This Upholstered Bed Is The Reason I Sleep 9 Hours Per Night

Confession: I'm a middle-age woman who spent two solid months with her mattress on the floor. I'm not proud. But when it comes to online furniture shopping, I can be a bit of a commitment-phobe, spending months weighing the pros and cons of dozens of options, scouring the internet for "real people" photos in a variety of lighting conditions, covering my floor in painter's tape and cardboard boxes to get a better sense of size and scale, and, of course, ordering ALL the fabric swatches. It takes a while. But consider this painstaking research my gift to you because I found the ‌perfect‌ upholstered bed frame.

‌‌​(While I did receive the Dalton Bed in exchange for an honest review, all of the following thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by Castlery in any way.)‌

One of Castlery's recent releases, the Dalton Bed features an upholstered platform frame and a winged headboard with subtle curves that soften the traditional wingback silhouette. From the platform slats to the top of the headboard, there's an impressive 33 inches of visible headboard, which means even extra-deep mattresses won't eat up the vertical space of the headboard.

While many memory foam mattresses are thinner, my beloved innerspring mattress is 16 inches tall, so this was an issue I encountered on repeat during my search and was the primary complaint I had with my previous bed frame. The above-and-beyond customer service rep even provided me with this illustration to help me visualize how much visible headboard I'd have left after I added my behemoth of a mattress:

Castlery

While the Dalton is currently available exclusively in a cream-colored linen fabric called Beach Linen, the hue is a true neutral, serving as the perfect canvas for just about any bedroom color palette or aesthetic. I had initially planned on replacing my light gray duvet cover and pillow shams, assuming the cream upholstery would be too warm for cool-toned gray bedding, but the fabric is neutral enough to complement it beautifully. The tight-woven linen fabric has a subtle texture that gives a little extra visual interest, and impressively, it has held up well to my puppy's incessant scratching. If you have any doubts about whether you'll love the fabric, Castlery will send you a swatch for free (with no-charge shipping).

The model I received does not have drawers, but the storage upgrade is a worthwhile consideration if you're dealing with a small bedroom or are just short on storage. Unlike most storage beds, which tend to feature drawers on the sides of the bed only, this design has two small drawers on each side toward the headboard as well as a large drawer that extends out from the foot of the bed. This means at least some of the storage is easily accessible even if your bed is positioned close to a wall. While I'm working with a ‌little‌ more space these days, I spent 11 years living in a 500-square-foot studio apartment where there was no other option than to push my bed into a corner, and this kind of thoughtful design would have been a serious game-changer.

Gina Goff for Hunker

While you can certainly find upholstered bed frames on the market for a little less money, this bed delivers a lot of quality for its midrange price point (the king-size frame without storage runs about $1,300). While many manufacturers push the limits on how much space can be left between bed slats, Castlery doesn't skimp here: The solid-wood slats are just 2.5 inches apart from each other, providing a sturdy base without the need for a box spring or foundation. As mentioned earlier, my innerspring is a ‌behemoth.‌ It's so heavy that I need my husband's help lifting the corners to put a fitted sheet on it. But these slats easily hold the weight of the mattress without any sagging.

Castlery

There is also plenty of attention to detail given to the upholstery itself, and the quality of the workmanship is without a doubt above par. The seams line up beautifully where the components join together, and the fabric lies perfectly flat against the frame without any of the buckling or loose threads that are common to upholstered furniture in the low to midprice range.

We did experience some squeaking after about a month of sleeping on the bed, which initially had me concerned about the durability of the frame, but a simple tightening of a bolt corrected the issue, and we haven't heard a peep since. But a little extra elbow grease during the assembly process is well advised.

Castlery provides free standard shipping on purchases over $999, but we opted for a well-spent $100 upgrade to white glove delivery and setup. This service includes delivery to your room of choice (including up to two flights of stairs) as well as unpacking of the furniture, full assembly, and removal of all the boxes and packing material. (It does not include the removal of old furniture, however.) For a $50 fee, you can get room-of-choice delivery without the setup and trash removal.

The delivery and setup are provided by a third-party service (in Southern California, it was provided by Giga Cloud Logistics) but are coordinated by Castlery's excellent customer service team. When a flight cancellation left us stranded and unable to get home in time to receive the delivery, the Castlery team responded quickly and helped us arrange for a new delivery date without any fees or penalties for the last-minute change.

On the day of the rescheduled delivery, a two-person team arrived on time with the boxed bed on a furniture dolly. They covered their shoes with plastic booties and rolled the boxes into our bedroom, and within 30 minutes, they had fully installed the new bed frame, placed our mattress on top, and cleaned up every shred of packing material. I was amazed at how quickly they were in and out. There was some minor drilling noise during the setup, so be prepared if you have small children or pets, but overall, the disruption was very minimal.

There are plenty of other upholstered, wingback headboards on the market at both lower and higher price points, but many of these alternatives feature tufted headboards that give more traditional vibes. For a wingback bed with a more modern, nontufted aesthetic and neutral color similar to the Dalton, there are two alternatives you may want to consider.

Crate and Barrel Arden Bed

Arden Beige Upholstered King Bed

$2,099.00 at Crate & Barrel

The Arden Bed from Crate and Barrel is an excellent alternative if you have a larger budget and more specific requirements. Starting at $1,798 for the king size, the Arden is highly customizable, with 12 color options (some textured weave, some faux mohair), two headboard heights (52 inches or 60 inches), the option for an upholstered or oak wood base, and a storage option with a similar drawer layout to the Dalton. If you don't require these customizations, however, the Dalton will save you hundreds of dollars and still deliver outstanding quality.

Threshold Encino Fully Upholstered Bed

$800.00 at Target

Clocking in at just $900 for the king size, the Encino Bed from Studio McGee's collaboration with Target's house brand Threshold is worth a closer look. The wings taper a bit toward the top of the headboard, making for a less dramatic silhouette than the Dalton or Arden, but the poly-linen fabric has great texture. And if you like the style but would prefer a softer fabric, Target's offerings also include a cream-colored boucle. The style is also available in the widest range of sizes — twin, full, queen, king, or California king — but unlike either the Dalton or the Arden, this frame does require a box spring.

Overall, the Dalton Bed is a great choice for shoppers looking for high-end design and quality construction at a midtier price point. It's an easy addition to an already designed bedroom, with its neutral color and classic design, but it's also special enough to design your entire bedroom around it if you're just getting started.