A bed on the floor: what it really changes

A cloud bed sits flat on the floor. No legs, no gap underneath. That detail changes more than you would think, in both directions.

The room looks bigger

This is the most immediate effect. A standard bed cuts your line of sight 50 or 60 cm above the floor. A bed on the floor lets you see the wall behind it, full height.

The gain cannot be measured in square metres, but it is real to the eye. In a small bedroom it is often what tips the decision.

There is nothing under the bed any more

This is the point that divides people. Under a standard bed there is dust, shoes, sometimes storage boxes.

Under a cloud bed there is nothing at all, because there is no underneath. You lose the storage. You gain never again vacuuming on all fours under a slatted base, and never seeing dust gather where nobody looks.

If you were counting on the space under the bed for your suitcases, ask yourself the question before ordering.

Nothing left to knock into

A bed leg is the metal corner you find with your little toe in the dark. A bed made entirely of foam has none. The border gives under your leg instead of hitting it.

In a child's room this counts for even more. It is part of why the silhouette turns up so often in children's bedrooms.

Three objections, and the real answers

"Won't the mattress get damp that close to the floor?"

No, because the mattress does not touch the floor. It rests on a metal slatted base, included, which lets air circulate underneath exactly as on a standard bed. The foam border touches the floor, not the sleeping surface.

"Isn't it cold, that low?"

The temperature difference between 30 and 60 cm is negligible in a heated room. That said, if you sleep above an uninsulated garage or on ground-floor tiles, the question applies to any bed, not just this one.

"Is it easy to get up?"

This is the real question and it deserves an honest answer. Getting up from a low seat takes more effort than from a high one. If your knees are fragile or your back is sensitive, a low bed is not your best choice. A thick mattress compensates in part, but only in part.

Who it suits

People who want a visually calm bedroom with no visible structure. People who do not use the space under the bed. Families with young children, for the absence of hard edges and the low fall height.

Much less so people who need storage under the bed, or for whom getting up in the morning is already an effort.

The best way to decide is still to sit on one. The beds are on show at our depot near Brussels, by appointment.