Floating Beds Elevate Your Bedroom Design To The Next Level

By Vera Dordick | Published on Aug 17, 2015

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Backer street bedroom with floating bed

Floating bed with bathroom behind

Floating bed design

Floating bed with LED light under

Brown modern bedroom with floating bed

Contemporary bedroom featuring a floating bed

Taylor Smith Architects Bedroom Design

Floating platform bed with led

LED light for platform bed

Minimalist asian inspired bedroom

Lucite legs for bed

Black and white bedroom floating bed

Dark wood bedroom floor with suspended bed

Large floating bed with black bedding

Exposed bricks wall and carpet above the floating bed

Fluttua Floating Bed by Daniele Lago

White geometric floating bed

Mountain bow house with floating bed

Simple button wooden double bed

Wooden platform floating bed on a high ceiling bedroom

Floating bed with grey wall behind headboard

Attic bedroom with floating bed and carpet under

Hollywood bedroom with platform floating bed

Hardwood bedroom floor with a grey bed

Contemporary bedroom furniture design rending

Wood platform bed with a unique headboard

Riletto solid wood platform floating bed

Double bed with lucite legs from vele lago

Shellon desiree double bed

Floating bunk beds

Teenage room with floating bunk beds

Floating Beds Elevate Your Bedroom Design To The Next Level

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Contemporary bedroom featuring a floating bed

Dark wood bedroom floor with suspended bed

Exposed bricks wall and carpet above the floating bed

Wooden platform floating bed on a high ceiling bedroom

Floating bed with grey wall behind headboard

Attic bedroom with floating bed and carpet under

Hollywood bedroom with platform floating bed

Contemporary bedroom furniture design rending

Wood platform bed with a unique headboard

Riletto solid wood platform floating bed

Double bed with lucite legs from vele lago

Clearly a new twist on a basic design idea, floating beds are an eye-catching focal point. Most often associated with modern interior design, they can be a fresh addition to your home, no matter what your style.

These beds have a platform, most often with added underlighting, to make it seem as if the bed is floating. The means of support are not readily visible.

The History of Platform Beds

While most beds consist of a mattress and a box spring set on a frame of some type, the platform bed uses a sturdier frame and eliminates the need for the box spring. The origin of the platform bed is hard to pinpoint. From the earliest days of man, people started looking for ways to put distance between themselves and the cold, hard ground when they slept.

The first known descriptions of platform bed construction were found in ancient Egypt, according to Wikipedia. Over time, the concept evolved until designers invented the modern box-spring in the 1860s.

Installing a floating bed in a larger space plays up the modernist and openness of the room

Here’s an example of a floating bed without a headboard. Because the space is more compact, the lack of a headboard or posts give it a more open feel.

Popularity Hits a High in the 70s

The popularity of regular platform beds surged in the 1970’s, even though they were always available. While this might be tied to increasing acceptance of modern interior design, it’s also the period when water beds became popular in the United States. These beds use a water-filled liner as the mattress, which is nestled inside a wooden frame, essentially a riff on the platform.

Modern Platform Bed Innovations

LED Lighting

Fast forward to 2015 and ultimately designers have made creative use of advances in LED lighting. They have revamped the platform bed and really make it seem to float. While interior designers could always have used underlighting, rope lights and today’s small, cool LED bulbs made it easier to create innovative designs. Even DIY enthusiasts can build a floating bed.

Suprisingly, a floating bed does not always need to be anchored to the wall. You can fully see the floor support at the head of the bed.

This very modern black and white floating bed unit is indeed a good example of a floating bedroom system.

The Illusion of a Floating Bed

Designers achieve the illusion of floating with a variety of methods.

Some floating bed platforms are anchored to the wall and held up with a single support leg.
Other types rest on a smaller box platform that is not readily visible when looking at the bed from around the room.
Finally, some beds have Lucite legs that create an illusion of floating.

In this setting, the modern horizontally paneled wall acts as the bed's headboard, accented by the attached shelving that acts as a nightstand. — In this setting, the modern horizontally paneled wall acts as the bed’s headboard, accented by the attached shelving that acts as a nightstand.

Floating beds are particularly well suited to an eclectic room setting, because they allow bedding and accent furniture to be the focus.

Different Styles of Floating Beds

While a floating bed is indeed part of many minimalist and modern bedrooms designs, it can be the focal point of any interior design style. As with any piece of furniture, the material you choose for the platform and the headboard dictate the design style.

Natural or rustic-looking wood frames and headboards can make a floating bed fitting for a more traditional bedroom.
If you have a more modern style bedroom, choose sleek, polished surfaces like lacquer or laminate. For a more feminine look, upholstered headboards and platforms can soften the design.
Want a more masculine look? Incorporating leather in the platform or headboard can amp up the look of the bed.

A floating bed is a focal point for the bedroom, and its advantages bed are much the same as a basic platform bed.

Support and stability

Most bed frames holding up your box spring and mattress are metal, with four to six legs, and a few cross bars for support. Because there is no box spring to support the mattress, a platform bed must have more cross supports, or even full panel support, making it studier. If you toss and turn at night, a platform bed is more stable and is less disturbing to your sleeping partner.

Styling

The lower profile of a platform or floating bed can really open up a space, especially if a bedroom is small. Choosing a style that lacks posts and even a headboard can save space and make for a cleaner design. More traditional looks can incorporate upholstery or mission-style frames and headboards.

Cost savings

Thanks to the platform style, floating beds eliminate the expense of a box spring. If you’re on a budget, you can get a new look at less cost. Or, the savings can go toward investing in a higher quality, new technology mattress, or a fancier platform style.