It's been nearly a year since we ditched our bed frame for a more minimalist mattress on the floor. Yes, at first it was a temporary solution while we searched for the perfect bed, but we've grown to like its low visual profile, pure (noiseless) comfort, and understated appeal. Still there's something — bad feng shui? — that that makes us question it as a long term move. Here are a few examples where boards and box-frames have been abandoned for the the simpler solution. Collegiate poverty or zen-den chic? You tell us...
I think British stylist, Twig Hutchinson, could make a paper bag look glamourous, so it comes as no surprise that she's managed to make this simple mattress (above) feel ultra elegant.
My original inspiration to go spare came from the calm home of artist, Alexander Vethers, featured in New York Spaces last summer. He found the mattress better suited to his small bedroom than his old bulky bedframe.
I want to dive right into this comfortable bed from stylist, Atlanta Bartlett. Its simplicity is complimented by the calm, rustic furnishings surrounding it.
We love the simple elegance reigning through Marcel Marongiu's Paris apartment, and his bedroom is certainly no exception. The only thing that we question is the height of the nightstands.
Like Alexander Vethers, we thought a standard bed frame would be too bulky for our modest sized room. However, we did create a headboard to give it a more established feel.
Another Twig Hutchinson bed on the floor. Unlike the others, this one is more about the free-spirited, gypsy-wagon vibe, than minimalist calm.
And last but not least, Finnian's Montessori bedroom featured on Ohdeedoh a couple weeks ago. Rather than cribs, many parents following the Montessori method use a mattress on the floor.
Too basic or just your style?
(Images: 1 & 6: Twig Hutchinson, 2: New York Spaces, 3: Atlanta Bartlett, 4: Marie Claire Maison via Apartment Therapy, 5: Leah Moss, 7: Ohdeedoh)
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no.
A bed on the floor isn't bad feng-shui...
...otherwise China and Japan would have slipped into the ocean by now.
But keeping boxes of clutter and old clothing under the bed? That's definitely bad feng-shui.
I love the way it looks, and I actually slept on a mattress on the floor myself years ago, but now it just seems so hard to keep clean. When I see bedclothes touching the floor - especially that last picture, where they're actually tucked *under* the bed against the floor - it just makes me wonder how you clean the floor. When you sweep, you'll inevitably sweep dust up into the bed, and when you mop, you'll get the bedclothes wet. And if for some reason you don't clean the floor, you're sleeping inches above a dirty floor. Do you move the bed and put it back every time you clean the floor? Am I being too OCD about this?
sorry, that just looks tacky and cheap.
We had our bed on the floor for about 4 years and it always looked like we had moved in the night before... but I'm not an interior decorator. I think it's possible to pull it off. Just not for me.
No here too.I have one and cannot wait to get a bed.
It gets dirty easily, from all the dust from the floor.
It's harder to make the made.
Everything aound it has to be low-key to make it appealing.
Lastly,it's harder to get on and off the bed.
Sadly unfinished.
Beds on the floor are for the young who's knees and backs don't snap, crackle, and pop in the morning...
Personally, I thank God every morning that I don't have to haul myself off the floor to get to the bathroom.
no thanks.
i did this when i was 21 and had just moved out, but i'll never do it again.
I think it's a great idea for a kid. Love the last photo with the little flowers sprouting up.
I like the idea of a mattress being able to air out. So having it sit directly on the floor just doesn't seem that hygienic.
I like it much better than 99 out of 100 real beds I see. But that's just me. I lived in Japan when I was in my teens, and fell in love forever...
The floors do need to be very clean, of course. But I consider that an added benefit.
It's one thing if your toddler is transitioning into a twin size bed and you have it on the floor so they don't fall onto the hard wood floor(like in the last pic) but its really something for college kids to do. Just get a cheap 25 buck bed frame and get the dam thing off the floor.
I love the unpretentious look of a mattress on the floor but would never do it long term. I just sleep better with a little breathing room. Like others have posted, it's much more difficult to make the bed, clean the floor, and have it look decent overall. Besides, I'm unreasonably paranoid of bedbugs and a mattress on the floor offers no hindrance (they can't climb slick surfaces like metal).
I have a mattress on a boxspring on the floor in my apartment. It looks decent to me, but I plan on buying an actual wood frame once I can afford one. It is relatively low on my list of things to do for my apartment though.
