Ottoman Beds Buying Guide: Storage, Sizes and Style Explained

Most UK bedrooms are tighter than we'd like to admit. Victorian terraces were never built with walk-in wardrobes in mind and a lot of newer flats give you a box room that barely fits a double. So the spare duvet ends up on top of the wardrobe, the suitcase lives under the stairs and winter coats get shoved wherever there's a gap. An ottoman bed deals with this by using the one space almost everyone ignores: the floor area directly under the mattress.

It sounds simple, and the idea is. The execution is where people get caught out. Two ottoman beds can look identical in a photo and behave completely differently once they're in your room. This guide walks through what actually matters when you're choosing one, so you don't end up with a bed you can't open properly or a lifting mechanism that fights you every morning.

What an ottoman bed actually does

An ottoman bed has a hollow base and the whole mattress platform lifts up on gas pistons to reveal a single deep storage compartment underneath. That's the key difference from a drawer divan, where you get two or four shallow drawers that only use the sides of the base. With an ottoman, you're using the full footprint of the bed, including the dead space in the middle that drawer beds leave empty.

That middle section is where the real capacity comes from. A drawer divan might swallow a few jumpers and some bedding. An ottoman can take a folded duvet, two pillows, a cabin suitcase and a stack of seasonal clothes without much trouble, because nothing is competing for floor clearance around the bed. You don't need room beside the bed to slide drawers out either, which is why ottomans tend to suit small rooms far better than divans do.

The lifting mechanism and why opening direction is the first thing to settle

Before you think about fabric or headboard shape, work out which way the bed needs to open. This is the decision that catches the most people out and it's almost impossible to fix after delivery without buying a different base.

The platform is held up by gas struts, the same kind of pistons you get on a car boot. Good quality struts do most of the lifting for you so raising the base with a heavy mattress on top takes a gentle pull rather than a full effort. The bed opens in one of two directions, and your room layout decides which one works.

End-opening (foot lift)

The mattress lifts from the foot of the bed and hinges up toward the headboard. To use it, you stand at the end of the bed and lift. This is the version to pick when the bed sits against a wall on one of its long sides or tucked into an alcove, because you only need clear floor space at the foot.

End-opening also tends to feel slightly easier to lift on larger sizes, since the weight is balanced along the length of the bed rather than across the width.

Side-opening

Here the platform lifts from one of the long sides. You need clear floor on that side to stand and raise it. Side-opening makes sense when the foot of your bed is blocked, for example if there's a radiator, a window or another piece of furniture right at the end.

In a narrow room where the bed runs along one wall, a side-opening model that lifts toward the open side of the room is usually the only sensible option. Measure the gap you actually have on each side before committing, because a side lift needs more standing room than people expect.

Sizes and how much you can realistically store

UK ottoman beds come in the standard run of sizes and the storage grows with the footprint. A single gives you a useful but modest compartment. A double or king turns into proper household storage.

Here's roughly what fits in a double or larger, to give you a feel for it:

• A spare duvet plus pillows, folded flat

• A cabin-sized suitcase, sometimes a medium one in a king or super king

• Out-of-season clothing, bagged or boxed

• Spare bedding sets and towels

• Bulky items like a sleeping bag, travel cot or winter coats

Two things affect capacity beyond the bed size. The first is the depth of the base, which varies between models, so a deeper well holds taller items. The second is the gas strut rating. A bigger bed carries a heavier mattress, and the struts have to lift the platform and the mattress together. If the struts are underpowered for the size, the bed becomes a chore to open, which usually means you stop using the storage altogether. On larger beds especially, strut quality matters more than the headline storage figure.

The base and mattress pairing most people overlook

Inside the storage well, the platform that your mattress rests on is either slatted or solid, and the two behave differently.

