In college/grad school, I had a futon on a very low frame; hovering just above the floor. I thought it looked good (it did), but it was annoying as hell. Getting in and out of bed was a nightmare; forget sitting on the bed to put on shoes, etc. I'm 5'10", so that made it even worse. Also a huge pain to clean under, and easier for mold to develop on the mattress. I learned my lesson; ever since I got rid of that setup (to another arch student who thought it looked really cool), I've had a platform bed frame that was about a foot and a half off of the floor. Much, much better.

Eons ago when I was in college and had my own room in an apartment, I slept on a futon directly on the floor and I bounded out of bed (probably at noon) full of vim and vigor. Today, just looking at this photo throws my back out.

I've seen beds so high you have to climb a little step stool to enter, and that wouldn't work for me, either. Apparently vertigo also comes with old age. :)

I'm all for the standard height mattress and box spring (I have a tempurpedic and adore it). I'd be curious to see the ages of those who sleep nearer to the ground...

A low bed might make more sense for rooms that function only as a bed room, as in a room only for sleeping. If you have a desk, any kind of storage, dresser, etc it gets weird.

I like a "normal" bed height. I don't like those really tall poufy looking beds. Don't want to be on the floor either. Mold, Sydney?!?! I had never even thought about the possibility of my mattress growing mold. Oh god.

The most comfortable bed height is presumably the same as the optimal sitting height because you get in and out of bed via the sitting position. This in turn is likely proportional to the height of your knee - i.e. low beds is a short people thing.

Traditional bedding in Korea and Japan consists of a low cotton "futon" on the floor and folded away when not used.

Um, you might want to remind your art director that soft-core seduction shots photographed by people whose nom-de-guerre includes the syllables "gasms" are not really what AT readers come to this site to see. I'm quite sure that somewhere, somehow, you could have found a shot that screams "low bed height" instead of one that screams "tear off this silk slip and show me what this bed is for".

I'm not surprised to read that people had low beds in college. To me (a college student), a low bed just screams "poor student". It's just not sophisticated at all. I've got a bed that keeps the mattress up off the ground, and it makes the room look like it belongs to a grown-up. Which, you know, it totally does.

I think the key part of the futon is that it is folded and moved every day. No mold can grow then.

I like the low bed in a large room, but I am happy with a sitting height bed. I can't have a tall bed because my short legged dog can't jump up and down easily.

I slept on a box spring and mattress on the floor until about a year ago, when I got a regular bedframe. Imagine my surprise to discover all the dust that accumulates under there - never an issue before! It does look much nicer with the bedframe. I've seen photos of bedrooms with a mattress on the floor that looked great, but not often. Ours looked awful. But no dust!

SBMODERN, I slept on one of those traditional mats for about eighteen months. Japanese and Korean futons are indeed pads that range from 6 to 12 cm in thickness, and are great at absorbing sweat and the like from the body. They can and will mold (oh, that makes one feel like such a slob), but a simple solution to that is to vacuum them once a week, or make like the Japanese and hang them out in the sun, then beat the dirt out of them.

Traditional futons wonderful in summer because they're so close the the ground; it keeps one near the cool floor. During the winter, that same issue makes life near unbearable (that, and the complete lack on insulation in Japanese housing). It is a great small space solution if you have a closet deep enough to store the futon and blanket. AT actually shows these in a Kyoto guest house tour: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/house-tour-sujiyacho-machiya-kyoto-japan-090125 And the picture above is definitely that kind of traditional futon.

Now tell me that a low mattress looks like "poor student." :)

I bought a bed, though, because in my part of Japan the cold season lasts longer than rainy season and summer. Despite the many bedding accoutrements for warming one's futon God bless you, Muji, for providing me with an affordable bed to keep me away from the bone-shaking cold. Plus, my apartment has no convenient place to hang my futon in the sunshine, and the suckers are kind of heavy to haul up one flight of stairs to hang over the railing. No lies, though, some days I miss being able to store my bed out of sight.