I have a fitted sheet on the boxspring, and I just use my vaccuum hose to clean around the edge. It doesn't get too dirty though (I don't have pets or anything).
After living in Korea for awhile, I like the low to the floor and simple styles of furniture so even after the "post-college brokeness" stage, I still skip the bedframe.
It is easy to change the sheets because I can slide the bed away from the walls (its in the corner) on the hardwood, it provides a firm support like a platform bed but without any extra space taken up, it suits the minimalist look of the room, and it makes the room look larger and appear to have higher ceilings. Simple/plain bedding (like the Paris apt) that doesn't look sloppy reduces that college look.
As for cleanliness-- I don't wear shoes in the bedroom and the hardwood floors are very easy to keep clean. No pets helps. I have black sheets and comforter that show every speck of lint or dust but yet never seem to pick up any from the floor. I think it seems to stay cleaner than a bed on a traditional frame because it cannot gather dust bunnies under it and I cannot use it to store stuff I never use under it either.
When I moved into a new apartment last summer, my ex kept the bed. I bought a futon and put it on the floor, and I love it. It works perfectly for me. The floor is fairly clean, and frankly, even if your bed is raised up, your feet still go from floor to bed, whether its a few inches or a foot up, so I don't think it is any less hygienic (or gross) than a mattress on a bed frame..
Does it look "unfinished"? I suppose... but my life is unfinished, so why shouldn't my home be as well?
Is it "tacky and cheap"? I've been called worse!
I think its a great solution. The only thing I miss is the under-bed storage! Yes, my joints creak and groan when I get up in the morning... but middle-age is doing that, not the bed!
We had our Tempurpedic on a floor for a few months. There were carpet AND a bamboo rag under it. What do you know... it got MOLDY both on a mattress back and on a bamboo rag!! We called the Thempurpedic, thinking it was a defective mattress, and they replaced it, also we threw away the bamboo rag, and got a new one. Within a month we started having that very same problem! That was it, we got a box spring to let our mattress "breathe". And it was summer and we do not live in a humid climate!!
Besides, inevitably dust accumulates and flies mostly 12-15" above floor, so you're breathing it in while you asleep (6-8 hours or more!!!). Japanese may have a good feng shui but they also suffer from lung problems A LOT!
I would definitely NOT put my child on a floor and think that common practice to put kids on a floor (in day cares and such) is very very wrong!
"Besides, I'm unreasonably paranoid of bedbugs and a mattress on the floor offers no hindrance (they can't climb slick surfaces like metal)."
They can easily climb the walls and crawl over to a mattress that's against a wall...
...or drop drop down on the bed from a ceiling.
I like the look, it has to be just the right sized room, i would elevate it a little, not have it directly on the floor, though that is just me.
in the first picture i love that look, especially the wall color, how might one go about achieving that look of the wall paint? it reminds me of an old wall that has a nice worn look? almost very cuban or something? any ideas?
No, thank you. Not only do you gain storage space under the bed, but it looks soooo much more pulled together when there is at least a frame. A headboard is even better!
Laura
grafxnerd.tumblr.com
Relax, folks. Kids need germs and dirt sometimes. Just make sure you don't wear shoes indoors and keep the floors very clean. Asian people do this all the time and they're not dying of bedbug infestations and mold.
I don't really like the examples here, but I think this can work in the right setting. AT posted an example a few weeks ago that looked purposefully bohemian, spare and romantic rather than poor or tacky.
For grown-ups, I prefer a 'real' bed (i.e. not on the floor). The benefits are:
- looks like an adult room
- I can sit on the bed (it's chair-height), which is handy for various things
- it's easier to make the bed every day (less stooping).
That said, I like the look-and-feel in the first picture. The lovely blue seems so soothing, but if I were actually in that bed, I don't think I could use those shelves on either side of the bed. I'm average height, so reaching that alarm clock when it rings would require getting up immediately to turn it off. (Maybe that was the intention.)
And the fan would not be cooling me. Remember, fans cool people; not air. Why not just put the fan on the floor?
