Creating an enviable bedroom ambience often hinges on choosing the right bed frame, and one option that certainly demands a closer inspection is the Elle Emmeline Ottoman Bed Frame launched by Bensons for Beds in collaboration with ELLE Home. This chic and functional centrepiece truly turns heads with its sophisticated design and practical storage facilities, effortlessly straddling the line between style and substance. However, before you dive into the world of Ottoman beds, it's critical you understand that the beauty of this piece isn't just skin-deep. Join us as we peel back the layers of the Emmeline Ottoman Bed Frame, examining its construction, features, suitability, and the general consensus among customers.
Design and Features
First impressions do last, and with the Elle Emmeline Ottoman Bed Frame, you're graciously greeted by a sumptuous, curved headboard dressed in a soft woven fabric, bearing the distinct mark of ELLE Home's cultivated design acumen. Available in two tasteful hues, it offers a chic complement to a variety of interiors. A standout feature is the bed frame's edgy border detail, which adds a layer of sophistication and visual balance to the overall design.
Yet, the Emmeline bed frame is not all about exceptional aesthetics. Cleverly concealed beneath the bed is a front-opening ottoman base, a practical storage solution that allows for an organisational nirvana rare in our often chaotic bedrooms, offering a cache for spare linens, seasonal clothes, or whatever sundries you wish to tuck out of sight. Keeping up with current design cues, the bed features inset walnut-effect feet that impart the illusion of a floating bed, cleverly levitating your slumbers to a whimsical realm.
Construction
Resilience is at the heart of the Emmeline Ottoman Bed Frame's construction. While its exterior spells luxury, the bed's skeletal system, a fully boarded mattress base, is its functional backbone. Providing vital stability and support, it forges an optimal foundation for your chosen mattress while flawlessly handling the weight of stored items within the ottoman space.
However, stitching together design and function doesn't always yield flawless results. From our hands-on store trial, we identified a few cracks in the veneer of perfection. First, the Emmeline, while a beautiful piece, has a somewhat demanding set-up. The ottoman mechanism can prove a bit of a challenge to assemble, more so if you're a novice in the DIY world. Another concern relates to the walnut-effect feet - they tend to wear down fairly quickly, undermining the bed's overall durability. While the bed's fabrication offers a plush feel, diversity in material choice is scarce, limiting the options for a perfect pairing with diverse interior schemes. And finally, there's the issue of weight. With heavier mattresses, the Ottoman function tends to show strain, detracting from the bed's dual-purpose charm. It's a point to ponder, especially if you're gravitating towards robust, weighty mattresses.
Suitability
In terms of suitability, the Emmeline Ottoman Bed Frame is a fine fit for those who value style and storage in equal measure. The front-opening Ottoman is a perfect hiding place for your bedroom essentials. However, to fully reap the benefits of this fascinating bed frame, we recommend pairing it with a medium-weight mattress that complements its stature and doesn't overtax the Ottoman mechanism.
What customers thought
Owners are mostly very happy with it, and the praise falls on the looks, the build and the storage. One wrote that "the frame is solid and high quality", another that it is "Very well made", and plenty mention how much fits underneath; one found it "Easy to open and close the storage door."
Assembly is where the grumbles sit, which matches our own testing. Plenty found it easy to put together with the instructions, some on their own, but it comes in a lot of parts and some are heavy, so get a helper for the side struts. One owner "didn't realise it would come in so many parts" and had a bolt that would not tighten. Colour catches people out too: one expected green and found "The colour is more a golden colour than green." One owner's gripe is with delivery rather than the bed: theirs ran months late.
The Verdict
Is the Elle Emmeline Ottoman Bed Frame the dream bed frame you've been searching for? It certainly impresses on the design front, and lifts the aesthetic appeal of your bedroom a few notches higher. When it comes to offering astute storage solutions, the Ottoman feature does score brownie points. However, its various shortcomings, namely the installation hassle, durability issues and heavy operation, serve as vital points of scepticism when considering this bed focus. In all, while the bed fits the bill for elegance and storage, its functional lacunae can't be overlooked. If you're prepared to meet its challenging installation with patience and aren't bothered by the restricted fabric options and durability of the feet, the Emmeline Ottoman Bed Frame is worth a nod. But if these matters do bother you, perhaps your search for a perfect bed frame needs to go a step further.
