<p>Looking for furniture suggestions, specifically beds for a grad student. Several years from really being settled, meaning probably moving from apt to apt within city. Would like to upgrade from a twin bed, so looking at double/queen. Has always had just a metal frame which has become quite undesirable. Although haven’t ruled out Ikea, wondering if there’s a better choice, but still affordable and movable? Ikea’s odd sizing seems to be a turn-off.</p>
<p>During my young/single days, I loved my queen pedestal bed with a bookcase headboard and underneath drawers (paid $139 back in 1989). It takes care of a few issues for a single guy - more storage, no need for a nightstand, and never need to vacuum under the bed. Also, no need for a boxspring. It was cheap enough that I happily gave it to a roommate when I moved 4 states away.</p>
<p>Guy or gal??? We have bought a couple of Ikea’s metal headboards - really pretty and sturdy and great prices - about $100 - easy assembly, de-assembly! </p>
<p>[LEIRVIK</a> Bed frame - Queen - IKEA](<a href=“Products - IKEA”>Products - IKEA)</p>
<p>We have also had luck getting just a headboard at places like Ashley Furniture for a couple hundred. </p>
<p>A heads up that it seems to be getting harder and harder to find full/double sheets these days - way more queen size available. A queen isn’t all that much bigger than a full and is longer than a full. Go for the queen if you can.</p>
<p>My son has a mid-price platform bed, very simple styling that could go contemporary or traditional. No box spring needed which made it easier to spend money on a good mattress. It is a full size; when he is ready to set up a guest bedroom he can upgrade to a queen. We bought it when he was an undergrad and he’s moved it to three different apartments; it also spent some months stored in our garage. Easy to take apart and put together. As a former B&B owner I avoid any bed with a footboard; they’re just too darn hard to make.</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about the frame. Son recently bought a mattress/box spring- I think he just put them on the floor (as he had done with the old twin bed setup in his college/first job apts). A headboard can be attached to metal frames. JCPenney online has some of the fabric ones at a decent price, easy to attach and free delivery. I also avoid footboards- too many have sharp edges (bruised my thigh on a relative’s guest bed once). I have not been impressed with the quality of Ikea goods the few times I have looked there.</p>
<p>Do get a queen sized GOOD mattress. Queen size is longer and many sheets et al available. Consider a shorter depth box spring as current mattresses are so thick the customary box spring makes for a very high bed even for tall people. Eons ago I made the mistake of buying the cheaper model of a name brand- threw it out instead of moving it in only 3 years. Also discovered queen had the better length than a twin for a tall woman/average man height. There is a reason dorms use extra long twin mattresses (two of that size box spring go with a king sized mattress).</p>
<p>We made DD a platform bed, tall enough for storage underneath, following a design we found online. We built it in the city she lives in now, so had Home Depot precut the lumber for us, and we brought our own drill and electric screw driver in our luggage. Sturdy as a rock and cheaper than buying something premade, and easy to disassemble when moving. We purchased storage units from IKEA to fit underneath. We put the slats closer together to allow for weight of memory foam, and used one 2x6 and 1x4 for each leg instead of both 1x4’s as specified. You can modify design to build in a headboard or a side table.<a href=“http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-easy-low-waste-platform-bed/step7/Admire-and-enjoy-your-work/[/url]”>http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-easy-low-waste-platform-bed/step7/Admire-and-enjoy-your-work/</a></p>
<p>Our S loves IKEA products. His entire rental is furnished in them. He has a sofa unit that converts into a comfy full bed and has a hinge that lifts up to store pillows and bedding. He also has wall units and a computer desk from IKEA. It even has a vent in the hinged section, to keep the linens smelling fresh.</p>
<p>DD, too! We had to build the bed to fit into the walkin closet, but everything else in the apartment is Ikea. If you chose carefully,you can get some really nice stuff.</p>
<p>D favors a double loft bed, made of wood or metal, which can be assembled and unassembled for each move. IKEA has one. There’s a more expensive kind called Timberloft, or something similar with diagonal braces rather than horizontal cross=pieces, freeing up even more floor space.</p>
<p>When her rooms have been small, a loft bed can double her floorspace. She puits a dresser or desk underneath it. Others put a loveseat couch there.</p>
<p>Sometimes she got a cheap metal loft, and just gave it away when she moved. Next room, maybe will invest in a good Timberloft model.</p>