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We’ve tested Floyd’s Underbed Storage, a pull-out canvas drawer and steel frame component that integrates with the Floyd Bed, and added our notes.

I confess: I’m writing this from my bed. In my case, it is a Floyd bed, which began as a queen-size frame in 2017, when I lived in a fourth-floor attic apartment in Brooklyn. Almost five years later, I now live in Los Angeles, and that queen-size frame is now a king thanks to a $395 expansion kit.

The bed and I are evolving, but I don’t expect to outgrow it anytime soon. It’s hard to imagine a time in my life when I won’t value its flexibility or its modular design, both of which assure me that I can always pick up and move with it.

After five years of living with this frame, I’ve rounded up some things to consider if you’re also thinking about a Floyd. You can also read more about it in our guide to the best modern bed frames (or see other options we recommend at a similar price).

Floyd’s The Bed Frame, which starts at $795 for a full/queen size, is a platform frame, which means it’s designed for a mattress to sit directly on top of it (don’t add a box spring). The bed’s design is impressively simple, composed of birch plywood panels that slot together with steel supports. Nylon straps beneath the platform panels hold the supports in tension, which allows the frame to hold up to 600 pounds of weight. The plywood panels, each about 2 feet wide, have a “honeycomb” internal structure, a design that Floyd says provides strength without density, keeping the components lightweight for their size. (You can choose a birch or walnut veneer depending on your color preference.) Gaps between the boards allow airflow under the mattress, though not as much as on some other, slatted frames, which I discuss below. The frame comes in twin, full/queen, and king sizes (two, three, and four panels wide, respectively) and can support all mattress sizes up through California king.

Floyd’s minimalist frame, available in two real wood veneer finishes, is great for those who want flexibility for mattress upgrades, add-on options, and future moves.

The Floyd Bed Frame comes in two wood veneer finishes, birch or American black walnut, and two powder-coated steel finishes, black or white. This is not a bed with endless color and finish options, but it does offer functional adaptability. Since it’s a modular design, if you have a full/queen frame, you can size up to a king if you buy the $395 expansion kit, or you can size down to a twin at any time. You can also add a headboard for $350 to $400 (unless your mattress is a California king, in which case you can’t use a headboard) and purchase underbed storage for $475 per pull-out canvas drawer.

In my experience, I’ve found adapting my Floyd frame to be relatively simple and painless. I added a headboard to the queen size, and then, in 2021, I converted it to a king, keeping the queen-size headboard. The resulting asymmetrical look, with the headboard off to one side, is either chic or weird, depending on your take, but I’m happy with it (and I was too cheap to get a bigger headboard). I’ve been testing the underbed storage since March 2022. Each drawer, about 3.5 feet wide by 1.25 feet deep, is only 4.75 inches high, which some people may find too shallow for their needs, although I have found it useful. The drawer, which slides smoothly in and out from under the bed, is composed of a sturdy sewn canvas that hangs from a steel frame mounted on tracks that integrate with the bed frame. The drawer is designed to hang flush with the bottom of the bed, so there is little opportunity for dust to enter; in the first three months of testing, with weekly vacuuming, I haven’t noticed any dust accumulation on the outside. (My house, however, is pet-free at the moment.) I was worried that the canvas would be droopy with too much weight, but it has held its shape well. Installing the underbed storage was harder to do than installing the headboard, as it required removing the bed frame’s supportive straps, swapping out two old leg supports with new (included) ones, and then restrapping. It still took only about 10 minutes with the help of one other person.

Note that the frame design is adaptable, but only so far: You can’t use it with an adjustable base (a motorized frame insert that enables a range of reclining positions) or with risers to adjust the height of the frame. Some people may find the frame’s height (about 7.5 inches) too low for their needs or tastes, which I talk about in the Some unique things to love or leave section.

Back in 2017, I assembled the bed singlehandedly, so it is possible, but I don’t recommend it. In contrast, with a partner, assembly takes about 20 minutes and requires no tools at all. Floyd doesn’t include a physical instruction sheet, so you have to download the instructions (PDF), which means you’ll need a computer or smart device handy. It’s worthwhile to watch the video before you start, too.

In my opinion, the most grating part of the process is looping the two nylon straps under the frame and around the brackets in order to hold the finished bed in tension. Due to the low underbed clearance (shy of 6 inches), looping the straps can be awkward, and the ratcheting mechanism is not especially intuitive. You can see what this step looks like around the 4:30 mark in Floyd’s assembly video.

You end up with quite a lot of strap left over after tightening, so you must tuck the straps into themselves if you don’t want the ends lying loosely on the floor. They’re totally out of sight underneath the platform, but it is one design detail that feels a bit sloppy, considering how shipshape the rest of the modular structure is.

Regardless of the size frame you order, you can expect two efficiently packed cardboard boxes: a longer, heavier box with the plywood panels, and one smaller box with the steel supports and adhesive cork floor protectors. Floyd’s product page helpfully includes the dimensions and weight of each box under “Dimensions & Materials.”

