bolts. We've picked out this Ava king size metal bed frame from Dreams (from £299), which is a good value option if you want a white metal bed. If you're after a black metal bed then I would take a look at the similarly priced Swirl metal bed which is available in king size from John Lewis (£349). When you're shopping for a king size metal bed, there are a few things to look out for. Firstly, make sure that the slats offer a good level of support. Some of the cheapest metal beds use thin metal rungs which don't spread the weight out very well which isn't good for your mattress or for you. Flat wooden slats are much better and come either as 'solid slats' (for a firmer feel) or 'sprung slats' (for a softer and bouncier feel). I'm veering into a boring area of mattress discussion (Ed: as usual...) but it's worth noting that the Dreams Ava offers a choice of solid or sprung slats. The sprung slats option costs more but I'd say it's worth the money as the slats are closer together which is better for your mattress. A few mattress brands even go so far as saying that your warranty won't be valid if the gaps are too wide apart (e.g. Simba Sleep's mattresses require a 3 inch maximum gap, which is 7.6cm). The second factor that I always look at with a metal bed is the weight limit, as that's a good indication of how sturdy it is. Another useful indicator is the actual weight of the bed although that information is not always available. In the case of the Dreams Ava king size bed, the online Q&A says that 'we don't don’t specify a weight limit to our bedframes' and then explains that they undergo standard industry testing. You'll find that some cheap metal beds are a bit less confident in their ability to support heavier people. Customer reviews of the Dreams Ava bed are very good. The current average is 4.7/5 after 150+ reviews. |
The Ava metal king size bed just comes in white...
...but John Lewis sell a similarly priced metal bed in black
|
3. Birlea Phoenix King Size Ottoman Bed - £395
|
A king size ottoman bed is a great option if you're struggling to find somewhere to stuff your enormous winter duvet or your collection of 1980s football programmes.
This Phoenix king size ottoman from Birlea is an attractive option which ticks a number of boxes for me:
As with most king size ottoman beds, you have to lift it manually with the help of hydraulics. Posh brand Tempur sell ottoman bases which lift with magical buttons but they'll cost you £2000+ in king size (no, that's not a typo). You'll have noticed that this ottoman bed doesn't have any legs. The whole thing sits on the floor. You may prefer the look of a bed with feet but the advantage is that the weight of your football programme collection won't cause the base to collapse. If you want a king size ottoman bed, but want it to be made from faux leather or fabric then I would start with:
Our ottoman bed guide has more good'ns. |
The Phoenix ottoman bed scores well with customers and has huge storage underneath...
...whilst this faux leather king size bed is a cheap storage option
|
4. Dreams classic King Size divan bed - from £180
|
Divan beds are probably not popular with the irritating influencers of Instagram but they can be great value and they provide a solid base for your mattress. A bedframe with slats isn't a problem, as long as the gaps between the slats aren't too huge (some mattress sellers reckon a 7cm gap is the maximum you can get away with).
Most king size divan bases - such as this one from Dreams - are known as 'platform top divan bases'. They're not especially fancy but they come in a wider range of colours than they used to and you can mix and match different headboards. Posh divan bases have their own set of springs and are known as 'sprung edge divan bases' (£600). I also like them because of my previously-mentioned habit of walking into bedframes and screaming in agony. An upholstered king size divan base won't cause you anywhere near as much anguish as a wooden or metal bedframe. Divans are also easier to transport because they split in half and they don't usually squeak like a cheap metal bed or wooden bed. As a general rule, they have a higher weight capacity than a bedframe/bedstead (as a side note, it's worth mentioning that a bedframe and a bedstead are the same thing. They're just different words used by different sales people). This particular model scores 4.7/5 from 3000+ reviews, which is not to be sneezed at. It comes in a modest range of colours, but Divan Base Direct do a similar thing in 28 colours so you can find something to match the curtains. |
A king size divan base is usually a cheap option and it offers a solid base for your mattress
|
5. John Lewis & Partners Emily Upholstered King Size Bed Frame - from £399
|
An upholstered king size bed is my personal preference when I'm getting a new bed frame but I appreciate that it's not everyone's cup of tea.
