What Is an Ottoman Bed?
A common challenge that many people face is storage space in their bedroom, particularly if they’re opting for a bigger bed in the first place. With a broad range of beds out there offering storage solutions, a common question we’re asked is, what is an ottoman bed?
What is an ottoman bed?
An ottoman bed is a bed that includes an integrated storage system, lifting up the base through the use of hydraulics to reveal storage space underneath.
Ottoman beds tend to provide more storage capacity than divan or drawer beds since they use the entire space under the bed. This makes them incredibly useful for people that have limited space in their bedroom or want to store larger, bulkier items that wouldn’t fit in a divan-style bed.
Here at Reinforced Beds, we’re able to provide heavy-duty Ottoman beds that provide the perfect balance of durability, support and style - with side and end-lift designs available to suit any room layout.
Below we’re going to continue exploring the question, what is an ottoman bed, and take a deep dive into the benefits that you could enjoy with this style of bed.
What are the benefits of an ottoman bed?
When it comes to beds that include storage solutions, many people will either choose an ottoman bed or a divan bed. While both are useful in their own way, ottoman beds have some unique benefits that can’t be found elsewhere.
Ottoman beds can be used in a wider range of spaces
Lack of space in a bedroom is one of the most common challenges that people face, which means how we use our available storage space is becoming much more important. There are two primary reasons that an ottoman bed is good for varying room sizes.
Firstly, ottoman beds can typically lift from the side or the foot, which makes them much more accessible depending on what you need. Secondly, because the entire space within the base can be used, they’re ideally suited for guest rooms, box rooms or even loft rooms - providing a place to store bedding, pillows and other bulkier items. This can be incredibly useful for reducing the reliance on extra furniture that you may not have space for.
Suitable for a wide choice of mattresses
Ottoman beds are typically very flexible in terms of the mattresses they’re compatible with. Depending on the design you opt for - whether that’s a slatted base or hardtop - you’ll get a firmer feel. When combined with your favourite mattress type, there’s plenty of scope for you to create a combination that is perfect for you.
Ottoman beds can be very durable
The design of an ottoman bed means they’re naturally extremely sturdy - particularly with the entire base forming the storage compartment. Because we believe in creating durable, long-lasting products, we use thicker MDF at the base of our strong ottoman beds instead of plywood, ensuring plenty of strength and support.
We also use a reinforced wooden lid and anti-slip fabric with every bed to ensure the mattress is kept in place.
Product: End Lift Ottoman Bed
What is the best type of ottoman bed?
All ottoman beds - regardless of type - use hydraulics to ensure that minimal effort is required on your part to open and close the bed. Typically, the hydraulics also ensure that lift speed is controlled and safe and, once the bed is up, it’s up until you want to close it - guaranteeing safe access to the storage underneath.
Going one step further, ottoman beds can be split into two further groups - side opening and foot opening, each of which has different benefits and different variations.
Foot-end opening beds do what they say on the tin - they open from the bottom which can be perfect for those who want to maximise the amount of storage they have available. Foot-end opening beds tend to have two variations - full ottoman and half ottoman.
Full ottoman tends to offer the entire space within the base, while half ottoman represents a compromise - providing the drawers you might expect in a divan alongside some larger storage space.
Side-opening ottoman beds are more useful for people that have smaller rooms and may only be able to access the bed from one side. Since they open from the side, they can be much more accessible and typically you can choose which side you wish it to open from.
Are ottoman beds strong?
While the nature of an ottoman bed might lead you to think they’re not sturdy, it’s usually the opposite. Ottoman beds are, by design, strong because they maintain a sturdy base alongside the integrated hydraulics.
Here at Reinforced Beds, we specialise in heavy-duty beds and our ottomans are no different. Our reinforced beds are a tough, long-lasting alternative to a regular bed due to the materials and innovations that we use.
Our heavy-duty ottoman beds are made using solid MDF and a specific sprung hinge system for our hydraulics. When you also take into account strong gas arms and a reinforced base, you can see why these are some of our best heavy-duty beds and indeed, some of the strongest storage beds on the market.
Which mattress is best for an ottoman bed?
The beauty of a reinforced, heavy-duty ottoman bed is that it is typically compatible with a heavy-duty mattress, allowing you to fully customise your sleeping set-up.
With bed sizes available for all customers, from singles all the way up to super king-size, there are ottoman bed frames available to suit all types of mattresses. Depending on your needs, our reinforced beds can also include durable welded mesh support, a robust alternative to the typical slatted base.
What’s the difference between an ottoman bed and a divan bed?
A common question we often hear, especially from those researching storage beds, is what is an ottoman bed and what is a divan bed? It’s easy to get the two confused but there’s a simple way to tell the difference between an ottoman bed and a divan bed.
It simply comes down to the type of storage space they offer. A divan bed doesn’t lift in the same way an ottoman does, it simply includes several drawers that are built into the structure of the base.
While this can offer useful extra space, it isn’t as practical for larger bulkier items such as duvets or thicker bedding, which is generally when an ottoman is more practical.
If you’re looking at buying a heavy-duty storage bed and you’re unsure what to opt for, consider three main points; how much storage do you need, how accessible do you need this storage to be and what would suit your room layout best?
At Reinforced Beds, we have a range of heavy-duty ottoman beds that are ideal for larger adults or those that just want a durable, long-lasting product. If you’re looking for a storage bed, we can help. Check out our strong ottoman divan beds here.