AT reader Kim is considering upgrading her bed, but there's one small hitch...
I'd like to know if AT readers are using a mattress and box spring with their platform beds. I'd also like to know if anyone has the Room and Board Monica bed (pictured above) and what they think of this traditional bed/platform. Sturdy? Squeaky? How does the fabric wear?
...I have an olympic queen mattress that I love and paid dearly for, but it's 6" too big for a queen bed without it's box spring (the box spring has a built-in 6" platform) and too small for a king bed. I'm considering selling it and buying another mattress to fit the Monica. Other options are to stick with a traditional upholstered bed like those offered at PB and C&B. Thanks!
Dear Kim,
We've got a generic platform bed from West Elm, and we don't use a box spring. When we first got the bed frame, we DID put the box spring on it, but 1) it looked really weird; and 2) it looked like we needed a booster step to get into bed. As far as your dilemma with your current mattress: if you really, truly love Room and Board's Monica bed, then upgrade the mattress. Going with your Plan B may cause buyer's remorse.
Anyone have any advice for Kim? Does anyone own Room and Board's Monica bed?

White Enamel Flatwa...
This weekend (Happy Valentine's Day) there is a bed sale at Cambium on Hubbard (113-199 W Hubbard). They design custom furniture and kitchens, so they can make just about anything. Stop in between Thursday the 14th and Sat the 16th for 30% off a custom bed that will fit your matress and your style. Check out details of the sale at www.cambiumhome.com and best of luck!
oops for this you would need to be in Chicago.
I have a Monica bed in my guest room and think it's absolutely gorgeous. We don't sleep in it regularly but every once in a while take a vacation to sleep in the guest room and it's really comfortable. We do not use a box spring with it, and it doesn't need one. We've had it for two years, and the fabric has no signs of wear (it gets used probably 1 weekend a month for most of the year and then most of the summer). The fit between the mattress and bed is tight, so you will need a new mattress.
I have the Monica bed and love it. I got it about a year and a half ago, no squeaks yet. I don't use a boxspring. When I got it it came in Dilcrest Weave fabric, that has stood up pretty good, no fading either. My cat tried to make it her scratching post for awhile, and it took that pretty good too.
I have a steel Room and Board bed, (in fact, it's from their previously separate store "Retrospect Home"), which is the same size as any of their steel platforms. The whole point of a platform bed is that you don't use a boxspring with it. I use a natural latex mattress, so there are no springs whatsoever. It's perfect. Believe me, you wouldn't want a boxspring on those R&B beds anyway because they are already so high (mine's 14.5 inches off the ground) and they are specifically constructed just for one mattress.