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We have the tall wood frame (and headboard) from West Elm in a dark wood, and we love it. We've had it about 10 months and we've had no problems with it. (We wanted something high off the floor for storage, and it fits a ton of stuff under there.)

Go shopping.

Room & Board's customer service & delivery is top notch (if that is a factor in your decision).

Room and Board is usually better quality than West Elm

We have had a queen-size Parsons bed for about a month and love it. It's taller height provides a ton of under-bed storage and it is built like a tank. We like the solid steal construction (having dealt with bed bugs in the past).

Room and Board--hands down. I've been coveting the Anders bed and six drawer dresser for awhile now, but I am a fan of the Parsons bed too. Their quality is definitely far better than West Elm. I cannot attest to their delivery services yet, but their costumer service, both over the phone and in person, is fantastic.

Room and Board all the way! West Elm falls apart.

I had had the West Elm tall wood bed frame for about a year and it is great, works well, and I love all the storage space underneath. The price is definitely a bonus!

I have heard rumors about the West Elm falling apart, but when I looked into it more, it seems that was a different bed frame, and this one has not had the same problems.

Tough call--I have the West Elm tall wood frame, and as I said on AT a couple of weeks ago, the actual falling-apart problem their beds used to have is fixed, but it's still true that their beds are not high-quality wood--they're solid wood, but it's some kind of wood material with a separate veneer over it. Also, since you put it together yourself, there is more wobbliness than I assume there would be if it came as one solid welded piece. I've been happy with our West Elm bed; I just don't expect it to last for 50 years, which is OK for me given its price.

If you really prefer the wood look to metal and are thinking of this as a really long-term purchase, I might look for a third option.

WIEDER is a surprise - in spite of its minimalist looks it offers excellent comfort, thanks to high quality filling and wooden slats in the seat. Roomy and comfortable while not taking up too much space. Even more surprising is the ease with which the sofa converts into a double bed. http://www.wiederusa.com/

You should check out Desiron - the bed that you like looks very similar to the Lolita Bed that they offer...
http://desiron.com/bedroom/beds/lolita/index.html

and everything can be customized at Desiron so you can request to have it made taller or shorter - to you specifications. Also the bed can be made in 9 different steel finishes.

While the West Elm bed frame is still available, you won't get it until October. I had a friend who tried to order one and they told her that with the current design, the bed is falling apart. The redesigned beds will be available in the fall. Just a heads up.

Anyone else want to blow mic in for being a spammer?

West Elm stuff, across the board, does *not* "fall apart.

C'mon.

But the tip for Desron is a great one. Their stuff is gorgeous.

I'm definitely leaning towards the Room and Board Parsons bed. It IS pricier, but if, like stk_astoria says, it's built like a tank, I would expect it to last me at least for a while. Heck my current bed is a thin boxspring that you can attach legs to from Ikea, and it's lasted me these past 10 years.

Parsons bed owners: does the footboard seem like a problem? I'm a klutz who occasionally walks into corners and I foresee skinned knees. Also, my pup sleeps on the bed with me some nights. I don't want her to knock her noggin on the footboard either. If I get a deep 12" mattress, will the footboard present a problem? Or will it look out of place to have the mattress sticking up higher than the footboard?

TIA!

The Desiron Lolita bed is GORGEOUS! Unfortunately, at $2000, I can only lust after it from afar. But thank you for the suggestion anyway! It really is a beautiful bed, and just my style...

I can.t speak to the Parsons bed, but I recently purchased the Perspective bed from R&B which is almost the same design except with wider steel and a little lower. I LOVE IT! I researched beds for a long time before committing, I wanted something that would last well into the future as I was sick of buying new IKEA beds every year or two...I imagine West Elm would have the same problem. The only foreseeable problem is the one you mention [and the one that frightens my fiancee'] which is running into it with your knees. I haven.t really had that problem, and don.t wast time worrying about it! ;) If it.s between West Elm and R&B go for the Parsons...you can.t beat R&Bs customer service/delivery.

Mark.

With footboards in general, the problem is not skinned knees but banged knees. Thwomp! If you're a klutz, though, the platform without footboard isn't any safer -- it just confines the damage to your shins, ankles, and toes. I find I stumble over the bed frame less now that there's a more obvious visual warning from the footboard.

Your pug will probably cope fine; our cats seem much smarter about avoiding protruding edges than we are.

Thanks Wende! Just one note, I don't have a pug, she's a Belgian Malinois - I just call her pup. :)

I'm running over the the R&B store on Wooster over lunch to check it out. I may just purchase the mattress from them too... Unless anyone has anything to say about mattress purchases... I like super firm beds. Hope their pocket spring firm mattresses are up to speed.

