Home & Bargains

During our lifetime, we spend an average of 25 years in bed so it’s got to be worth investing in quality. But you don’t have to spend over the odds if you know where to look – this Top 5 guide is designed to get you the bed of your dreams without losing sleep over the price.

	Anderson Bradshaw If you’ve ever seen Alison’s Bargain Hunter talk at the Ideal Home Show or Grand Designs Live, you’ll remember how it starts; “How much do you think a British-made 5ft, King Size solid mahogany sleigh bed would cost?”  The answers are always the same – a hand goes up at the back with a confident punt at £5,000 before a more restrained £1,000 is thrown into the ring. A stunned silence fills the theatre when Alison reveals that she knows of a little-known outlet in Midhurst, Sussex that sells them from just £445 – its name? Anderson Bradshaw.  Keep this one to yourselves guys or Alison will kill me... www.andersonbradshaw.co.uk,  01420 562645  01420 562645
	Warren Evans Don’t be put off by the fact that Janet Street Porter shops there - with more silverware than Lord of the Rings, it’s not hard to see why Warren Evans has become one of the nation’s favourite bed retailers. Its mantra is simple “make products of excellent quality at fair prices” – an ambition proved to be realized with a quick browse through the collection. FSC and fair trade –certified, every bed is stylish, versatile and remarkably affordable with prices starting at under £200 for a solid wood bed with a generous 10 year guarantee.  What’s more, matching underbed storage and bedroom furniture can be picked up with coil-sprung mattresses on offer from about £100. Visit one of the 6 Greater London showrooms or visit www.warrenevans.com to place an order – probably safer – you never know who you could bump into… www.warrenevans.com,  020 7693 8988  020 7693 8988
	Lock, Stock and Barrel On the hunt for an antique replica bed going for a song, I asked a film designer friend who packed me on a train to Ledbury in Herefordshire for a date with Lock Stock and Barrel. It’s trade only but sells to the public so the website is not exactly “John Lewis” and the location is more Emmerdale Farm than we’re accustomed in the capital. Once you’ve put your preconceptions to one side and focus on what really matters, Lock Stock and Barrel doesn’t disappoint. Mahogany sleigh beds start from £325, French beds are on offer from just £380 and four-poster beds (pictured left) are available from as little as £445. Better still, a choice of 8 paint finishes are available across the entire range. Prices exclude VAT, delivery available on request. www.lockstockandbarrel-uk.com,  01531 633333  01531 633333
	Sleepmasters Pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap is the rule of thumb at Sleepmasters - leveraging some serious buying muscle to offer some of the best possible prices across a fantastic range of bed frames, divans, mattresses and headboards. What’s more, Sleepmasters offers a low price promise – if you find any product advertised cheaper, they guarantee to beat it. At the time of writing, metal bed frames are available from under £100 with leather storage beds on offer at better than half price. Throw in interest free credit and a free 5 year guarantee across the range and you know you’re on to a winner… www.sleepmasters.co.uk,  0845 678 1817  0845 678 1817
	Living It Up If you’ve been umming and ahhing over a contemporary bed from Habitat, see what Living it Up can do for you before you proceed to checkout. The Leicester-based lads have assembled a collection of unashamedly contemporary beds and bedroom furniture for 20-30% less than you’ll find at the posh end of Tottenham Court Road. Uber-contemporary doubles start from around £500 with nightstands and complimentary storage available as optional extras. Keep an eye on the Clearance section for the pick of the discounts – at the time of writing the Baltazar Oak Bed (pictured) is down from £749 to just £399. www.livingitup.co.uk,  0116 269 5960  0116 269 5960

 Best of the Rest

You can also Find Beds at Dreams.co.uk where there is a good selection and some great offers. Visit their website at www.dreams.co.uk to find out more information.

Children’s Beds - Aspace

Children’s Retailer of the Year 2010 with one of the most comprehensive collections of children’s beds  and bedroom furniture  in the UK. www.aspace.co.uk, 0845 872 2400

Storage Beds - Storage Beds Direct

Specialising in space savers for the bedroom and nothing else, Storage Beds Direct offers up to 45% off selected ranges and a price match guarantee. www.storagebedsdirect.co.uk, 01484 500 560

Study Beds - Studybed.co.uk

Readers might remember this one from the Ideal Home Show – an ingenious product which combines a desk and a bed into a self-contained single unit. At £1250 they don’t give them away, but a showstopping practical solution. www.studybed.co.uk, 01844 214484

Sofa Beds and Futons – IKEA

Call it lazy journalism but along with its kitchens, Ikea’s sofa beds and futons are amongst the more noteworthy aspects of its range. A functional if not stunning 2-seater fabric sofa bed starts from around £90 with more stylish 3-seaters from about £300.

I hear they still do those £15 floor lamps with the paper shades that every student has in their lounge too... www.ikea.co.uk

Memory Foam Mattresses – Ergoflex

Scandinavia’s answer to Tempur mattresses – the key difference being the price – around 30% less than their better known competitor. www.ergoflex.co.uk, 0845 450 2338

Bespoke Mattresses – Norris Bedding

Head to certain high-end department stores and for you could be looking at shelling out thousands for a bespoke, traditional mattress. Norris Bedding has been producing hand-made mattresses using traditional methods for over 50 years at around 50% less than you’d pay for the same quality elsewhere. www.norrisbedding.co.uk, 020 8311 8625

Branded Beds - Homebrands

If the only thing stopping you getting a brand name bed from one of the big department stores is the price, head down to Homebrands. It stocks cancelled orders and overstock from all of the hardest hitters in branded homeware - and it's all 50% off the RRP. www.homebrands.co.uk
 

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