And is it just me, or are college students more likely to loft their beds in order to shove desks and Rubbermaid drawers underneath? I had to climb up to or take a running start to get into bed all through college. We all shoved so much storage under our beds that a low bed was an obvious waste of space.

we have a taller-than-average bed (3 inch memory foam, mattress, box-spring, metal frame, on risers) but we are taller- than average people so it works well. I guess it hits about 3 inches below my hip when I'm standing. I hate the mattress-on-floor thing. I would rather jump out of bed than roll out of it.

I'm disappointed with the photo choice for this post. I read Apartment Therapy to learn more about design and see what smart, creative people do with their living spaces. The photo above is distracting, alienating and insulting. Apartment Therapy isn't a beer company -- why is it using images of sexualized women to draw attention to its posts?

The bed should be the object -- not the woman. In the future, I hope Apartment Therapy will be more conscientious about the photos it chooses to accompany content.

When I was in college I had a raised bed so I had could store things under it but still could jump up on it without the assistance of a ladder.

In my first apartment I had a futon which was low to the ground but I loved it because I am a shortie myself. When my husband moved in he was not as thrilled by my general midgety furniture (I had unconsciously gotten all low furniture that I could easily reach the top of).

Now we have a platform bed which allows both of us to sit on the bed and put our feet firmly on the bed. And it provides a firm base for our extra firm mattress because if we could we'd sleep on a concrete slab. I don't see how people deal with box springs, it seems to add so much height to the bed, I'd have to jump out of bed -- literally.

My comment should say we can put our feet firmly on the ground. opps!

Some hypersensitive viewers we have here.

Very metro, though. I'm sure it plays well in some circles.

Anyway, the low bed works fine for me, or at least did when I had one. The big sled kingsize that I have now dominates the bedroom, makes it appear much smaller.

I don't like having a mattress direct on the floor. Oddly enough, I don't currently mind having my mattress on a boxspring and the boxspring on the floor. My quilt comes to the ground and hides the box spring, the height is the same as a low platform bed, and I hung a rush mat "headboard."

Someday I will find the perfect bed frame and invest in it. But I am fanatical about beds being absolutely silent no matter what activities you get up to in there, so until I save up for a frame built like a tank it's staying on the ground.

Oh, shut the eff up about the photo. I agree, Parks, these people are far too sensitive.

I like high beds, I suppose "normal" height. We had the malm for two years and I could not stand how low to the ground it was.

I agree that the choice of photo stinks. It's sexist and objectifying.

if u find this picture alienating and distracting, how the hell do u deal with your everyday lives? can 1 picture of a female really b that offensive? its not like shes naked draped all over the bed with her legs open. she is wearing clothes, clearly on a low bed (what the post was on about).

please lets not make apartment therapy into some pretentious art forum. i like casual, and will please people stop using "one" instead of me, my or I. The only people that pompous enough to even get away with it are royalty, anyone else it just sounds stupid in my opinion.

back to the post, i used to sleep on a mattress on the floor, until i had an "Aliens" moment when just before i fell asleep I saw a spider the size of a cow scuttle across the floor a eye height. never again. now i sleep a clear 3 feet up.

I agree; the photo should be taken down and merits an apology. I also wonder if those who think we're hypersensitive would feel the same way if it was a photo of a man in the same pose and state of undress. Whether or not it personally offends you, it contributes to a culture where women are devalued.

Maybe I missed something, how is the photo sexist? Is it because there's a girl in shorts, a girl on the floor, or a girl in shorts on the floor? Is it because she's looking down? Or that her hair is down? Really, what are the guidelines to creating a "non-sexist" photo of a woman?

Oh Christ, there were no "objectifying" comments - NOTHING like the Missoni post:http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/inspiration/missoni-family-at-home-by-juergen-teller-106551

"Oh, shut the eff up about the photo."

It says a lot that someone defending this inappropriate photo is so extraordinarily rude.
AT is supposedly about home design, etc... it would be SO nice to be able to enjoy it without being subjected to images like this.
If not wanted to view offensive images makes me "hypersensitive", then OK. I'd rather be hypersensitive than be insensitive and vulgar.

Um, I'm a girl, I don't think it's objectifying or sexist, and did one of you call it soft core porn? She's cute, yes, would it be better if she were busted? Or are you people just jealous that you're not small, cute, and asian?

