apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

AT-good question about the slats being shipped separately. The box (still unopened) has a "1 of 1" sticker on it, so I don't think that I will be getting a 2nd box. Is this normal? If it's normal--I'll give it a shot. But I may have to get a few 2x4s to reinforce the frame. However, having to do this will irritate me for something I bought brand new...and I'll do it begrudgingly.

Call West Elm. It's been years since we had that bed, but we remember calling them to complain about the items being shipped separately...

What a timely post as I thought that the collapsing bed issue was solved - until I woke up last Saturday at 3am because the MIDDLE SUPPORT BAR COLLAPSED and I found myself nearly on the ground.

I purchased that same exact tall bed frame in Feb. 2007 (a year and a half ago). We are two people totalling 270 lbs. max. and the bed was assembled properly. I called West Elm customer service the next day, and they sent via UPS a replacement middle bar with no problem or no hassle whatsoever - I received it this past Wed. So they have good, responsive customer service - no questions asked - probably because they know this issue still persists!

I should add that the new middle bar has 3 support blocks that are chunkier and sturdier than the old middle bar with only 2 flimsy blocks. So hopefully this will be the last redesign!

In short, you get what you pay for for the price and if anything goes wrong, you should have no problem getting any replacement parts.

are they like EQ3 where the bed slats are a whole separate item to purchase? Theoretically so you can get the right slats (for foam mattress, regular mattress, or boxspring), but I think it's just a sneaky way to pump up the price of the bed.

I have a question about the bed - how tall is tall? I've looked at these beds in the catalog and wondered what the clearance is between the floor and the bottom of the cross braces. As a tiny apt dweller, I have many boxes and such under the bed and wonder if they would fit. Meanwhile, if no additional slats arrive, I would not assume the single brace will hold up (especially after reading the old post!) and would add plywood and/or 2x4 braces yourself.

I have a different bed from West Elm, but the slats arrived separately.

I have the same bed. Slats were sold separately (and you do need them).

Sounds like the OP hasn't received a complete bed.
I'd call West Elm and get it resolved - there should be more pieces, including a support leg in the middle.

Thanks, everyone, for your insight...AT, the diagram cleared things up! I have since called West Elm and, yes, indeedy, the slats are arriving separately. This isn't really indicated anywhere in confirmation e-mails from West Elm but I guess this kind of thing comes with the territory of on-line purchases.

caw261--I didn't purchase the slats separately. I guess once upon a time, West Elm did sell them as separate items, if you have the same bed.

homebody--the dims on the West Elm site indicate a height of 15". Not sure if that is from the floor to the top of bed frame or the bottom of the bed frame (because I haven't unpacked it), but it seemed to me to be pretty good clearance for storage, which is another reason I went for this style bed frame.

If you're looking for clearance, look at the Room and Board Parsons bed or the Portica bed: linky

It's metal, not wood. But the clearance is unbelievable, and bed needs no hardware to assemble. The slats and frame all slot in together and if you ever need to move, it's a breeze. Just unslot and move all the separate parts. I have the Parsons and I feel 100% secure in it. That thing is NOT going anywhere... nothing is going to break.

Not affiliated, just in love with my wonderful Parsons bed..

You did not receive the slats on the bed. I bought that bed for the height for storage on the bottom. It was actually really well made. Unfortunately, even though it says it is for use with a mattress and boxspring, it was way to tall and even though I am 5'9", I had to use a step stool to get into the bed. We switched it out for the lower model which did not look as well made when it arrived--the interior pieces were not finished--so we used a mix of the two to put the bed together. The lower model is too low for any slide out storage--only 6" underneath, but it works with the super deep pillow-top mattress/boxspring, and looks good with our art deco bedroom set--the acorn color matched the wood on the head and footboard and it is sturdy--we are 2 tall people in a full size, no falling apart issues.

Anyway, call them and tell them you are missing the package of slats, 1 for each side of the frame and they will ship for free, their telephone customer service is shockingly good. They shipped the new bed for free when I told them it was too tall and immediately credited my amex for the tall version prior to scheduling the pickup, which I thought was odd, but certainly didn't complain.

That's very sad to hear that 1- they dont tell you things are shipped separately and 2- that after a year the bed broke. This isnt Ikea or some hack store- (not that Ikea is a hack store) but you would think with that price tag you would get a little quality. I'm deterred from buying anything at west elm. Though hearing their customer service is great is nice - they'd have to be with that many calls!

I bought this bed (queen size) last month. 2 sets of slats were delivered in their own box, separately. I think the queen and larger have 2 sets of slats, and the smaller frames have 1 set of slats. But it should definitely come with slats that should be included in the price of the bed! West Elm has been really helpful to me over the phone with my recent purchases - I'd give them a call.

I bought this bed, used, a month ago and so far have been very pleased with it. It is not the best in workmanship, but hey, it looks very nice. I'm sure the Parsons is better built, but I do love this thicker frame.

It doesn't feel flimsy at all -- we're both needing to lose some weight :) Note, though, that we do not use a box spring, just a foam mattress. But after the post above I may consider buying a couple of wood posts just to be on the safe side.

Clearance from the floor is 9.5 inches. I'm 5'7" and the bed height is perfect. I prefer lower frames, but our room is so small that if the bed was lower we'd probably be hitting our shins on it all the time :)

Now I'm just waiting for "my" Square Headboard to go on sale... Hope you enjoy your new frame :)