How spoiled are we?! :) Native American's still sleep on the floor and yes there are still plenty around...I am Native American. Some that live out in the middle of nowhere still sleep in hogan's on the floor! GASP! Plus having been in the Military, I've had my fair share of sleeping too close to the bugs. For all I know I probably swallowed a few, but pulling 22 hour shifts, after awhile you just didn't care where you slept. I'm still alive though, despite the "bugs" dirt and other creepy crawly things.
I do sleep on a pile of mattresses now though, kind of the princess and the pea type thing. When you first look at my bed it looks like it's off the floor, but truth is, it's a pile of fluffy-ness. I have cats (black) and a white comforter, yet, it looks fresh and very inviting, no black hairs, go figure. My daughter on the other hand prefer's one and a half mattress. She's funny like that, but she likes the Asian influence, so I plan to get her another mattress and design it with an Asian appeal.
um, the Chinese don't sleep on beds on the floor.
This is one of those things that I could do temporarily, but never permanently. While I'll occasionally throw a mattress down in front of the fireplace on a cold night, for the most part, I enjoy sleeping high up.
Even monkeys have sense enough to sleep in trees, it's a natural inclination to elevate your sleeping spot I think. The floor is dirty, the floor has dust bunnies, who wants their sheets touching the floor? ick.
The only place I would ever put our mattress on the floor is in a sleeping loft with angled ceilings. There was an apartment I had really wanted that had this, and I had a vision of a simple mattress on the floor, all white bedding, and simple low night stands and lamps. It was a small sleeping loft with skylights and wide pine flooring. I really wish it were still for rent, now that our lease is up. Otherwise, I have to be up off the floor. We had a malm bed for a year and sold it because it was too low for me, and got a hemnes bed with a new mattress and box spring, nice and high.
@glightly: Not one person said, 'Chinese'. A couple mentioned that sleeping on the floor is a traditional 'Asian' thing, though (including me). 'Asian' does not equal 'Chinese.'
@jacksonlalonde: Are you seriously suggesting that those who don't sleep high off the floor are not as bright as monkeys? How enlightened of you. I'll also reiterate my earlier statement that if you actually keep your floors clean, then sleeping near them shouldn't be a problem.
Really uncomfortable to get in and out of something that low to the ground. Mildew is also an issue with no ventilation under the mattress. I agree with all of the comments about cleanliness/bugs/dust and looking unfinished. A simple, low platform or futon frame can give a similar effect and much more healthful/comfortable for the sleeper.
I had a futon on the floor in college. I miss the simplicity. As for cleanliness, well, I have two cats hopping all over my bed most of the time, so I think there is probably not a lot of difference between it and the floor!
That said, when my in-laws bought my husband and I a big, soft bed on a frame for a wedding present, I sank into it and groaned in delight.
slowdown: lighten up will you. angry primate.
ZEN!! simplicity is the key to healthy living.
I'm cracking up over all the nastiness and trollishness being spewed in a DECORATING forum! Such passion for such a lowly subject (bed, floor, lowly, get it?).
In one of my homes I have a bed on the floor. But it's an ancient, crappy bed that I don't much care about. I like how it looks especially since the room is really really small and the only place for the bed is in front of the window (imagine the horror of that!) so I have no choice. It is not very comfortable but I'm not sure it's because of the floor, I think it's because it's a piece of crap. It's also hard to make. Again, not sure if that's the floor thing or the cramped space.
In my other home I have a regular normal bed on a platform frame. It's an expensive new mattress and it's super comfy. I also like how it looks! But it's a HUGE room and the bed doesn't have to be by the window. It's also a pain to make because I am always knocking my shins and feet on the damn frame. Ouch.
Keep calm and carry on, people.
My bed is on the floor....but the mattresses are so thick until it looks platform height. At first, it was because I hadn't bought a bed yet. Then, I liked the look so much until I decided not to buy a bed at all and went in another direction with the room decor. I really like it.
I didn't read every post, but I think many of you are missing a huge point here- the Asian (or Japanese/Korean for the Chinese person who claims no Chinese person sleeps on the floor) 'style' of having the bed on the floor wasn't really an aesthetic thing, it was a way of life. I think it's referred to as 'floor culture' nowadays in English. Traditionally, it was the floor that was heated (either through a smoke system or an actual fire that heated a stone-based floor that was dressed up with several layers of hardwood or soy paper which sort of resembles linoleum when when layered enough). Since the floor was the warmest part of the home in the winter, the bed (or plush sleeping mat) is on the floor. (The mattress or similar item would also be stored away each morning, hence no mildew) Tea ceremonies are conducted on the floor, and floor cushions are provided for added comfort and to protect sitter from getting too hot.. Meals are eaten from low tables with people sitting on the floor.. Reading was done sitting on the floor.. my grandmother goes as far as to claim that sitting/lying on her heated floor feels good on her body since the heat relaxes her muscles and joints.. (ok, now I sound like an infomercial..)
