West Elm Beds and Bedframes

December 30, 2012 2:39 PM

I am looking for a new bed, and am interested in this one from West Elm. I've been reading horrible reviews of West Elm beds, and I'm wondering if people have similar experience or better recommendations.

This post, for example, says that the metal piece down the middle starts to sag, that the slats aren't sturdy, that the pieces don't attach well, etc.

I'm in love with the aesthetic of West Elm, and I have a feeling that it's too good to be true when thinking about a quality piece of furniture. What are your experiences?

posted by frizz to home & garden (14 answers total)

I have a West Elm dresser and platform bed that have been in use for over 5 years without any complaints.

There are few places where it chipped during moving and the wood veneer came off, but that's not really a structural problem.
posted by geoff. at 2:51 PM on December 30, 2012

We have a West Elm bed (and dresser) and really love them. The bed is much better made than IKEA and the pieces attached very well when we put it together. Also, the customer service at West Elm was fantastic. There was a slight problem with the first dresser they delivered and they replaced it immediately with free delivery and were really nice about it and very easy to deal with.
posted by hazleweather at 3:06 PM on December 30, 2012

I have a West Elm bed, dresser, and nightstand (all from the narrow-leg collection, FWIW). I've taken apart the bed and moved it to another room once. The quality is what you'd expect for the price, but no complaints at all. The bed is all solid wood (no metal piece in mine). All in all, much better than Ikea.
posted by supercres at 3:20 PM on December 30, 2012

I have an iron bed from west elm, very solid construction.
posted by dfriedman at 3:56 PM on December 30, 2012

Just so you know, in terms of pricing, the link you provided is just for the headboard. The bedframe in the picture is also for sale, but your budget just doubled...
posted by sdrawkcab at 3:59 PM on December 30, 2012

New owner of a West Elm bed frame - so far, so great!
posted by tmharris65 at 4:24 PM on December 30, 2012

I have had West Elm and Ikea beds, and I would never, ever, ever buy a West Elm frame ever again. Get the headboard you like and a cheap metal frame to attach it to.
posted by dame at 4:29 PM on December 30, 2012

I've had some West Elm furniture in the past and generally think highly of the brand/company/what-have-you. That said, despite being a cheerleader for them, I have heard bad things about their beds.
posted by Sara C. at 4:51 PM on December 30, 2012

What size bed are you looking at? This is important as the Queen and below don't have a center support set of legs typically speaking, but the King size DOES.

I have their narrow leg bed frame, and it has a solid wooden frame component going down the middle so that each side of the bed has its own slats. The solid frame beam has its own set of legs underneath it providing support through the middle of the bed.

I'm also quite heavy, and we haven't had any trouble with it at all. (The footer of the bed arrived with a significant gouge out of it, in fact, so... they sent a new bed. An entire new bed. Didn't even ask for the old one back.)

Overall, I've been pleased with it. We picked the white narrow leg with their white Morroco headboard and we've had it for over a year with no problems at all.

I say go for it! (I think our buffet is also from WE, as well as our living room side tables. Overall decent quality stuff.)
posted by disillusioned at 6:23 PM on December 30, 2012

I purchased the West Elm Classic bed frame in 2006. I've had to pack it up and move it three times since then, and my only complaint is that the middle support leg, which was held in place by a dowel, no longer has any friction. Meaning, if you lift the bed straight up, it'll slip out. (But it works as a support anyway since it's kept in place by the weight of the bed. Seems okay.)

I thought it was a decent bed for the price, though I've since upgraded my mattress size and now use a rolling steel bedframe that's been perfect.
posted by ariela at 6:24 PM on December 30, 2012

I have had bad experiences with West Elm bed frames - pieces arrived damaged; they wouldn't replace the individual pieces, so I had to repack and return the entire bed, then the replacement bed arrived damaged as well, poorly packaged both times. It was a hassle, and they were not pleasant to deal with.
posted by judith at 7:31 PM on December 30, 2012

I have bought many things from West Elm and been very pleased, but not a bed frame. However, I did buy a bed frame from Crate and Barrel earlier this year and it is super fantastic. If you are looking for an alternative brand, definitely check them out.
posted by joan_holloway at 8:04 PM on December 30, 2012

I have a West Elm headboard that is attached to our (heavy-duty, 7 leg) metal bed frame (purchased with our mattress and box spring). I really like the headboard and find the quality to be very good, but it's basically a decorative piece, so its structural integrity isn't really an issue for me.

I generally do find West Elm furniture to be of good quality -- I have a West Elm desk (the Jay desk, no longer made), and I LOVE it; it's been through one cross country move and one local move, and has suffered absolutely no ill effects. But I think wooden bed frames are generally hard to get right at a lower price point, so West Elm may not be the best bet if you're concerned about quality of the frame (which it sounds like you are). I'd say you're probably better off buying a frame elsewhere and attaching the headboard to the frame. Get a bed skirt to cover the frame if it doesn't match. Bonus: a heavy duty metal bed frame is likely to be much, MUCH less expensive than the coordinating frame from West Elm.
posted by devinemissk at 11:05 AM on December 31, 2012

Wow! Did I read that people have had good experiences with West Elm beds? I find that shocking. I own a bed from West Elm and have regretted the purchase from day one. Eventually, I had to take it to a metalwork shop and have the frame reinforced to stop it from wobbling and squeaking.

Make sure you take a good look at how the frame is connected. A good frame is connected sort of like this, with each horizontal bar connecting to each vertical bar at AT LEAST TWO vertical points to prevent the vertical bar from rocking back and forth (and to prevent it from making noise). The bed posts need to do more than hold a mattress up. They need to lock the horizontal plane in place, like this:

|    mattressmattressmattressmattress
|>--------------------------------------------
|

My West Elm bed is connected like this, making it VERY easy for the vertical bars to pivot back and forth since each par is connected at one point:

|    mattressmattressmattressmattress
|----------------------------------------------
|

Luckily, I'm only complaining about wobbling and squeaking, but that's only because my entire bed is metal. There are many reports of their wood beds collapsing. Google it.

West Elm seems to put more of a priority in appearance than construction. There are many things I'm more than happy to buy from West Elm. A bed is not one of them. I really wish I'd bought somewhere else, even if it meant spending significantly more.
posted by 2oh1 at 1:34 PM on January 1