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Ottoman bed

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UncleEbenezer
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Ottoman bed

#291375

Postby UncleEbenezer » March 16th, 2020, 7:29 pm

On my to-get list is a new bed. I'll want storage, and I've been contemplating an ottoman. The alternative is of course drawers, and the need to move things like bedside furniture to access them. Beds seem to come as flat-pack these days, so assembling it will be a task for a day in!

But I'm wondering how robust they are? If something were to go slightly wrong over the years, one might have a drawer that needs care and attention, and a special wiggle to open or shut. Is the equivalent risk with an ottoman that it could become unusable or unsafe to use, or are there reasons to expect genuine robustness?

Julian
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291392

Postby Julian » March 16th, 2020, 7:56 pm

I have an ottoman bed. As you say they are more practical than drawers due to the fact that nothing to the sides interferes with accessing the storage and, once the mattress & base is lifted, one gets a huge contiguous storage space that is useful for storing long and/or bulky things but, as you mention, I have found durability issues although very long-term ones.

The basic lifting mechanism (at least on mine) uses compressed gas cylinders (GSs) at the head end at each side (left and right) of the bed to take some of the strain when lifting (or maybe more accurately hinging up) the mattress. When new the GSs in my bed actively propelled upwards the mattress & base, I just needed to lift it about 30 degrees from horizontal and from there on the GSs did the lifting. 20 (ish) years on and the gas has gradually leaked out of the GSs and they now provide virtually no lifting assistance plus, once the mattress & base is lifted, the GSs will no longer hold it open as I access the storage so I have to prop it up with a stick (actually my late father’s golf putter!). I can still open it though and I’m a 5’8” fairly slim build guy although I do have a herniated disc so I tend to kneel at the base of the bed and lift only with my arms to avoid strain on my back. I am also very careful (and slightly nervous) when closing it for fear of hurting my back again.

All in all I would buy one again and I am pretty sure that the GSs are standard components so if I wasn’t such a lazy git I could probably replace them but I am what I am.

Hope that helps.

- Julian

Redmires
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291418

Postby Redmires » March 16th, 2020, 9:48 pm

We have one and are very pleased with it. Very useful for storing all my collectables (or 'junk' as the wife has it). It's only 3 years old so no issues as of yet. The gas struts should be easy enough to replace if and when the time comes.

Grumpsimus
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291429

Postby Grumpsimus » March 16th, 2020, 10:30 pm

I have a Boxer Bed from Living Storage Beds and find drawers far better than an Ottoman. It is amazingly strong and suspect that it will outlast me. No problems with assembly as they came and do it, all included in the price.

The website is:

[url][/https://www.livingstoragebeds.co.uk/]

Dod101
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291448

Postby Dod101 » March 17th, 2020, 1:43 am

I had never in my life heard of an Ottoman bed before I read this thread. For a bed, I always think its comfort is the priority. I must say that I have plenty of storage space anyway so that would never occur to me. What is kept in the storage space of an ottoman bed? I know about an Ottoman. It appears to be one of those Chaise lounges on which ladies disport themselves, but as for a bed?

Dod

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Re: Ottoman bed

#291454

Postby todthedog » March 17th, 2020, 6:22 am

We are short of storage space and bought an otterman, not an expensive one, Ikea for us. Very pleased easy to use Good storage.

Dod101
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291472

Postby Dod101 » March 17th, 2020, 8:16 am

todthedog wrote:We are short of storage space and bought an otterman, not an expensive one, Ikea for us. Very pleased easy to use Good storage.


I thought an otterman was one who looked after otters?

Dod

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Re: Ottoman bed

#291524

Postby bungeejumper » March 17th, 2020, 9:57 am

FWIW, an excellent company that supplies replacement gas struts. https://www.sgs-engineering.com/gas-str ... tions/beds . Happy customer. (Car tailgates, not beds.)

BJ

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291554

Postby UncleEbenezer » March 17th, 2020, 11:10 am

Dod101 wrote:I had never in my life heard of an Ottoman bed before I read this thread. For a bed, I always think its comfort is the priority. I must say that I have plenty of storage space anyway so that would never occur to me. What is kept in the storage space of an ottoman bed? I know about an Ottoman. It appears to be one of those Chaise lounges on which ladies disport themselves, but as for a bed?

Dod

Fine for you, but "sufficient storage space" is very much a luxury of the rich. Most of us could always use more. Typical uses for the storage are things like bedding and towels.

As for comfort, that's rather more down to the mattress than the base. An important matter, but not the subject of this thread. Though come to mention it, anyone know if there's such a thing as an ottoman with rigid (as opposed to sprung) slats?

I thought an otterman was one who looked after otters?


The otters around here look after themselves. Though occasionally I might hear their calls from my bedroom.

Julian
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291559

Postby Julian » March 17th, 2020, 11:15 am

Dod101 wrote:I had never in my life heard of an Ottoman bed before I read this thread. For a bed, I always think its comfort is the priority. I must say that I have plenty of storage space anyway so that would never occur to me. What is kept in the storage space of an ottoman bed? I know about an Ottoman. It appears to be one of those Chaise lounges on which ladies disport themselves, but as for a bed?

Dod

I live in a flat so I use mine to store big stuff that wouldn’t fit or would take up too much space in a cupboard or wardrobe e.g. a wallpapering table, empty guitar cases (the guitars themselves are on a rack), some spare lengths of cable conduit etc. Probably the sort of stuff that people with storage space in a garage or garden shed would store there.

- Julian

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291564

Postby UncleEbenezer » March 17th, 2020, 11:19 am

Grumpsimus wrote:I have a Boxer Bed from Living Storage Beds and find drawers far better than an Ottoman. It is amazingly strong and suspect that it will outlast me. No problems with assembly as they came and do it, all included in the price.

The website is:

[url][/https://www.livingstoragebeds.co.uk/]

What a terrible website!

I do have a drawer model in mind if I don't get an ottoman: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9342501. Not as much storage, but looks like a safe bet (and a solid bed).

Dod101
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Re: Ottoman bed

#291598

Postby Dod101 » March 17th, 2020, 12:39 pm

[quote="UncleEbenezer"]Fine for you, but "sufficient storage space" is very much a luxury of the rich. Most of us could always use more. Typical uses for the storage are things like bedding and towels.

As for comfort, that's rather more down to the mattress than the base. An important matter, but not the subject of this thread. Though come to mention it, anyone know if there's such a thing as an ottoman with rigid (as opposed to sprung) slats?

[quote]
I am certainly not rich, not after the stockmarket gyrations of the last few weeks anyway, although I never felt rich. I do have a house with plenty of room, too much for me, now that I am on my own, and the more space you have the more stuff you tend to accumulate I am sorry to say. I have sorted out and got rid of a lot of stuff either to an auction or to our local charity shop but there is still some way to go.

All I was genuinely wondering about was simply what an ottoman bed was. I wonder where the name came from? And come to think of it, when my first wife and I got married she was given an ottoman as a wedding present but it was not a bed. It was the sort of thing which ladies of leisure lounged on, with at one end a sort of headboard, the rest upholstered, and with a hinged lid where stuff could be stored in the base, so the same idea I guess. I had forgotten all about that because it was about 55 years ago!

Dod


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