The photo doesn't bother me, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm definitely jealous of the small, cute, Asian girl. And her awesome sheets...

I like her sheets too!
And I said, "shut the eff up" because you people need to quit whining already about every single little thing. It's the internet, I'm sure you've seen worse then a chick sitting on her bed in pjs.

I love the photo. Anyway, have any of you complainers ever seen European ads and commercials? You'd really flip off your Puritan soapboxes.

bejeweled you just made my day.....

The photo above was chosen to demonstrate a point — to show someone physically sitting on a their low-to-the-ground bed.

She is fully dressed and we've posted photos far more revealing in the past. We in no way meant any disrespect to the model, photographer or to our readers.

-Sarah Rae

I am kind tall at 5'11, but I love low beds. I think they look great, and i just really like sleeping closer to the ground. For about 5 years I slept on a futon that had my matters about 4 inches off the ground. I really enjoyed it. Now i have a regular bed, but I think most people would consider it to be too low, but I would like it to be even lower. I am considering taking a couple inches off the feet.

uptight freaks.

I like sleeping on a lower bed because it makes me feel safer. My husband and I shared a bed that was tall and I used to have a really hard time sleeping until it dawned on me- I couldn't relax and get a good night's sleep because I was scared of falling out of bed!

As a college student living across the country from my home, I had to choose between buying a mattress that I couldn't take back with me or getting inventive. I currently sleep on a queen sized air mattress. I realize that it makes me look like a poor college student, but then again I am a poor college student.
I do like the added height of a real bed. It's hard to sit on the edge of an air mattress.

Our bedroom is so small that a standard height bed would just wouldn't look right in it. So, my partner and I have a platform bed.

Wow, so many people jealous of a pretty girl in a pretty picture. I need to stop reading comments on AT.

I love the look of a low bed, but agree that they're tough to deal with in real life - and I didn't even think about the bug or mold issues!

Re: the picture, not to beat a dead horse, but really? People are that offended by a somewhat artistic picture of a girl wearing PJs sitting on the edge of her bed? I hope the Sears catalog never darkens your doorstep, lest your eyes be subjected to further assault by women wearing...clothing. And I would certainly steer clear of all those dirty, dirty paintings at the Met, you may catch a glimpse of something even more titillating.

In the last year I've gone from very to low to a very high bed. For most of the last year I had no platform or frame, just the mattress on the floor. I liked it, and I've always liked the simple look of just the mattress in the middle of a room. When I moved I decided to build a bed with storage to be able to fit my stuff into a very small room that I'm in now. so currently the top of my mattress sits about 34" off the ground. I like both, but I think I'm actually going to lower this bed since there's no room for extra seating it gets annoying when trying to sit and read or do work at home.

There *is* a sleazy American Apparel vibe to that photo.

how so? I looked up American Apparel and found ads of girls topless, bottomless, with legs spread.

This girl is neither topless nor bottomless. Her legs are together and covering much of her torso....

Why be afraid of a beautiful human body?

Another person disappointed in the photo choice. I'm also pleasantly surprised that other people have complained!

I signed up specifically to leave a comment here. I'm disappointed that Apartment Therapy chose this image. I'm bombarded with sexualized and objectified photos of women enough without being subject to it here as well.

The picture shows a stereotype of the Asian female as sexually submissive and available. I apologize, but just because you don't think that it's objectifiying doesn't mean that it isn't. Please don't attack and attempt to silence those of us voicing our opinion simply because you don't agree with it.

Apartment Therapy - Apology accepted, although linking to the other art pictures is disingenuous. The amount of clothing in a photo is not the only metric in determining whether a photo is appropriate or not, and the intent of this picture is very different than the human furniture series.

Definitely, there are ad campaigns which are way more offensive. But just because this is less blatant doesn't mean that we should shut up and accept it.

Again, I'm not mad...just disappointed.

OMG. I'll never get that photo out of my head...I'm going to HELL!

Apartment Therapy...please don't feel pressured to sensor yourself because *some* people have issues.