Similarly, in the summer, the floor would be the coolest part of the house (heat rises- and no, they wouldn't have a fire going in the summertime). Also, floors are treated with the utmost respect. Shoes are always left outside, and floors are washed daily. And it's not the western idea of washing floors- no dirty stringy mop on a stick that you dip into grey water and move around on the floor- the floors are washed and dried by hand with (yes, a person actually gets on their hands and knees and washes down the entire floor) and always with a freshly laundered floor washing cloth. Dust would never accumulate on the floor. We Asians take our floors seriously!
But if you didn't take care of your floors (and especially if you wore shoes in the house), putting a bed on the floor would be kind of gross. You may as well put it outside. Maybe with your monkeys. (Sorry, couldn't resist :P)
My mattress and boxspring are on the floor in my place out of necessity. (An old dog with arthritic hips.) Personally, it doesn't look as polished as a bed on a frame with a headboard but I like the more minimalistic look so it works for me. It also looks more finished than with the mattress on its own.
Thanks sharinly, very informative.
It sounds like there is a right way to do a mattress on the floor. But I know someone in college who found bugs crawling under her mattress because it couldn't breathe and whatnot.
I like it.
I had a mattress and box spring sitting on a regular old metal bed frame (the kind you can't see unless you get on you knees and look under your bed) which was attached to a beautiful woven sea grass headboard. After running into some financial difficulty, I had to sell my head board, and you know what? I love it! Simple and pretty. And yes, people, keep your floors clean whether your bed is on the floor or not. You shouldn't even have dust bunnies.
Amen to that, LilyC
I have a box spring/mattress on the floor combo and I really like it. The box spring is carefully wrapped in a bed skirt and the mattress is dressed with a simple comforter a quilt my mom made. I live in a studio and have found that forgoing a bed or a bed frame has helped give my main living area the look of a living room that happens to have a bed in it, rather than just feeling like an enormous bedroom as studios tend to when the bed is the room's focal point.
@sharinly: Thank you! That was a very informative and helpful post.
@jacksonlalonde: Coming from a "floor culture", I found a few of the comments that preceded mine (particularly yours) to be ignorant and culturally insensitive. Calling me names and telling me to "lighten up" in response is not making you look any more enlightened.
slowdown = angerball
Yes, I absolutely meant to insult your culture, windbag.
Don't monkeys eat the bugs they sleep with...in the trees? :)
I used to like having bed on the floor (no spring box, it makes a huge difference to me)... it was "cool", alternative and what not ;-) that's when I was a teenager... Later I still had mattress on the floor in some places, because I simply had no other choice. Now I am happy I have a bed frame. It looks better, it makes getting up and down so much easier (it's malm, it's a nice high - exactly like a chair), it feels more "grown up". Same as very low beds are uncomfortable to me, very high beds as well. My friend's got very high beds, and I feel like a child when I visit, as I had to climb up the bed (I am 5'4'').
For a few months I had to have my mattress on the floor after I moved here, and it was such a pain... bedding like a puddle around the bed, difficult to get up, always the unfinished look, even if nicely covered.
But I can really appreciate some great ideas with very low beds - some people can really pull it off.
I laughed out loud when I read the first comment!
I have slept on mattresses on the floor before but found it gross to be so close to the dust bunnies and such. Constant vacuuming!
Well, you can argue that having your bed on the floor would force you to be cleaner (smile) but all joking aside I think some people can really pull it off. When I was younger I did have my matress on the floor because It was a small room and it saved space ( plus I couldn't afford even a basic frame).
My current bed is bit high and took some getting used to. I had to climb into it the first few weeks I had it.
I agree with azure. I prefer to have my bed be aired out and not too close to the floor (or directly on the floor that is). I would hate to constantly vacuuming in order to keep the dust bunnies and dust mites away.