You might assume John Lewis & Partners fabric beds were mega pricey but that's not always the case. This Emily model starts from £399 in king size although the price jumps up if you want drawers. It's got sprung slats for a slightly softer and bouncier feel and it was scoring 4.8/5 from customers, at the time of writing (admittedly there weren't all that many reviews to go on). The frame isn't made from especially posh wood. It uses pine and rubberwood which are quite typical for cheapish beds, but they do the job nicely. There are only a couple of colours available but there are similar designs which come in more than 30 colours. There are similar fabric king size beds available, including: |
An upholstered bed from John Lewis & Partners isn't as expensive as you might think
|
5 of the best King Size mattresses
Here are five highly rated and award winning king mattresses to go with your new king size bed. These are all available to buy in the UK.
1. Nectar Sleep Memory Foam King Size Mattress - £669 (medium/firm)
**Nectar Sale: 365 night trial + free bundle worth up to £385 (pillows + bedding + duvet + mattress protector) until 07/03/21**
|
There are lots of 'bed in a box' mattresses which are fighting for your attention with adverts during daytime TV and on the sides of buses. The idea is that the mattress is squashed into a box for easy delivery and expands in your bedroom over a few hours.
Many of them get great reviews and have won awards from big names like Ideal Home and Good Housekeeping. They all offer generous warranties and allow you to try them out at home for weeks or months before deciding if you want to keep them. Nectar Sleep's king size memory foam mattress stands out because it offers a 'forever' warranty and an industry-leading 365 nights to try it out (check the Ts and Cs for more details). You could dismiss such things as a bit of a sales gimmick, as most people get a good idea if they find a mattress comfortable after a few nights. However, there is something to be said for trying a mattress out at different times of year because a good mattress needs to regulate your temperature in summer and winter. If you return the mattress, it's donated to charity. Reviews of the Nectar Sleep brand are very positive, with an average of 4.3/5 on TrustPilot as of 2021 (7000+ reviews). It uses memory foam which is a popular alternative to more traditional pocket sprung mattresses. Some people find they don't get on well with the slight sinking feeling of memory foam whilst others find that it is more consistently supportive than springs. It's a medium firm mattress and it's made in the UK. It's also manufactured in a 'carbon neutral' way. |
Nectar's king size mattress comes with a 'forever' guarantee and a year long trial period
|
2. Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top King Size Mattress - £464 (medium/firm tension)
|
Sleepeezee is a traditional and long-established mattress brand which doesn't charge silly prices for its king size mattresses. It scores well with customers (4.2/5 on TrustPilot) and has the prestige of a Royal Warrant, meaning it supplies Prince Charles' household.
This is one of their cheaper/mid-priced king size models which is a good balance of price and specification. Rather appealingly, it comes with a home trial period if you buy it at Mattress Online. It lasts for 60 nights and only allows you to swap it, rather than ask for a refund (unlike the Nectar Sleep) but it's still something you don't get with a lot of mattresses. It's got 1000 pocket springs which is towards the lower range but is certainly adequate for most people. If you're very heavy then you might be better getting a pocket spring count closer to 2000 for added support. As an aside, don't get too excited by mattresses showing off that they have many thousands of springs. You can only squeeze a couple of thousand full-size pocket springs onto one layer on a mattress. Huge numbers usually mean they have layers of mini springs for a bit of extra comfort. The top layer is memory foam, with the idea being that you get the support of a pocket spring mattress with the comfort of memory foam. Some people find memory foam makes them a little warm but you've got the option to swap this one if you wake up in a sweat (Ed: ewwwww). Customers give this mattress a glowing score of 9/10 at the time of typing. Again, it's a medium/firm mattress. |
Sleepeezee is a prestigious brand which sells several reasonably priced mattresses
|
3. Happy Beds Majestic 1000 Pocket Spring King Size Mattress - £225 (medium tension)
|
Is this the world's poshest and most luxurious king size mattress? Does it have a layer of finest Peruvian alpaca fleece? Will it impress your neighbours and prompt them to finally invite you round for a dinner party?
