Mayfield Upholstered Bed: Channels That Carry Onto the Side Rail

Most upholstered beds stop their pattern at the headboard. The Mayfield does not. The wide vertical channels run the full height of the board and then carry along the side rail, so the detail continues down the length of the bed. That is really the only decision this frame makes, and it is why the Mayfield upholstered bed looks longer and lower than its figures suggest.

Channels, and what they do to a room

Vertical channelling is upholstery padded into tall flutes with a shadow line between each one. On a headboard it draws the eye upward, which is useful under a low ceiling, and it is forgiving in use: there are no buttons to work loose and no diamond points to crush when somebody sits back against it to read. Carried onto the side rail, the same flutes turn the bed into one continuous shape rather than a decorated board at one end and a plain surround everywhere else.

A frame with a solid base

The mattress sits down inside an upholstered surround rather than on top of a box, and there is no storage underneath. That keeps the bed low and the floor clear. If you want the channelled look with the space under the mattress working for you, the same headboard appears on the Mayfield ottoman. Frames without storage are gathered under upholstered beds, and the lifting versions under upholstered ottoman beds.

The five sizes, and the width to watch

• Single 3FT: 109 cm wide by 212 cm long
• Small Double 4FT: 137 cm by 212 cm
• Double 4FT6: 155 cm by 212 cm
• King 5FT: 170 cm by 222 cm
• Super King 6FT: 200 cm by 222 cm

The Mayfield is a broad bed for its mattress size. A 3FT single finishes at 109 cm across and a 4FT6 double at 155 cm, which is 10 cm and 11.5 cm more respectively than the slimmer Linwood frame in the same sizes. That is the channelled surround, and it is better known before you order than after. A 4FT6 Mayfield wants 155 cm of wall, which is more than most people picture when they think of a double.

Measuring up

Take the wall first, then the floor. Measure the wall the headboard will sit against, allowing for skirting and radiator pipework, and check it against the widths above. Then measure 212 cm out from that wall, or 222 cm for a king or super king, and see what the bed would leave: a door swing, a wardrobe that has to open fully, a chest of drawers with its drawers out. Finally check the route in, since a 200 cm super king surround has to turn a corner on a stair. The product page has a size guide drawing every size to the same scale from the side and from above.

Twenty-five colourways

This frame is upholstered to order in any of 25 colourways, and every part finished in cloth is done in the one you choose. Flutes behave differently from cloth to cloth. A plush velvet such as Mink Plush Velvet or Steel Plush Velvet gives each channel a bright edge and a dark trough, so the pattern is strong across the room. A flat weave such as Armour Coniston or Silver Linoso holds the shape more quietly, and the Naples cloths sit between the two. If the channelling is the reason you are buying the bed, lean towards more pile rather than less.

Mattresses, and how far we deliver

Mattresses are sold separately, so the tension is a separate decision from the frame. We sell beds in Glasgow from our showroom here, and delivery within 50 miles of it is free, with a £50 charge beyond. That is the figure to add if you are shopping for beds in Scotland from outside the radius. Every option is on the Mayfield product page, and if the listing does not answer something, ask us.