I love having my bed high up off the ground too. I'm short, but it just feels nice sleeping real high up off the ground. ^_^
We just moved our mattresses to the floor for crawling-baby safety and I love it. The room looks bigger, the bed is quieter, and its like rolling into a marshmallow pudding at night. We are taking extra steps to air the mattresses out regularly, though. It makes me wonder what other normal items of furniture we could do without.
I grew up sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and am really glad I don't have to go back there. I would never forsake my bed frame to sleep on the floor again.
If I put my mattress on the floor, I'd probably wake up to my dog's hot breath or kisses on my face every morning, so no thanks. I agree this idea seems like it would work best with no rugs and/or no pets, so it's not for me. Some of those pictures don't look bad, but I still like the look of a nice bed much better.
Throwing a mattress on the floor seems a little unfinished, but a friend of mine bought a low bedframe from IKEA that really looked cool - can't find that specific bed online, but most of IKEA's bedframes are pretty low anyway - might be a good compromise/solution for someone who likes the look, but doesn't want to worry about mildew, etc.
We keep ours on the floor but not because we like it like that. Our kids have always had a tendency to get in bed with us in the middle of the night, my frame elevates the pillow top mattress and box springs to an extremely unsafe height for babies and toddlers. So we decided that while the kids were little we'd keep the bed on the floor. We're in the process of buying our first home and since the kids are more aware of their surroundings we plan on putting the frame back up. Our decision was purely functional.
I think in some cases it looks good but more for pictures purposes than actual life. I myself couldn't have this because I have pets and I am way to OCD to have dog hair all over the ends of my duvet
these pictures are so persuasive...
no dustbunnies under the bed
fabulous views of dustbunnies everywhere else
it's a dustbunny's world
Lots of cultures sleep on the floor, either on a matress or a floor mat/cushion ("metate" anyone?) It's not gross or unclean it's just different than people in the US are used to. The US has a really messed up idea of what "clean" and "healthy" are anyways considering we are the #1 world polluters, but that's another discussion. It doesn't help also that bed frames choices are really cheap, ugly & ridiculously priced in the US.
I agree with @bepsf that having the mattress directly on the floor futon-style is NOT "bad feng shui". However, the reason it works in Asian styled rooms is because everything else is in proportion and balance to the lower bed. For good feng shui and good visual design, you DON'T want the side tables to be towering over you like in these photos if you're sleeping so low. You STILL want to anchor the bed with some form of headboard that is low and proportional, whether it's fabric draped up the wall or an actual low bedboard frame. I have several bedrooms some with beds and one with a mattress directly to the floor. For feng shui to flow, the entire context of the space needs to be taken into account. :)
I think this has been said:
No.
sharinly, Thanks for your post.
So, I am Chinese and, at my grandmother's in Taipei, the bedrooms a platform (at least 2 feet off the floor) made to cover the majority of the room. You remove your shoes at the main door and remove your slippers when climb on the platform. To sleep, she lays out thick blankets to sleep on the platform's "floor", like the princess and the pea and very Japanese. She also has one wall length enclosed closet also on this platform so, it is also her dressing area. My grandmother spent most of her youth in Japan and she probably have this setup because it is familiar to her.
I like sleeping on the platform and would like to have something like this for myself someday - a platform bed without a mattress, just blankets. I also like a very hard bed and do not mind ocassionally sleeping on the floor because it is great for straightening your back. But to put the mattress directly on the floor where you regularly tread, does not appeal to me - too dirty and too much like camping in your own house!
I think this is a fantastic idea for a little kid, but I could never do it. I like a bed to be as high off of the floor as possible. That being said, that gypsy-ish room would be a really cute idea for a teenager ... But maybe with a platform underneath it.
When I had an upstairs apartment in an old house, with wood floors and large rooms - the mattress on the floor worked for me. No large furniture in the room, open space and it was comfortable.
In my current ground floor apartment with ceiling vents, small spaces and carpet it would feel clausterphobic and I would be freezing to death!
Plus if they are not perfectly made, they end up looking like a messy nest.
Having the bed on the floor invites mildew.
There seems to be a lot of worry over how the mattress will breathe when it's on the floor. But how is that any different from using a platform bed? Do ATers also hate platform beds?