I’ve found Floyd’s communication regarding shipping and delivery timelines (even long ones) to be direct and predictable. Order confirmations come with accurate delivery windows (four to six weeks in September 2021, amidst global supply-chain and delivery disruptions; my order arrived at the very end of that window, after 40 days). Emailed shipping and delivery notifications, in my experience, have been timely and accurate.

For orders heavier than 100 pounds (that is, all bed frame sizes above twin), you can choose “room of choice” delivery for an extra $50, in which the delivery person will bring the boxes into your selected space but not assemble the bed.

The Floyd Bed Frame offers exceptional portability and storability thanks to its flat-pack design. When I moved across the country, I appreciated that my queen-size bed broke down to just three planks, each about 35 pounds, which I could wrap in cloth, and the structural steel supports, which easily fit in a box. The bed took up barely any space in the moving cube I rented.

The exposed platform edge is the Floyd frame’s distinguishing aesthetic gesture, but it also has practical implications. That edge will appear wider if you have a smaller mattress size (for example, a full mattress on the full/queen frame, versus a queen mattress on the same frame). This may pose an accessibility challenge for some people, and it changes the feel of being in the bed in relation to bedside tables, lamps, and so on. I’ve personally come to love the ledge, stowing my book and phone there, among other things I want within reach, when I go to sleep. But it also means that you may hit your shin on the corner of the frame if you’re in a rush.

The top of the platform comes to 7.5 inches from the floor. Depending on the height of your mattress, that may mean that the top of your bed is relatively low to the ground. This is one thing you can’t change: Floyd does not recommend risers, as they would compromise the frame’s structural integrity. The underbed storage system (inner drawer 4.75 inches high) may not be deep enough for people who rely heavily on underbed storage for bulky items like boots or multiple comforters. Vacuuming beneath the bed, due to its low clearance off the floor (less than 6 inches), can also be annoying, but a robot vacuum helps.

Most platform bed frames have slats that are spaced 2 to 3 inches apart, allowing for ample airflow. When we first started reviewing bed frames, we had concerns that the 22-inch-wide plywood panels on the Floyd (which we also cover in our bed frame guide), even with the gaps in between, would not allow enough moisture to evaporate. However, I’ve been sleeping on my frame for five years, and (as someone sensitive to indoor allergens, including mold and mildew) I have not observed any moisture concerns, even in a climate with hot and sticky summers. Although we don’t think that the Floyd frame’s design will cause mold or mildew in most instances, you may want to think twice about a purchase if you live in a perennially damp climate and do not sleep in a climate-controlled environment that dries out the air. On Floyd’s FAQ page, the company says: “Unless you live in an incredibly humid climate, there’s no need to worry about your mattress breathing. While the Bed Frame does not allow for as much air supply to your mattress as a traditional slatted frame, this should not be an issue — be sure to clean up any spills from the mattress and panels, along with any other moisture that may accumulate.”

In my five years of ownership, including a cross-country move, I have noticed no damage, chipping, or other wear, besides some minor, nearly imperceptible scuffing on the edges of some of the steel supports and one or two of the panels. Should any parts get visibly scratched, you could always rotate the outer components toward a more concealed position the next time you move, but we wouldn’t expect major cosmetic damage in ordinary daily use. Floyd offers a 10-year warranty.

The one inevitable area of wear is on the adhesive cork pads that keep the steel supports from scratching the floor—these have slid off when I’m moving the bed to access an electrical outlet or rearrange my room. Since the bed’s low clearance makes the feet annoying to get to, I don’t plan to replace the cork pads until I move again. This seems to be a common irritation across all types of furniture, no matter the maker or brand—though since these pads are cork, they are less prone to collecting dust than felt feet are.

Although some composite woods can pose indoor-air-quality concerns, the bed frame’s panels pass required US EPA standards for low VOC emissions (you can read more on Floyd’s FAQ page). According to the company, should you select a black walnut veneer (one of the two current finish options), the walnut is American-grown and FSC-certified, and the veneer is made in the United States. The rest of the wood is birch or birch-based.

Like many direct-order furniture companies, Floyd has stated a commitment to sustainability and reducing waste in the furniture industry. More notably, in Floyd’s case, this claim includes specific targets for 2025, such as launching a resale and refurbishment program, committing to 70% recycled- or renewable-material sourcing, using FSC-certified wood across all products, and measuring and disclosing its carbon emissions across its supply chain. Obviously, these are just goals.

This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Christine Ryan.

Katie Okamoto is the lead editor of sustainability at Wirecutter. She’s been studying, working in, and writing about the complexities of sustainability since 2005. Among other things, she’s been an editor at Metropolis, where she focused on the intersection of environment and design; a manager at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection; a designer; and a freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, as well as a master’s in architecture, and has covered the overlaps between sustainability and other topics for publications including The Atlantic, Newsweek, and Catapult.

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