I previously had a West Elm Bed, now have the Portico from Room and Board. The WE bed did actually break after 3 years, but they kindly refunded our money even after that long because it was a manufacturing defect. It was fine for a less expensive bed. My R&B bed is super quality, as is everything I have ever purchased from them. I can't say enough about their great customer service, professional delivery people, and beautiful products! (Also, I have never banged into the footboard...I agree with Wende about the visual warning being helpful.)

this is a great post. for parsons owners - is it uncomfortable without a solid headboard? do extra pillows in back provide enough support to sit up and read? i find my head is always touching my wood headboard at some point, and so i wonder if you have problems with metal beams. love the bed, want to get one too.
thanks

Beautiful, that Parsons bed. But doesn't anyone make a bed frame for both a mattress and a box spring, anymore? Ilike the height and solid look of having a boxspring, and I believe it's better for my back than a mattress alone.

I was worried about the no solid headboard thing too when I bought my perspective bed...but it hasn.t proved to be a problem at all. My bed is against a wall so I usually just place two or three pillows there and surf the net etc....ahh, I wish I was doing that now...instead of sitting in this uncomfortable office chair that I.m pretty sure my company got on discount at office depot.

Mark.

I purchased the West Elm tall wood bed frame in December. It has nearly fallen apart since then. The supports simply fell off and I had to prop them up - and the wood already has chips in it. The bed itself isn't very sturdy and moves around quite a bit.

West Elm makes cheap and cheap-looking stuff. It photographs well but go see it in person before you decide. A bed is an investment; get the one from Room & Board.

I have the Architecture bed from R&B (which is essentially the Parsons with a canopy), and I love it. It is incredibly sturdy - the slats that support the mattress are heavy-duty metal, not creaky wood. The bed also comes apart and goes together really easily for future moves. I don't think you will regret the purchase.
I also bought my mattress (firm, encased coil) from R&B and have been equally pleased. Their mattress prices are reasonable and straightforward - it was nice to avoid the mattress superstore runaround.
R&B customer service is excellent.

Mark--on the Perspective bed--have you ever smacked your head on the headboard when sitting up? I love the look of it, and the price is really good, but I was worried about having an open headboard with a thick slab of steel right overhead :)

I can't say much about West Elm furniture, but I'd like to reiterate Brooklyn-em's question, because I'm curious, too. I like to use a box spring AND a mattress, and I haven't had any luck finding nice bedframes for this setup. I'm still using the "invisible metal frame with wheels" that came with my mattress, and it's really annoying and ugly. Any ideas?

Seebarb, I just returned from the R&B store on Wooster and tried the encased spring firm mattress, but... it just didn't seem firm enough for me. The innerspring mattress seemed firmer, but I feel like my back and hips are going to pay for it a few years down the road. Do you have any issues with the mattress sagging?

BTW, I ended up ordering the Parsons bed from R&B - it IS built like a tank! I tried shaking the bed from the footboard and headboard, and nothing budged! I'm very impressed with the quality. The instore experience was also extremely good - the sales staff person who helped me was exceptional. It's more $$ than I really would have liked to spend, but at the end of the day, I suspect I'm going to have that bed for years and years. Thanks to all! And if anyone can recommend a good mattress company I would greatly appreciate it!

summerinbrooklyn, get a good quality, firm latex or memory-foam (or combination) mattress. The one at DWR is nice if overpriced.

http://www.dwr.com/category.cfm?subc=3833

You can find them cheaper elsewhere or even put your own together by ordering good-quality latex and foam pieces. The quality of the foam is very important.

A foam mattress feels strange at first if you're used to an innerspring mattress, but you will never want to go back after a week or two.

Something to consider: I have a bed like the one from Room and Board. The way the bars across the headboard sit make it really easy for your pillow to fall out the back and onto the floor. It's REALLY annoying. Especially when you are sleeping and you lose your pillow onto the floor behind the headboard, and you reach down to get it, remembering that you meant to clean under your bed that day, because now your pillow has dust all over it. Doh!

BtotheB - I.ve never hit my head on the frame ;) It's far back enough that I don't sleep directly under it anyway.

Mark.

Good to know! Thanks Mark--I know it seems a silly question, but I couldn't help but think that when I saw it in person.

crate and barrel has a new bed that is similar to the R&B parsons but with a bit more complex design (maybe good for keeping pillows in place), lower price tag, but probably inferior design. anyone seen it in person?
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1012&f=12186