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My taste in bed frames has always been minimal. For years, I got by without a headboard, mostly because my tiny New York City apartments couldn’t fit one. I’ll admit, I was pretty content with a basic metal base, always situated on risers so that I could cram countless suitcases underneath. (Space, again, being a hard thing to come by.) But when my fiancé and I left Manhattan for the suburbs, we decided it was time to invest in a king-sized bed frame that we would love for years to come.
While other Domino editors swear by Floyd’s pared-back platform bed, I was seeking softness, which meant narrowing down my search to fully upholstered frames that I can comfortably lean back on when I’m watching TV or reading at night. Ahead, I look back on the inspiration images that fueled my search and the bed frame I actually got in the end.
The Inspiration
I wanted our space to feel as cozy and warm as one you’d see in a Nancy Meyers movie, so naturally I went way back in the Domino archives to reference this set-up belonging to the director’s daughter, Hallie Meyers-Shyer. The soft gray fabric fades into the backdrop, letting Meyers-Shyer play a little more with her bedding choices. I have a thing for patterned bedding (anything with a bold stripe is calling my name these days), so I decided a neutral color like this would feel timeless.
When I look back at all the calming bedrooms I’ve seen, it’s hard to forget Jena Covello’s Miami space. Her designer, Tiffany Howell, had visions of her client taking her morning tea on the balcony outside her room to catch the crashing waves, but I could easily picture doing the same from that ultra-low, loungey bed. While I knew we didn’t have enough room to go all out with a giant platform, I got hooked on the idea of a frame with a small bump-out around the mattress for that cocooning feel.
As I started contemplating what type of silhouette to go for, I returned to this example from Jordan Ferney’s Soho home. The frame’s angles felt a smidge mid-century to me, and for that reason also very classic and tailored. It’s the perfect recipe for bringing sculptural lighting and vintage nightstands into the mix.
The Decision
Back in February, I caught wind of an exciting launch from Thuma: its first-ever fully-upholstered bed frame. Right away, the the Signature Bed checked nearly every box: it’s wrapped in luxe-looking fabric (either performance linen or Italian wool felt); it has extra cushioning around the edges for a platform-like look; the headboard juts out at a slight angle; and it’s low to the ground. Other perks that sealed the deal? Thuma offers a 100-day trial for your first purchase (my case) and the Signature Bed is backed by a lifetime warranty.
The only question I had to ask myself was if was I really ready to give up under-the-bed storage for such a sleek frame? The answer was yes, hands-down.
The Details
After cramming all our out-of-season clothing bins at the tippy-top of our closet in anticipation for our new bed, I got to know the product a bit more. Like the rest of Thuma’s frames, the Signature Bed relies on Japanese joinery methods and upcycled rubberwood for strength and—a huge draw if you’re wanting to put this together yourself—easy assembly.
I was committed to this bed being with us for the long-term, so in addition to opting for a king size (84 inches wide x 93 inches deep x 36 inches high, in case you’ve got your measuring tape out), I chose the slightly more expensive fabric (wool felt) in the oatmeal color. Pricing for the piece starts at $1,695, so this quickly took the total up to $2,695.
Another feature that the Signature Bed shares with the brand’s other frames? It doesn’t require any tools. My delivery person snapped all the pieces together in five minutes (there’s the headboard, four outer rails, and one central connector), which is what Thuma claims is the average assembly time for anyone handling it on their own. A roll of slats serves as your mattress base—no box spring necessary.
My first thought once it was all set up and topped with a mattress: it’s even lower than I expected. For me, that turned out to be a plus—it makes our fairly small bedroom feel a little more luxurious. I was also unsure how the fabric would feel in person. Given it’s made from 70-percent post-consumer recycled wool, my best guess was it’d be a little rough to the touch, but I couldn’t have been more wrong: the foam is firm and the textile feels like a designer sweater. My bedroom is finally all grown up.