If you’re going to spend every night on a bed for the rest of your life, it should be something you can take pride in – something you built with your own two hands.
Store-bought furniture is either expensive, low quality, or both. Only hardwood furniture can be expected to last more than a year or two, especially if it sees as much daily use as a bed. But a decent hardwood bed can easily cost over a thousand bucks!
So I built my own DIY hardwood bed frame for a fraction of the cost. After we published our Tuft & Needle mattress review, we received numerous requests for the frame design.
At the time, I hadn’t thought of documenting the process, and I built it sort of on the fly, so it took me a while to compile all the necessary steps into a comprehensive tutorial. But here it is at last!
I was really hoping to provide a photo of a pristine, model bedroom. Instead, you get the mess you see here. I’ll explain later but you have to keep reading.
Following up on my earlier post: After a lot of deliberation and discussion with Yoselin from 6 Mono Media, I settled on purchasing the Tuft and Needle mattress, and dropped it into the brand new, solid oak bed frame that I designed and built!
In preparation for my upcoming marriage to Yoselin from 6 Mono Media, one of the projects I am working on is the construction of a new bed. That’s right, I am designing and building my own bed. (Instructions and/or progress on the project will be posted on this site soon.)
Most exciting for me is the fact that I’ll be able to toss the old innerspring mattress that I’ve been using since childhood. I want our future mattress to be awesome, so I’ve been doing a lot of research on the subject, especially foam mattresses, since I am tired of the creakiness and unevenness of springs.
I’ve come across a few different online mattress startups that have captured my interest: Tuft and Needle, Casper, and Leesa. All three feature American-made foam mattresses, generous risk-free trial periods, and what appear to be high-end materials and construction.
There is plenty of info about the different layers of proprietary foam that each mattress uses. You can check out the links to get more details, but the main takeaway I get from the research I’ve done is: Tuft and Needle is the firmest (which I like) and least expensive (which I also like); Leesa is the best “all-around” mattress, and also the most expensive; and Casper is the softest (not sure I like that) and priced somewhere between the other two.
You might have noticed from this site that I am all about value and saving money, but at the same time I am willing to invest in certain products that are worthwhile. People spend a third of their lives in bed, and the previous night’s sleep can greatly affect the rest of your day! All three options seem good, but if I’m going to be stuck with a mattress for 10 or more years, I want it to be INCREDIBLE!
I’ll most likely make my decision in a few weeks, when I finish building the bed frame, and I’ll be sure to post a review and photos here! In the meantime, if you have experience yourself with any of these products, leave a comment below!
