Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Before we remodeled our bedroom, my wife and I had a very BIG, very boring, and very conventional bedding setup: A tall headboard attached to a massive queen-size mattress and box spring sitting on a metal frame, and a fabric skirt which hid the frame and all of our junk underneath it. A monolith, if there ever was one, and pretty much the over-priced 1,200 plus dollar QUEEN mattress set that every couple has bought in the past 20 years. And adding to the bulk, we both had our own end table on either side of the bed. There was two basic problems with this setup: 1) The tall headboard blocked one of the windows and 2) I got tired of having to reach over to her end table to turn off the noisy alarm clock after she had gotten up, and she got tired of having to reach over to my end table to get a magazine that I finished reading. And, to a lesser degree, this massive bedding setup overpowered everything else in our less-than-roomy bedroom. After living with this imperfect setup for four years, we decided to change things up a bit and go with more of a minimalist aesthetic; less is more, I always say. So, we decided to purchase this platform bed from here on Amazon, pairing it with an eleven inch thick memory foam mattress AND, AND, AND a bookcase headboard. The bookcase headboard was the key piece that really made the whole thing work! And Wow! What a difference this new setup has made! (More on that later.) As for this platform bed: Everything was shipped in two packages. The packaging was excellent. Nothing was damaged. The precious contents are covered in foam wrap and protected with styrofoam slabs; then of course everything is encased in cardboard, and the whole thing is wrap up with three and four straps for added security. KUDOS! Putting the bed together was pretty simple. The hardest part was attaching the slats that hold up the mattress to the frame. It took me about 2 hours to get everything just right. Just take your time and think things through. From a minimalist perspective, the bed is absolutely beautiful. [Mattress with a simple bed spread and frame, that's it.] The wood frame has a rich mahogany look, and the photos on Amazon don't do it justice. It's got clean lines with absolutely not frills. It's low, low, LOW to the ground. Paired with the memory foam mattress, it really makes for a very low profile. I'm tall and when I get up from this bed, I feels like I'm getting up from the ground, it's that low. --Added 5/5/2013------I just want to add something: This platform bed is really quiet!!! With a memory foam mattress, there're no rattles, squeaks, creaks, or cracking sounds. It really helps when getting a good night's rest. For the price, you get one heck of a beautiful product. I highly recommend this bed. ------------------------------------- Now, lets talk about the bookcase headboard that I paired with this platform bed. This was the key to solving the two problems that I stated earlier. The old setup blocked a window. This setup does not block the window at all. The platform is low, and so too is the bookcase headboard. Now for the fist time in four years, my wife and I can see out and even open up the window and allow the beauty of the outside world in. AND HERE'S THE BEST PART: We were able to get rid of the two side tables that took up space on either side of the old bed (remember, less is more) and consolidate all of our stuff into the bookcase headboard. NOW, we can SHARE our stuff! The remote control, the alarm clock, books, magazines, smartphones, THE LIGHT, all are within arms reach of either of us. Her smartphone goes off? I can now reach for it with ease to turn it off. I cannot believe that we did not do this earlier. Actually, the best part is the price. This platform, a memory foam mattress, the bookcase headboard, sheets and a comforter can all be had here at AMAZON for around 800 bucks!!! ----------6/25/2015----UPDATE---------- So my wife and I have had this wonderful platform bed for a few years now, and we couldn't be happier. The finish is still in excellent shape. Nothing is damaged, and the joints are still tight as ever. I installed a three-prong furniture glide on the bottom of each of the bed's four feet. We have wooden floors, and these help keep the floor's finish nice. Also, we can slide the bed around a bit easier. And this helps keep the bed's legs from getting loose, or from folding over or breaking - an added benefit, to be sure. Again, after two years of solid use, this platform bed has held up admirably. STILL HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!