I will never go back to a low platform bed...I just bought a 'comfort' height Toto toilet...cause I'm thinking about the future and getting up and down easily.

That's also a big fat NO to water beds too...thank god for Haustens (on a platform...with a boxspring)...yeah, I'm getting old *sob* but not priggish ;)

I didn't care about the actual post... I had to click on it to be entertained by the battle of comments... I knew that photo would cause a stir. Anyway, no low bed for me...

Imagine, some readers actually having an opinion like that (gasp) and having the audacity to say so . how rude. how priggish. how uptight and hypersensitive. how censoring. how jealous (lol). Maybe one day more people will say so without fear/control of being called ugly old unsexy priggish unshaven lesbians. Maybe one day other women won't feel the pressure to be so well-trained and not make a peep about not liking some "artful photo" that is totally out of place, and risk their social power of being liked by men, nice and quiet like. Just sit on the bed, flex your haunch, do a half torso twist, part your lips slightly, look downward away from the camera and toward the bed(no direct eye contact unless it is sexually inviting please) and keep your opinions to yourselves ladies! when will you learn!

I think the pic is CUTE. I wish i had the body to take a photo like that! Love it!

I hate low beds. The higher, the better!

I kind of like the "come hither" photo... and I'm a straight gal. Seriously people. Switch to decaf.

The most offensive thing in this thread are the comments of some who don't like that a person might express disapproval of the photo choice. I could care less about the photo choice, but it did distract from the topic. For that, I think AT failed in the selection.

As for the topic, I don't care for low beds unless all the rest of the furnishings in the room go along with it. I currently have a very thick mattress on regular boxspring & frame. It sits up a few inches higher than I like. I wish a low profile box spring had been an option when I got it.

I hope none of the people wringing their hands about the picture actually went to "helgasms" flickr page - it might give them a heart attack. Btw, Helga, the owner of the flickr stream, *is* the model, so I guess she is "objectifying" herself. Or maybe this is just amateur psychology pretzel logic.

I think the photo is beautiful. I'm not offended by it in the least. I get offended by violence and hatred. I don't get offended by sex.

I had a bed on the floor when I was younger. It was cold. It was hard to get out of. It was hard to take care of- who wants to bend over to make the thing? It made my other furniture look odd. I have a "normal" sized bed now and it's fine by me.
We are building my son a bed that is halfway between a normal size and a loft. He'll need some stairs. It's going to be interesting to see if he likes it-since he's the one who came up with the plan.

I think the picture is lovely, but the too-low bed thing would drive me insane. Mine is about mid-thigh height and I still think it's a touch too close to the ground.

"She is fully dressed and we've posted photos far more revealing in the past.

-Sarah Rae"

A). She is not fully dressed. B). You're missing the point by a mile.

The photo is not offensive, but the scantily clad woman with a come-hither look is unnecessary.

I have a high bed for storage, but I prefer low beds. I don't find it that hard to stand up from the floor...

As a middle aged woman myself, I am saddened that today's more youthful folks think that photo is something that needs comment. Seriously?

I find it pretty sexist that people are calling this image pornographic. Images of women are not by default sexual unless you are defining everything by the male gaze.

I agree with the poor photo choice. "How low can you go" with a girl showing that much leg?

Please.

Photo doesn't bother me...

Anyway, my bed is probably 6 inches or so off the ground. The frame is very simple and was designed for a futon, I think. I just have a mattress on it (no box springs). It works for me, I always thought it was weird when you have to climb into a bed. I like to be able to stand at normal height and sit down on it. I am a petite person, but my boyfriend is tall and he has no problem with the lower bed. Plus the dog can jump up on it (I guess that's also a detractor in some cases). I used to have a taller bed and I prefer the lower one. Finding bedside tables the right height took several months, though. Finally I found ones at Target.

I even like beds on the floor when done right. There have been some lovely pictures on here of spaces with beds on the floor that don't look college-y at all. With nice, simple bedding it gives a very relaxed, contemporary, and comfortable feel to me.

I guess I'm in the minority here in that I love a high-ish bed. My current bed is about a foot higher than your standard mattress boxspring, and with heaps of bedding, much of it involving goosedown and flannel, it makes going to bed feel like an event. So cozy!