Well, no but that doesn't mean you should overlook it because it's a mattress with a perfectly decent specification for a very reasonable price. Customers give it 4.6/5 on Happy Beds or 4.2/5 on Amazon. It uses pocket springs whereas a lot of cheap king size mattresses are made from 'open coil' or 'traditional' sprung mattresses which aren't as good. 1000 springs is enough for most people, although heavier than average people might be better with a higher number. You can turn it over, which means that it shouldn't get an indent of your bottom quite so quickly (some mattresses can't be turned over because the manufacturers are scrimping on materials whilst others have a 'pillowtop' layer which is a more legitimate reason). It also has a five year guarantee which is four years better than most £200 mattresses. On the downside, you don't get a trial period with this king size mattress. It's a medium tension mattress. Whilst I have your attention, I'll give you a quick summary of how to pick the right firmness for you. Most people assume it is just a question of personal preference but there a couple of general rules. Firstly, heavier people need firmer mattresses than lighter people to get the right amount of support. If you're light as a feather then you won't sink into a firm mattress at all and you won't end up in a good position for sleeping. Secondly, if you sleep on your side then you're best to get a slightly softer mattress than someone who sleeps on their back or front. Side sleepers put more pressure on their shoulders and hips so a very firm mattress isn't ideal. The idea is that you combine these two factors to work out the firmness level you need. Of course, it's not quite as simple as that. Some people spend a bit of time on their back and a bit of time on their side and some people share a bed with someone who is a completely different weight to them. Also, mattress brands don't agree on what 'firm' or 'soft' means, so you can't assume that a 'medium' tension mattress from Happy Beds will feel exactly the same as a 'medium' tension mattress from Sleepeezee, for example. I appreciate that's all rather annoying and unhelpful. If possible, I prefer to try out a mattress in a shop or buy one with a home trial period. If it's a cheap king size mattress like this one from Happy Beds then you might decide it's worth a gamble. |
For the price tag, this king size mattress offers a good specification
|
4. Emma Original King Size mattress - £729 (medium firmness)
|
The Emma Mattress/Emma Original is quite similar to the Nectar Sleep mattress, with one nerdy difference.
It's got a home trial period of 200 nights, a 10 year guarantee and it's won several awards. In fact, it calls itself 'the UK’s most-awarded mattress in 2019'. It also gets positive reviews with a rating of 4.5/5 on Amazon, 4.6/5 on Google reviews and 4.6/5 on TrustPilot when we last checked (that last one is a score for the brand rather than this mattress). It's 100% foam, much like the Nectar Sleep. It's also another mattress which arrives squashed into a box. It expands in your bedroom over a few hours of hissing and expanding. So, what's the nerdy difference between the Nectar Sleep and Emma Mattress? Well, this one has a slightly different design where the memory foam layer is sandwiched between other types of foam. The idea is to get the support of memory foam without the risk of getting too warm. Meanwhile, the Nectar Sleep mattress uses what it calls 'smart memory foam' and a 'cooling cover' to get around this problem. I did warn you it was nerdy. There's also a slightly posher version of the Emma mattress called the Emma Hybrid which uses a combination of springs and foam. Emma say that it feels slightly softer. |
Customers and experts give the Emma king size mattress the thumbs up
|
5. John Lewis & Partners Natural Collection 5900 Pocket Spring King Size Mattress - MEDIUM OR FIRM - £1099
|
This classy mattress from the John Lewis & Partners Natural Collection ain't cheap, but it's available in king size and it is made from quality materials.
It's made by a Yorkshire company called Harrison Spinks. They make a lot of posh mattresses and won the 'manufacturer of the year award' at the National Bed Federation Awards in 2018. Some say it's the Oscars of the mattress world... But why should you shell out more than a thousand pounds for a king size mattress when you can get one for £200? The main upgrades that this mattress offers over cheaper pocket sprung mattresses are that a) it has loads of springs and b) it uses lots of natural materials. Regarding the springs, there are 5900 in total but it's worth noting that this means there are more than one layer of springs. As mentioned earlier, you can't squeeze that many normal sized pocket springs onto one layer so posh mattresses add another layer or two of tiny springs to add some extra comfort. Natural materials also bump up the price of a mattress since they are more expensive. In this case it's wool and cotton which are naturally good at keeping you at a pleasant temperature in bed. Synthetic materials just don't have the same breathability. I also like this mattress because you can choose whether you want a medium or firm version. Even better, John Lewis & Partners actually give some guidance instead of expecting you to make a guess. They suggest that the medium tension king size mattress is suitable for people who weigh 8-16 stone whilst the firm version is suitable for 16 stone+. This king size mattress comes with a 7 year guarantee which is reasonably good but not remarkable considering the price. Posh brand Vispring offer 30 year warranties on some mattresses which makes this look a bit stingy. Another slight reservation I have is that this mattress is single sided, so you can't turn it over. In reality, a lot of people never get round to flipping their mattress anyway but if want a turnable mattress then you'll need to upgrade to a more expensive one in the John Lewis range. |
This king size mattress will cost you more than £1000 but it's high quality
|