As for me, I don't have a bed frame because my bedroom is so tiny that having a queensize frame would make it impossible to shut the door. And a smaller bed is out of the question - my boyfriend is 6'3" and he's a twitchy sleeper. I do have my mattress stacked on top of a boxspring, which I find solves a lot of the problems attributed to lack of a bed frame. The mattress is up off the floor, air is able to circulate beneath, I don't have to haul myself up out of bed, and with a nice box-spring cover the whole thing looks neat and tidy.
Sleeping on the floor as a permanent solution? No thanks. Looks... temporary.
I wonder if the traditional use of low furniture is related to average height, i.e. popular in Asia but not elsewhere?
Btw, my bed is a spring mattress on 4 legs - minimalist and functional.
I don't care for it. I find beds that low to be a very inconvenient height for getting in & out. Plus, I think it looks really bad to have full height nightstands by a bed on the floor. I do like the concept for a child's room, as in the last image, but the bed would be hard for a child to make like that.
Why not, if done right? It would just have to look intentional as opposed to temporary.
By the way, Leah, your bed looks fantastic.
Hmmm...interesting responses. Not that anyone will answer this, seeing that it's the 67th comment, but what about a box spring and mattress on the floor. Gasps or Cheers?
I used to sleep on a mattress on the floor. I found it very soothing and calming. The room had almost nothing else in it and was all white; it was soothing to sleep in an empty, uncluttered room.
I never had problems with mold or bugs; if you have mold or bugs on your floor, then maybe you should take care of that regardless of where you sleep?
I personally feel that it looks temporary, something I try to avoid in my home. I did it for a while and didn't have a problem with it, mostly, but I won't do it again unless I have to. The fact that I need shims under the bed-frame to make it level probably also has something to do with it.
@Anna Europe, I dunno, but I do know that in Japan, you put your bedding away in the morning, so there is no permanent bed at all to take into height concideration.
this thread is ugly. i thought there were guidelines against personal attacks. wheres the banhammer??
The photos look great, but not so sure about the reality. I think that most of these rooms are sets rather than actual bedrooms. I do think, however, that the look can be achieved with a platform. You definitely need something solid that you can wipe down with water. The bottom of the mattress would just attract dust, unfortunately, and you'd never be able to get it really clean. Yeah, the mattress has to be elevated--no getting around it.
........ although I guess I'm thinking about my own wood floors. I'm picturing trying to mop right up to the mattress, and then having to move the mattress to get under it, and then trying to clean the edges of the mattress. If you put it on top of carpet, what's the difference really. I don't know, I still think it's more for show.
My goodness, what a bizarre comment thread!
I think that regardless of the cultural history of floor mattresses, and regardless of our race... most of us are really not in the position to make this work. I don't know many people who work full time who are willing to come home and wash the floor on their hands and knees! :)
I too have done the bed-on-the-floor thing when I couldn't afford a bed frame after college (I've also done a princess & the pea thing when I had to look after a friend's mattress and boxspring and had no option other than stacking!). I made do, but found it inconvenient. I saved up and bought myself the tallest bed frame I could find. I love the look, and I love climbing into bed at night.
To each their own, but I'll admit that in most cases, I don't enjoy the look of a bed on the floor. If your room can look like one of these styled photos at all times, with purposeful decor that compliments the bed... go for it. If you're normal and have a bit of mess here and there... expect people like me to think you've just moved in.
Looks like something Mickey Rourke would flop on.
I am currently sleeping on a mattress on the floor since I sold everything I owned to move across the country. It'll due till I can save up for the bed I want. I do feel like it makes my bedroom look unfinished, but this post inspired me to make it look better - dress up the bed, etc. It'll be another month at least before I can afford the "real" bed. And to each their own, yo. Apartment Therapy shouldn't be a place for cyber-bullying.
While I wait to make slats to fit my bed frame, I have my mattress and my boxspring on the floor. The boxspring is so tall however, that my bed is at a normal height. Before I had my mattress I used an air-mattress covered in duvets, inside the slat-less frame of my bed frame. I liked it as a temporary solution. It felt sort of like a little nest and there's something unique about seeing your room from that height... but I wouldn't be happy sleeping that close to the ground on a regular basis. I'd be afraid of some creepy crawlie finding me! Sure I may clean constantly to discourage bugs, but I live in New York, every apartment has at least one roach hiding somewhere.