I've slept on beds that are on the floor and those at normal height. I haven't had a problem with either height. I'm a short person at 5' so a tall bed means I have to hop to get in and out which is something I refuse to do. I would like to try a bed that is in between a normal and a floor bed but haven't had the chance. I do find a low platform bed to be very attractive though.

As far as the picture is concerned I don't find a problem with it at all. It's just a woman getting out of bed. I think some people are reading a bit much into it. I mean is it offensive because she's pointing her toe?

The picture is inappropriate. Her leg ends before her shorts do. And I find it bizarre how the people who are politely asking for AT to be more careful in their picture choices are getting shot down in flames.

Why are you so angry? Does it really bother you that some people find it too revealing?

If other people find something that I say or do to be offensive I try to be sensitive to that, even if I don't completely agree with them. It's called being considerate of others.

I agree with myfanwy - "just because you don't think that it's objectifiying doesn't mean that it isn't."

I love having a bed higher up. I prefer having it at least 3 feet off the ground. It hurts like heck if you've not slept much and your alarm clock goes off and you fall out of bed onto your arse, though.

My bed is on a platform less than a foot off the floor.
The lower the bed is, the stronger your legs and balance will stay long into old age. In the west most folks have a hard time either squatting or getting up from a low position without using their arms. While in the east even the elderly are able to squat, bend down, kneel and still get up without using their arms to push off of........just an observation of many travels.

The only objectification I'm seeing is by those who see her as a piece of sex & therefore have a problem with the image.

I like my bed to be high enough so I can slide a box or two of storage underneath, but low enough so my eye-level (when head on pillow) is lower than the window sill. If I'm lower than the sill, I can't see the street lights.

I prefer a tall bed, myself. When I was little I used to sleep on very tall piles of mattresses, and that was quite fun.

As far as the picture: while my first response to it was not to be offended, I can definitely see where people who were offended by it are coming from. The combination of the title and the picture seems pretty sexualized to me, and while I have nothing against nudity or partial nudity OR sex-related things, I do have something against objectification. There is no reason whatsoever to turn a post about what beds people find comfortable into objectification.

And yeah, I actually do currently live in America, though I am not American, but I see nothing wrong with naked people at a beach -- something completely different from the issue at hand.

i sleep with my mattress right on the floor and i love it, granted im quite short (5'1 on a good day).
my bed does double duty as a couch when im watching tv in my room, the height (or lack of it) doesnt bother me at all. i find it much more comfortable to sit on than a regular height bed as i dont like having my legs just dangling over the edge. probably a combination of watching too many scary movies and that it presses on the back of my knees and my feet quickly fall asleep.
ive never had a problem getting out of bed in the morning and having to stand all the way up, i find it helps me wake up more quickly instead of walking around half asleep for half an hour after getting up. and for "active sleepers" its nice to not worry about rolling out of bed to a rude awakening.

sexualized images of women are used to sell just about anything in the world. as a woman, i find this annoying and stupid. please refrain from such photo choices in the future, apartment therapy. beg to differ.

Ha, the first thing I thought when I saw that picture was, "she must be a model 'cause no one would actually sleep on that thin pile of rags!" Look at it, it looks like a 2" piece of light foam - you would roll over at night and be able to feel each individual floor crack! I like a lower bed (mine is about shin-high) but this is too short for me.

I'm probably used to the "normal" bed frame with mattress and box spring and it's the best place to sleep.

The lowest I've slept was for a few years of my childhood was a mattress on the floor and the highest is probably second bunk later on in my childhood. I've hit a few things in between as well.

I've always believed that objectification happens on the viewers' side. The problem is not that the photo (which is a self portrait, not an advertisement), it's the inferences that viewers make about her sexual availability and extrapolate those assumptions into inferences about the sexual availability of all women. That kind of thinking is the enemy. I know process of changing mass thinking is incredibly daunting, but that is the key to gender equality.

Outlawing or banning images like these is just another form of social control over women. Who are we to say what forms of legal self expression (remember it is a self portrait) are valid?

