Frequently Asked Questions

Every piece is made to order, and the approximate lead time is shown on each product page. As a guide: headboards, Emma footstools, storage ottomans, bed bases and mattresses, Cleo bench seats and valances are around 4–8 weeks; Wavy and Alfred footstools and benches around 7–8 weeks; the Ziggy stool around 4–5 weeks; and the Slipper Chair, Georgia Corner Chair and Ebury bench seats around 8–10 weeks.

Almost everything we make can be made bespoke. Our headboards can be made to any size, including emperor and wall-to-wall designs, and in almost any shape or style. For footstools and ottomans we can work from an inspiration image to recreate a piece you have seen. The dimensions of our bed bases and mattresses can be adjusted to suit a particular space. And on our painted designs we can match almost any paint colour.

Email us with what you have in mind, along with any images and measurements, and we will send you a quote.

As each piece is handmade to order, please allow a sizing tolerance of up to 2cm.

Samples of our house fabrics are £1.50 each and can be added to your basket from any fabric page. For samples of the Fermoie fabrics shown on our products, please contact Fermoie directly.

Yes. Choose “Supplied by customer” as the fabric option when you order, then email us the details of your fabric. We will confirm exactly how much you need and where to send it. We quote each order individually rather than publishing a fixed amount, because the quantity depends on the width of your fabric and its pattern repeat — and we would rather you did not buy more than you need.

The quantities below are a guide for a plain fabric. Please treat them as indicative and check with us before you buy, as the exact amount depends on the width of your fabric and the size of its pattern repeat.

On larger pieces, or where your fabric is narrower than the piece, the fabric is usually railroaded, which means it runs across the piece rather than up it. It avoids a seam, but it also turns the direction of the pattern, so a vertical stripe would end up running horizontally. If you would rather keep the pattern vertical, we can join the fabric instead — just tell us which you prefer when you order, and we will talk it through with you if you are not sure.

Your lead time starts from the moment you place your order, but we need to receive your fabric by the halfway point of that lead time to keep your delivery on track.

We work hard to make our images accurate, but colours vary between screens, so we always recommend ordering a sample before you choose.

Our headboards are made to fit standard UK beds: single 90cm, double 135cm, king 150cm and super king 180cm. We can also make any other width to order, including European and US bed sizes, and wall-to-wall headboards — just get in touch with your measurements.

It is really down to personal preference, and there are good reasons for both. Whichever you choose, the fixings are included in the cost of your headboard rather than charged as an extra, just tell us which you would like when you order.

Bed fixings

• You can attach the headboard straight away — five to ten minutes, and no DIY skills needed.
• No drilling, so the wall behind the headboard is left undamaged. Ideal if you rent, or think you may move the bed.
• The headboard may not sit completely flush to the wall, and can move a little when you lean against it.

Wall fixings

• The headboard sits completely flush to the wall and does not move at all — the neatest option by far.
• Once it is up, it is not going anywhere.
• It works on a two-baton system: one baton stays fixed to the back of the headboard, the other is screwed to the wall, and the headboard then hangs on it. All the screws and wall plugs you need are supplied.
• It does involve drilling — usually a 20 to 30 minute job. Walls vary, and some have pipes or wiring behind them, so we do recommend using a handyman or a professional fitter.
• The position on the wall is then fairly permanent.

If you are going to keep the headboard in the same place for a long time we think wall fixings are worth it, especially on larger headboards, which are heavier and more likely to shift when you lean against them. Plenty of our customers are perfectly happy with bed fixings, though. We send full step-by-step instructions before your delivery, and if you would like to see them sooner to help you decide, just ask us.

Yes, and it is worth telling us when you order. With a standard bed base the bottom of the headboard sits on top of the base. With an ottoman base it needs to sit 1–2cm higher, so that the base can still be lifted and opened freely.

The pillow-stop is the lower section of the headboard that sits behind your mattress. We recommend matching it to the depth of your mattress where possible — just add the depth you need to your order notes, or email us with the details. If you are not sure of the depth, we make the pillow-stop 20cm as standard.

Each headboard has a recommended height, calculated to suit the proportions of its shape and size. If you would like a different height, include the details in your order notes at checkout.

The Small (80cm) fits the end of a single bed and the Large (140cm) the end of a super king. For a double, the Medium (110cm) is the one to choose. For a king either works: we recommend the 110cm, as it looks more balanced with around 20cm either side, though some customers choose the Large (140cm) for maximum storage. All three are 47cm deep and 47cm high.

Yes. Our storage ottomans work as a footstool with storage, and you can add removable laundry bags to separate whites and darks. You can see them alongside our footstools.

Yes. Our Painted Wavy and Painted Alfred designs come in a selection of house colours, and we can match almost any other paint colour on request. Tell us the colour you have in mind and we will send you a quote.

Our bed bases and mattresses are handmade in Britain by the same specialist manufacturer that produces beds for many of the UK’s leading interior designers and for luxury hotels here and overseas. We launched them for the same reason we started making headboards: to make a level of craftsmanship usually reserved for the design trade available directly to our customers.

A lot of the difference is in details you will never see once the bed is upholstered, but which make a real difference to how long it lasts. The divan drawers are a good example: ours are built with traditional dovetail joints and designed to hold up to 35kg, where standard divan drawers are often made from much lighter materials and simply screwed together, so they bow or weaken over time. Ours are made much more like a proper piece of furniture.

Yes — every bed comes with a one-year manufacturing guarantee, so if a fault arises from the manufacture or construction of the bed it is covered. The guarantee does not cover accidental damage, or damage caused after delivery.

Yes. Let us know the weight of your mattress and we will calculate the strength of the pistons your ottoman base needs, so it opens easily and the pistons will not buckle or weaken over time. Most suppliers fit one standard piston strength whatever mattress you are using.

Our bases are split in a north/south configuration as standard, which fits the majority of staircases. For a particularly tight stairwell we can make them east/west, or even in quarters — rarely necessary, but perfectly possible. If you have a difficult staircase, talk to us before you order and we will work out the best configuration with you.

We charge £35 for delivery of furniture to mainland UK. Full details are on our Delivery & Returns page.

Larger pieces of upholstered furniture come with a two-man delivery service to a room of your choice, so please check the piece will fit before it arrives. Bed bases and mattresses are delivered and installed by a two-man team in the counties listed on our Delivery & Returns page, including London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. Elsewhere on the mainland they are delivered by courier to the ground floor entrance.

Yes. For Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, the Channel Islands and overseas, email us and we will provide a shipping quote.

We will always email you a few days beforehand to check the date works, and the day before your delivery we confirm a two-hour time slot, keeping you updated if anything changes on the day. We would never simply attempt a delivery and charge you for missing it.

If a delivery has been agreed and there is nobody there, and no safe place has been given, deliveries must be signed for, so our courier will hold the goods for a fee of £55 + VAT, with redelivery a further £55 + VAT.

As every piece is bespoke and made to order, we are unable to offer returns unless an item is faulty or damaged. If anything is wrong when your order arrives, please email us within 48 hours of delivery with your order number in the subject line and a photograph of the problem, so we can put it right quickly. This does not affect your statutory rights.