A slatted base lets air circulate under the mattress, which helps with moisture and is kinder to most mattress types over time. The trade-off is that smaller stored items can shift between the slats or get a bit dusty. A solid boarded base keeps everything in the storage area cleaner and protected and it gives a flat, sturdy surface, but it offers less ventilation. If you tend to store fabric items like spare bedding, a solid base keeps them in better condition. If breathability is your priority, slats win.

Mattress choice ties directly into this. The struts are sized for an average mattress weight, so a very heavy pocket-sprung or hybrid mattress on a budget base can make lifting hard work and put strain on the mechanism. It's worth checking that the bed is rated for the mattress you have in mind, particularly with deeper, denser mattresses. Depth matters too: an extremely thick mattress can sit too proud of the headboard and look off, while a very thin one can feel like it's lacking support on the platform.

Getting the style right

Ottoman beds are almost always upholstered, which is part of the appeal. The frame is wrapped in fabric, so the bed reads as a soft furnishing rather than a functional storage box. That gives you a lot of room to match it to the room you've got.

Linen-weave and chenille fabrics give a calm, textured look that suits most bedrooms and hides everyday marks reasonably well. Velvet feels more like a statement piece and catches the light, though it shows scuffs and pet hair more readily, so it's a better fit for an adult room than a busy family one. Plush and teddy-style fabrics lean cosy and work nicely in winter-focused or younger rooms.

Headboard shape changes the feel as much as the fabric. A tall buttoned or winged headboard makes the bed the centrepiece and gives you something to lean against for reading. A low, clean headboard keeps things minimal and works better under a window or in a room with a low ceiling. Colour is worth thinking about practically, not just aesthetically: a mid grey or oatmeal hides daily wear far better than a pale cream or a dark navy that shows lint.

A quick pre-purchase checklist

Run through these before you buy, ideally with a tape measure in hand:

• Measure the clearance at the foot and along each side, then choose the opening direction that matches the open space.

• Check the gas strut quality or weight rating, especially for a king or super king.

• Decide between a slatted or solid base depending on whether you're storing fabrics or prioritising ventilation.

• Confirm the bed is rated for the type and depth of mattress you want to use.

• Check headboard height against any window, sloped ceiling or radiator behind the bed.

• Look at how the bed is assembled and whether it arrives flat-packed or part-built, since some ottomans need two people to fit the struts safely.

Final thoughts

An ottoman bed earns its place when you're short on storage and short on floor space, which describes a large share of UK homes. The beds that disappoint are nearly always the ones bought on looks alone, where the opening direction fights the room layout or the struts can't comfortably lift the mattress. Sort those two things first, then enjoy choosing the fabric and headboard.

Treated as a piece of furniture that has to work every day, not just look good in a photo, a well-chosen ottoman quietly solves a storage problem you'd otherwise live with for years. Get the practical decisions right and the rest is the easy, enjoyable part.

FAQs

Are ottoman beds difficult to open every day?

Not if the gas struts are good quality and sized correctly for your mattress. A well-built ottoman lifts with a light pull and lowers in a slow, controlled motion. Difficulty almost always points to underpowered struts or a mattress that's heavier than the base was designed for.

Can I use any mattress with an ottoman bed?

Most mattress types work, but check the bed's weight rating before buying a very heavy pocket-sprung or hybrid mattress. The struts have to lift the platform and the mattress together, so a mattress that's too heavy makes the bed awkward to open and wears the mechanism faster.

Is a slatted or solid base better?

It depends on what you store. A solid base keeps bedding and clothing cleaner and protected, while a slatted base lets air circulate under the mattress, which suits ventilation and most mattress types over time.

How much can you actually fit inside one?

A double or king holds a spare duvet, pillows, a cabin suitcase and a stack of seasonal clothing comfortably. Capacity depends on the size of the bed and the depth of the storage well, so deeper bases take taller items.

Do ottoman beds need extra space around them?

Less than drawer divans, since nothing slides out sideways. You only need clearance in one direction to lift the base, either at the foot or along one side, so measure that gap and match the opening direction to it.