Pictures like these don't offend me, but it does sadden me when I hear women decrying the images of other women based on a patriarchal set of values.

I loved sleeping on the floor! I used to have an LL Bean sleeping bag on top of an "egg crate" and it was awesome. I never had back problems and I never had trouble getting in and out of bed. Mornings when my circulation was bad I just rolled.

However, with the lousy cushioning, my significant other was getting a little fed up. I would have loved a nice futon like in the photo. It would have been frugal AND sexy, instead of just convenient.

I ought to clarify--many posters here talk about the higher bed they BOUGHT. I never got that chance, as my mother gave me (actually drove about 3000 miles... whatever, mom) my great uncle Jim's bed frame after he died. I hate it. I got some slats cut at Lowes, but erred on side of "I hate sanding" so they're 1/4 inch too short and pop out if you're not careful, and I got a cheap mattress that works for me but apparently not for Princess Pea, who keeps harping about it. Seriously, though, my back was more comfortable on that nice, flat floor.

(I refuse to buy a box spring. They made me miserable as a kid.)

Just reading comments... what the heck is up with the negative responses? Bed on the floor IS sexy--I don't care what y'all haters think!

Those of you who think you're feminists need to look more closely at that photo. Come hither look? She's looking at the FUTON. Undressed? I looked again--she's wearing two pieces of day clothes. Exploited? Apparently the model is the photographer. FAIL. A real feminist critic looks past the gloss and takes the photo apart. You crowd seem to have not looked at the photo at all!

AT, keep up the good work. You have inspired me to do something about a bed I hate. What I really want is a really lovely mattress on a flat, hard, low platform. It would look swank as hell and be very comfortable for me but have enough cushioning to keep my wife happy. I would lose the under bed storage but I think in the big picture that's a good thing.

PS, haterz: I AM the lesbian feminist your mother warned you about--and I think that photo is fabulous.

Ugh. I totally agree with 580sqftofbliss. Is AT only allowed to post pictures of women wearing granny size moo-moos or button-up long-sleeve pajama sets? The point of the picture is to show someone getting out of a low bed. And it does. FIN. The fact that she's a model is no less than expected; after all, the photo comes from stock photography.

And: I'VE SEEN WAY, WAY, WAAAAAY WORSE.

...

Anywho, I have a super-low bed right now and I hate it. (There's something about a high bed that seems to elevate my mood in the morning.) I've been shopping around for a higher bed to replace mine, and will continue until I find the perfect replacement.

When I first saw the comments in response to this photo, I was reminded of the debate that raged when Padma Lakshmi's home was featured, with Padma herself prominently and seductively posed in it: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/look-a-sneak-peek-inside-padma-lakshmis-home-077592

However, when I re-read it, I realized that the comments weren't the same at all. Padma's naysayers uniformly derided her for being "narcissistic", while in this post, the words being used are "sexist", "objectifying", and "submissive". It's really interesting to me that apparently, if you are a celebrity, having sexy photos of yourself published is self-promoting, whereas if you are an unknown person, like this woman, you are being taken advantage of somehow? Even though this woman apparently took this photo herself, posted it on the internet, and licensed it for use by others?

Editorially, this photo was a bad choice because it doesn't illustrate the subject matter very well and was pretty much guaranteed to start a debate that had nothing to do with the subject, completely distracting from the point. However, for anyone to claim that it is pornography is just ridiculous.

And I'm also a small, young, Asian woman. I have even been called cute. And I know that there is real, honest-to-God sexism out there that causes a whole spectrum of social ills ranges from pay inequity to domestic violence. So can we please reserve our outrage for real problems and not squander it here on nonsense?

yeah, it is sexualized. the artist herself is a blogger and states that she takes the photos mainly for her boyfreind. She wants to create beautiful sexy portraits of herself for a specific audience. She did a great job. And so it is not working in the context of being here on AT. FAIL AT! it's out of place and some commenters have stated that opinion. I think the real haters, the real prigs the prudes the puritans the handwringing uptight freaks who need to switch to decaf.. I think those terms actually apply to the squawking status quo defenders who work so hard to shame and squelch any dissension from the program. it's sad. why are you so afraid? what nerve has been hit?

Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe how many uptight people roam this site. I mean, do you really have nothing better to do than gripe about photo choice on a design blog? If you really want to complain about sexism and other bull, then go storm the offices of Abercrombie and Fitch or Holister or something. Your time on your soap box would be better spent for organizations like www.ncadv.org or www.now.org, rather than APARTMENT THERAPY. If you really want to make a difference than I hope you're just as passionate when your write to Carl's Jr and MTV about the advertising and programs they assult you with on a daily basis. I bet you're not b*&%hing on their sites. The only possible way you could be offended by this photo is because you're allowing yourself to be offended.

The topic here is a low bed, and I'm almost certain that the above photo indeed captures a low bed. I prefer a taller bed myself because my apartment doesn't allow for much storage, so it's nice to be able to get a couple of stacked bins under my bed.

By the way, it's really too bad that some women are so against being sexy. At the end of the day, we're a lot more fun to look at then dudes, and is there anything so horrible about being pretty? I love being a girl and for the most part, the only person I'm seductive or sexy for, is me. Everyone else is just collateral damage. Embrace the fact that women can be both seductive and smart. There's nothing wrong with being both.

A lot more fun to look at than dudes?

Um, not everyone shares that opinion.

I forgot to mention.... I slept had my mattress on the floor for 3 or 4 days while waiting for my bed to be delivered. It was the WORST thing EVER.
It felt odd getting up from it and for whatever reason, laying on it made my back hurt.

Once when i was little, my parents bought me a new mattress. Instead of taking the old one off, they just tossed the new one on top of it. So i had a box spring and two mattresses. It was SUPER HIGH and I LOVED IT.

To this day, the higher, the better.

I think there's a bit of a respect issue going on here. But then again, it's Apartment Therapy, somehow, it's not surprising. This is the only home decor site that I personally frequent that has such 'pissy' and snide comments.

To the people offended by the image... I have to admit, it made me realllly uncomfortable. It still does. But it also made me laugh a bit. That little poof of strategically placed fur? It reminded me to schedule my next waxing appointment. And that's when I laughed. But more so, it did make me squirm.

To the folks calling those made uncomfortable by this image 'pissy' or 'uptight', that is beyond uncalled for and downright rude. Everyone has a different comfort level with nudity, sexuality, and the like, and you should respect that. No one was screaming 'hellfire reign down upon you for featuring a sexy times picture!' or 'your lady pictures make the baby jesus cry' so I think we can try to respect what was said and agree to disagree. This type of name calling is childish and really baffling. While I wouldn't request to have the image removed, I was very surprised to see it on a home decor website, and indeed - bothered.

To me the main issue is not that it's softcore porn, or devaluing women; and from an artistic perspective it's a decent shot. I just personally don't like to see this stuff on my home decor blogs. And I'm not a 'prude' - I appreciate erotic photography, and feel that there is both a time and a place, for porn and erotica. This isn't it, in my personal opinion.

If I was caught looking at this picture by my boss (on my break, when I'm authorized to be surfing, incase people want to throw that 'don't surf at work' thing out there) I'd be spoken to, just because it could look questionable and could offend those in the office not as 'cool' with sexuality. I don't think people should have to worry about this when going to a site largely focused on home decor.

I also think the art director(s)/man/woman behind the curtain knew this would stir up controversy (seriously... unless they keep their heads in the sand) and this is something they're trying to do keep things interesting, up page views or something.....

Overall, I'm disappointed in AT's decision to run this image (and the entire 'we've done more riske stuff before' excuse is really insulting to those really bothered by this. 'We're sorry that it offended anyone, it wasn't the intention' would have been more respectable. The response here was downright rude and clearly shows that you do not care about alienating some of your readership.) and I'm disappointed in the people that are name calling because they don't share the same opinions on what is offensive/objectifying, and so on.

Can't we all just get along? :( I'd offer up a group hug, but I think some of you might bite.

We got a new bed when I was 5 months pregnant. I am 5'4 and the bed comes up to my waist.