Hello everyone,
I like beds on the floor...but have encountered the mould problem. I think box spring and mattress are best for bed on floor situations.
Also, for the getting in and out...anyone else think that it might add to the "workout" of your day? Maybe having to get on and off such a low level would increase your health/flexibility.....
I've always loved the look of beds on the floor, but I live in a cold climate, so I need to be up higher. (Heat rises, so the floor is too cold and drafty.)
Some of these photos look gorgeous. I wouldn't be too worried about dirt if there was no carpet and if I wore slippers not shoes around the house. In my 19th century rental though, it would get a bit drafty down there!
If you want a compromise though, I don't know what they're called but you can get simple wooden slatted frames that raise the mattress about 3-4 inches off the floor. My dad made one (just planks nailed together, not dissimilar to an industrial pallet) when he and my mum were students and they slept on that for nearly twenty years (I think they replaced the mattress though). I think they only swapped for the storage drawers.
If you are single and have your bed on the floor it's definitely a turn off...
When I was in my early 20s I had a strict rule about beds on the floor. It screams cheap IMO. If a man can't bother to get his bed off the floor than he didn't deserve me in it.
Just saying...
Holy smokes I had no idea this was such a contentious topic. I absolutely LOVE the bed on the floor. I also love most of the examples above. I'm half Japanese though I don't have any contact with the Asian half of my family, and was raised without any Asian influence, so I can't really attribute my love for low beds to that I don't think... Although who knows, I do love to sit on the floor, and have always thought there are just too many chairs in the world!
I live in the desert where there aren't many concerns about mould or bedbugs (it's even too hot for fleas here, so my dog is a pretty clean fella as well). I just think beds on the floor are beautiful, relaxing, and much more practical. I'm all for minimizing in any way, and I just don't see the point of a bed frame. If your floor is dirty I think the problem is with the floor not the bed... and I don't ever wear my shoes around the house!
And personally I think when a guy has his bed on the floor it screams practical, efficient, and zen to me =) My boyfriend had his bed on the floor when I met him and I just thought his bedroom, which had a mattress a small desk and a little framed picture of an elk was so charmingly tranquil.
When our bedframe broke, we put the mattress and box spring on the floor until we could get around to replacing it. It didn't take long before it mildewed due to lack of air circulation, and we had to replace the whole set. Expensive mistake. Part of the fine print on mattress warranties is that they must be in an adequate frame, or the warranty is voided.
I live in China and will tell you that Chinese people do not sleep on the floor. However, their mattresses are so hard that sometimes I do feel like I'm sleeping on the floor :)
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Er, jacksonlalonde, "Even monkeys"...???!
Sharinly said it well. Beds and furniture are traditionally lower in India, and much harder. Traditional mattresses used to be made of coconut fiber, among other things. Many folks still sit on rugs and mats on the floor for many activities. How else do you think Indians have Yoga or our body-bending classical dances?!
I like the low profile, if all the other decor/furniture is also coordinated to it. I have rugs on the floor with floor cushions next to a bookshelf...a cosy little reading corner in my bedroom.
The arrangements shown here will work, if the floor is kept very clean or if the bed is placed on a rug or carpet larger than it. I won't put bedclothes that have fallen on the floor back on the bed. Ever.
Personally, if you wanted benefits from sleeping on the floor, I wouldn't use such soft mattresses, only sleeping pads or futon mattresses on platforms or a rug. I get backaches from soft beds. And sit cross-legged on my study chair. Its the Indian in me.:D .
I used to sleep on a camping mattress when I was in grad school. Some (American) friends and my landlord were so horrified they gave me a brand new bed frame and mattress as a gift. I gave it away to a poet/student when I left.
