Chartwell Upholstered Ottoman Bed: Storage That Does Not Look Like Storage

Storage beds usually announce themselves. A deep divan box, a visible drawer front, a valance hiding a gap. The Chartwell upholstered ottoman bed does not: it is built as an upholstered frame with shaped sides, so when the lid is down there is nothing to say the whole area under the mattress is a lined compartment.

The Chartwell upholstered ottoman bed carries the same headboard as the plain version in the range, a smooth unbroken panel with a gently swept top edge rising at the corners, upholstered in the same cloth as the base and the sides.

What lifting it is like

The mattress platform rises on gas struts, which take the weight of the mattress, and the whole area beneath opens as one compartment. There are no runners and nothing to pull out, so none of the storage depends on having clear floor beside the bed, which is the usual reason a drawer base disappoints in a room that is already full.

Three clearances are worth measuring rather than assuming:

• Headroom: the platform travels up, so check a sloping ceiling, a low light fitting or a sill above the bed.
• Standing room: you lift from one side, so at least one long side needs to be reachable.
• The way in: doorways, landings and the turn on a staircase decide more deliveries than bedroom floors do.

Five sizes, finished

• Single 3FT: 96.5 cm wide by 205.7 cm long
• Small Double 4FT: 127 cm wide by 205.7 cm long
• Double 4FT6: 142 cm wide by 205.7 cm long
• King 5FT: 157 cm wide by 215 cm long
• Super King 6FT: 187 cm wide by 215 cm long

Every figure is the finished bed at its widest point. Note that the storage grows with the size: the compartment follows the footprint, so a super king gives you a great deal more space underneath than a small double. The size guide on the product page draws all five from the side and from above at the same scale.

The cloth decides the bed

There are 29 colourways across Coniston, Naples, Chenille, Boucle, Plush Velvet and Linoso. On this bed the sides are shaped and fully upholstered, so the fabric is visible from every angle rather than half hidden behind a valance. Plush Velvet in Emerald, Steel or Mocca is the dramatic choice; Silver Linoso, Almond Coniston and Granite Boucle are the quiet ones. Because the lid edge is handled whenever the bed is opened, a mid tone usually ages more gracefully there than Cream.

Deciding between a lift-up frame and a divan

Ottoman beds all share one advantage: they give you the full footprint as usable space and they do it in a corner. What varies is what the outside looks like. A divan box is simpler and sits higher; this frame is lower and keeps upholstered sides. If you are comparing shapes, the upholstered ottoman range puts the other headboards in front of you in the same cloths.

Mattresses are sold separately so the tension is your call. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond it, and if you can get to us, sitting on a bed beats reading about one. Sizes, cloths and the size guide are all on the Chartwell ottoman page.