At first I needed a stool to get on, but my husband at 6'3 loves the height of the bed, and by 9 months I didn't need help getting on the OB's table.

The only thing offensive about this post and the comments is how extraordinarily rude people are to each other. Name-calling, condescending, holding beliefs as morally superior to others: ICK! The entire mentality of, "someone holds a different opinion - they're wrong and/or there is something wrong with them," makes me ill with its irony and blatant ignorance.

I like beds with frames that touch the floor, but I enjoy the mattresses to be high. I think they feel better crawling into while sleepy than lowering to the ground.

I'm picturing everyone who doesn't like this photo sleeping in neon footie pajamas.

I'm also picturing trying to gracefully get out of a bed that low while naked. That alone is reason enough to keep my high bed.

I'm not buying the "my boss might see it while I surf at work" thing. If you were REALLY worried, you'd have far MORE to worry about those darn American Apparel ads that run on the AT site every day. Now those ARE offensive from time to time.

To respond to what nerve has been touched; it's the nerve that sees claims of true feminist exploitation weakened when people whine about a simple picture such as this.

I 100% second dbavaria--in my bedroom, having even a box spring just wouldn't make sense, due to low ceilings and almost no space to do anything except lie down. And...I love it. I use my second room as a dressing room/desk zone and I pretty much instantly fall asleep when I crawl into bed because I do literally nothing but sleep there are there's all kinds of good, cozy nap-energy.

i need a step-stool to get into my 4-poster!

Hi People. Did anyone see Martha Stewart "exercising" on the stripper pole last week? I'm sure that must've blown a few minds here. Oh well...she's been in the joint - whadya expect.

First off, I don't technically have a preference other than "Not too bloody tall." My current bed is a Therapedic Backsense Supreme on the standard height foundation and frame. I'm 6'3" and the bed is some three inches too tall for me to get into comfortably (love the mattress, though!). In my first college days, I did the spartan/asian thing, four blankets, one comforter, layed out flat on the floor, with a "fitted" sheet and a top sheet. I loved it up until I injured my left shoulder, which was when I purchased a futon. I enjoyed that until I moved into my new place, which was when I spent the cash to get me an actual bed. I'll probably get me a foundation-less bed from the C2 catalog one of these days...

As to the picture... Heh, Saved! To my personal collection! And ooh, I printed out the entire comments to show my girlfriend. She's going to get a kick out of you lot.

AT, I think you picked the wrong photo/title combination, but the picture is win and the title is win. Just... not in the same post. For shame!

DoctorEcks--

I was on the treadmill at the gym when I flipped channels and saw Martha during that segment, straddling something, and saying "her horse was bigger."

Huh. La. Ree. Us. I almost flew off the end of the treadmill.

First, I think that the above comment about "whining" hinges on the obnoxious. Personally, I was first drawn to this post, as the woman, let's face it, is completely gorgeous. I like the sort of "crack house chic" nature of the photograph. This said, and in thinking further, I am creeped out by this post. I think it could be used as a classic, "The media treats women as objects, not people," in a Women's Studies class for 18-year-olds at a local U. I love Apartment Therapy to the point of addiction level. However, this post, and I saw it first on a blog that discussed its icky nature, is not OK with me. In the future, I would appreciate it greatly if you could kindly refrain from objectifying women, making them look like part of the decor or furniture in the future. Much thanks.

About the photo, I think everyone here missed the point. From a photography standpoint, and the subject matter -well, well, well...the subject was not fashion for women, hairstyles for women...the subject was the mattress..on the floor. What percentage of the photo shows the mattress is the issue here...right! When I'm on a fashion site, I expect to see fashion and all that encompasses in a photograph, but would I be very disappointed in seeing a photo depict 75% of a car, for example, and 25% of the dress being modelled? Oh ya. Same thing here, A more appropriate photo of the mattress on the floor showing the bedroom decor as a whole is what the editor should have chosen to post here, not what was posted. If I want to view someone's hairstyle or pj's, I'll go to a site that cater's to that. AP...you did screw up on this one. Keep to your subject matter, as all good sites than linger should.

I have to agree. Still wondering what the article is about by looking at the chicky in her jammies.