I have mold and dust mite allergies really badly. I can't sleep in basements. I sleep on a shikibuton style futon on the floor. i can't sleep on conventional mattresses for a long time because most mattresses actually get mold in the middle of them just because they're too thick and never moved. That and they're made with tons of flame retardant chemicals and synthetic foams that degrade into harmful VOCS. The fibers inside a thick mattress just gather moisture and stay there and mold. So I bought a thin shikibuton style mattress that i put directly on my hardwood floor. I also put a sateen mattress on top and sleep in breathable linen sheets. Every morning I have to fold up my futon and let it sit on top of a rack to let the fibers stretch and air circulate. It's so much easier to just stack and fold your linens instead of making the bed every morning. Plus I have all the extra space. I've heard some of the most racist things just from people considering beds on the floor! The western style of bed comes from the fact that up until the 18th century, people used to sleep in boxes, sometimes cupboards to keep in the heat and keep out the light but as hygiene became more important, then came the box bed, the canopy bed, and now just the open air bed what with heating. They're raised off the floor because people leave out their beds all day and wear their outside clothes and shoes indoors. Meanwhile, it's safer and more natural to sleep on the floor. Whoever said that "instinctually" thing about sleeping high up- for millenia as cave men humans, including homo sapiens, have traditionally dug a slight depress hole in the ground, put some straw or bulk leaves in there for a mattress and slept in the fetal position with their head elevated on one side of the hole. that's also why small, dark spaces make for better sleep cycles and why we sleep better in small groups.
I find as a woman, sleeping directly on the floor is hard on my hip and shoulder but putting a few hand towels under those areas, I can sleep well enough. Now, on a futon, it's like heaven. I had back problems before from sunken springs and overly fluffly pillows, but now with my futon and my buckwheat...ahhhh.
I also do my sitting on the floor and have low tables. Even when I was younger and had a traditional bed with bed frame, I always got a low one because it's easier to get into and out of instead of having to mount a horse every time I want to sleep or change sheets.
I have a tatami bed, nothing better.
I've been debating getting rid of my bed frame and put the mattress on the floor. I am always changing my mind about many things, so I will keep my headboard with mattress and boxspring on the floor, and store away the sideboards and footboard in case I end up not liking it. I think the key things is to keep the mattress covered and don't have high furniture around it. I would love the idea of someday getting a large fur or soft blanket to drape across the whole bed and let it touch the floor....
Also, maybe it's the Korean in me, but after having this high bed, I prefer being closer to the ground. For those of you who think it's tacky or cheap, I used to sleep on the floor with no mattress, just on top of a mat! Just Google Korean or Japanese bed. So yes, it can work and still be good feng shui if you do it right.
i like the 'floor culture'. but of course i have brand new plush carpet. my king mattress is on the floor and i love it. i have a toddler so this helps prevent falling accidents when he is (often) jumping on my bed. and it somehow seems more roomy when you can kinda lounge over the sides without fear of falling to your demise. and for love-making, well it is worlds better let me tell you! no creaking or squeaking and lots of room for adventure! the only downfall i see is no storage underneath for useless crap i dont really need anyways.
Thanks for all of the great examples, ideas, and history. I've read through all of them! Due to family safety concerns, we need a very low bed. This shouldn't be a difficult adjustment because I've always been drawn to minimalism, especially Japanese and Scandinavian styles. The thought of having diffuculty getting into and out of a low bed didn't even cross my mind, but then I am limber and love yoga. I'm constantly sitting cross-legged at the computer (and even on the chairs at the dinner table), and I'm not Indian like one of the posters who does the same.
I love the description of the grandmother's house in Taipei. I'm glad to hear of a few other people who do not want the standard American-style mattress that most of us have. They are toxic and unnecessarily bulky. I will definitely build some kind of a very low platform--something that is even lower than the usual platform beds. (Love the industrial pallet idea.) For softness, now I have to decide between cushy blankets, a futon, or a tatami mat. And I have one idea of my own: a thin natural latex mattress topper used alone.
I keep my mattress on a box spring on the floor. Personally I prefer it, and I sleep better. Bed frames are bulky, and shift around too much for me. But it really is a preference thing.
These photos do nothing for me. I wouldn't even think of replicating any of these bedrooms. They do look like someone just moved into an apartment and can't afford anything better. However, I have some photos from a magazine that are so beautiful and romantic looking that I cannot wait to get rid of the bed frame and put the bed on the floor with gorgeous pillows and lace. I fell in love with the idea! It just gives such a cozy and secure feeling have the bed right on the floor.
I sleep with a mattress on the floor. A Coleman twin-sized air mattress at that. No box spring. Have slept like this all through my 40s and I'm 51 now. I really don't care who has a problem with it, they don't get a say-so in my bedroom. LOVE the Montessori room. Wish I had a wood floor.