One lift, and a whole room's worth of clutter disappears. That is the entire promise of an ottoman bed — and unlike most furniture promises, this one is mechanical, measurable, and easy to verify before you buy. Here is how ottoman storage actually works, in plain numbers.
An ottoman bed is a storage bed whose entire base lifts open on gas-filled struts, revealing a storage compartment the full size of the mattress above it. There are no drawers and no clearance needed around the bed: the mattress and platform rise together, held open hands-free, and close again under the mattress's own weight. A king-size ottoman typically conceals 600–800 litres of storage — roughly the capacity of a large double wardrobe, hidden inside furniture you were buying anyway.
How the gas-lift mechanism actually works
The mechanism doing the work is a pair (or two pairs) of nitrogen-filled gas struts — the same sealed cylinders that hold a car boot open. When you lift the base a few centimetres by its handle, the compressed nitrogen takes over, raising the platform and mattress in one smooth, controlled motion and holding it open at roughly 45–50 degrees while you reach inside. Closing works in reverse: the mattress's weight compresses the struts gently, so the lid lowers rather than slams.
Struts are rated in Newtons (N), and the rating matters more than any adjective on a product listing. As a rule of thumb for UK sizes:
- Single and small double: around 600N
- Double: around 800N — the most common specification in UK ottoman beds
- King size: around 1,000N
- Super king: up to 1,200N, usually with four struts rather than two
A correctly rated mechanism means the lid rises with light effort and stays open on its own. Under-rated struts leave you doing the lifting; over-rated ones make the bed fight you on the way down. Quality shows in the fittings too: look for metal brackets fixed with at least two screws per strut, never plastic hinges. Well-made struts last years of daily use before they need replacing — and when they eventually do, they're replaced in pairs, an inexpensive service rather than a new bed.
How much storage does an ottoman bed really hold?
Because the whole footprint opens, ottoman storage dwarfs every alternative. Approximate usable volumes by UK size, assuming a standard 25–30cm internal depth:
- Single (90 × 190cm): 250–350 litres
- Double (135 × 190cm): 450–650 litres — about three large suitcases' worth
- King (150 × 200cm): 600–800 litres
- Super king (180 × 200cm): 800–1,000+ litres
In practice that means winter duvets, spare bedding sets, out-of-season clothes, suitcases themselves — the awkward, bulky things that otherwise claim a wardrobe shelf or the top of a cupboard. For a couple in a typical UK double bedroom, a 450-litre compartment often removes the need for a second chest of drawers entirely, which is precisely the point in rooms where every square metre is spoken for.
Side lift or end lift?
Ottoman beds open one of two ways. End-lift models hinge at the headboard and open from the foot of the bed — the most common design, giving one clear view of the whole compartment, and ideal when the bed sits between two bedside tables. Side-lift models hinge along one long edge and suit rooms where the foot of the bed is close to a wall or wardrobe. Neither needs floor clearance the way divan drawers do, which is why ottomans work in layouts where a drawer bed physically can't open.
Which mattress works on an ottoman bed?
Two rules cover it. First, the mattress must be heavy enough to hold the lid closed and compress the struts on the way down — almost any double mattress from around 20kg upwards does this comfortably. Second, keep the mattress no deeper than about 32cm, so it doesn't press against the headboard when the base lifts. Standard pocket-sprung, memory foam and hybrid mattresses all sit happily within both limits; it's only unusually light or unusually deep mattresses that need a second thought. If you're pairing a new frame with a new mattress, choose them together so the strut rating and mattress weight are matched from day one.
Who an ottoman bed suits best — and who it doesn't
An ottoman bed earns its place when floor space is the constraint: small and mid-size bedrooms, city flats, loft conversions, rental homes where fitted storage isn't an option, and guest rooms that double as storage rooms. It suits anyone who would rather have one considered piece of furniture doing two jobs than two pieces doing one each.
It's honest to say who it suits less. If bending and lifting is difficult, a divan with pull-out drawers is the more accessible choice, since drawers open at standing height with no lifting at all. And if you need daily access to everything you store — rather than seasonal access to bulky things — drawers or open shelving may serve you better. Ottoman storage is at its best as deep storage: opened weekly or seasonally, not five times a day.
What to check before you buy
Skip the adjectives on the listing and check five things: the strut rating in Newtons against your bed size; metal (never plastic) brackets and hinges; the frame material under the upholstery; the internal storage depth in centimetres; and whether the platform is solid or sprung-slatted. A well-specified ottoman is a genuinely simple machine — which is exactly why the specification, not the marketing, tells you everything.
There's an Italian word for what a good ottoman bed achieves: sprezzatura — studied effortlessness, the art of making something difficult look like nothing at all. A bedroom that stays permanently uncluttered looks effortless from the doorway; the engineering hidden under the mattress is what makes it so. It's the same thinking we bring to every frame in our Ottoman Gas Lift Storage Beds collection: the mechanism does the hard work so the room never shows it.
Ottoman bed FAQs
Are ottoman beds hard to open?
No — with correctly rated struts, opening takes one hand and less effort than lifting a full shopping bag. The nitrogen struts do the work once the base rises past the first few centimetres, and the lid holds itself open hands-free.
How long do the gas struts last?
Quality struts typically handle several thousand lift cycles — years of regular use. When they eventually soften, they're replaced in inexpensive pairs, much like the struts on a car boot.
Is an ottoman bed better than a divan with drawers?
For total capacity, yes — an ottoman opens the entire footprint (450+ litres in a double) where divan drawers offer a fraction of that. Divans win on accessibility, since drawers need no lifting. The right answer depends on whether you're storing bulky seasonal items (ottoman) or things you reach for daily (drawers).
Can I put any mattress on an ottoman bed?
Most standard mattresses work. Aim for one heavy enough to close the lid (roughly 20kg+) and no deeper than about 32cm so it clears the headboard when lifted.
Compare the Belsogno ottoman collection
Every bed in our range is made to order in the UK, and on most of our upholstered frames the gas-lift ottoman base is an option you simply select at checkout — the design you fell for, with the storage built in. The Nova Loft pairs a linear-tufted winged headboard with optional ottoman storage from £540; the Dolce Notte brings hand-tufted softness from £423; and the Mezzaluna makes its oversized circular headboard the room's focal point while the base quietly stores a wardrobe's worth beneath it.
Each frame is upholstered in your choice from over 40 fabrics — and we'll post free fabric samples first, so the colour you choose on screen is the colour that arrives. Made-to-order lead time is a confirmed 2–3 weeks, delivery to the UK mainland is free, and you can spread the cost interest-free with PayPal or Klarna if you'd rather. When yours arrives, our step-by-step bed assembly guide covers the gas-lift installation in detail.
Browse the full Ottoman Gas Lift Storage Beds collection →
