Beds - footboard or no footboard?

Susie Derkins · September 2010

Following up on my bedroom furniture post last night...

What are your feelings about footboards on beds? I want one, because I think it'll help stop our current problem with Calvin kicking the comforter off, it slipping off the foot of the bed, and us waking up to the dog curled up not on his bed, but on our bedding on the floor, and me shivering because Doggie D pulled the covers off me. This is, clearly, an ongoing struggle.

However, it occurs to me that someone as tall as Calvin might object to a footboard. He's 6'2. I'm not sure he's ever had a bed with one, but I wonder if he might object if he had.

I also wonder if a footboard might make the room feel more full/smaller? Our bedroom is not teeny, but it's not especially spacious either.

Any thoughts on the footboard debate?

Susie Derkins · September 2010

Part of why I ask is that one bed that I'm interested in comes with and without a high footboard:

I'm trying to think about which makes more sense.

ETA: I have thought about no footboard + chest, but I'm not sure I can afford giving up the square footage at the end of the bed. As it is, there isn't a ton of space to walk past the foot of the bed to get to the dresser(s) etc. So assume for these purposes that we can't really do a chest.

danieliza1127 · September 2010

I've always had a chest at the foot of my/our bed, so no need for a footboard. The chest catches the comforter when it slides or gets pushed down so it usually ends up piled there instead of on the floor.

The footboard of the bed you posted kind of makes it look confining to me, but that could be because I've never had a footboard.

nsfw · September 2010

I like them with footboards; my H does not. He says he wants to be able to sit on the edge of the bed to put on and take off his shoes. He never sits on the edge of the bed to put on and take off his shoes. He says if our bed didn't have a footboard, then he could.

whitney1170 · September 2010

I just told DH last night I want a bed w/no footboard lol. I don't know why, I think it's because I want a really interesting headboard and then no footboard to compete with it. Our room is nice sized, but I think it will open it up a little bit. I think it looks clean and not busy.

Right now this is our bed, it's pretty but I've had it for about 10 years.

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I never thought about the comforter sliding off though, and my little dog only sleeps with me when DH works midnights so that's not a problem either.

iwaly889 · September 2010

Susie Derkins:
Part of why I ask is that one bed that I'm interested in comes with and without a high footboard:

I'm trying to think about which makes more sense.
ETA: I have thought about no footboard + chest, but I'm not sure I can afford giving up the square footage at the end of the bed. As it is, there isn't a ton of space to walk past the foot of the bed to get to the dresser(s) etc. So assume for these purposes that we can't really do a chest.

Seeing the photos, I really prefer the look of no footboard.

I also don't like them because it makes it harder to make the bed. And at 5'7", even MY feet hit the footboard sometimes.

lasharp · September 2010

H is 6'5" and he is absolutely against a footboard. As it is right now, he can lay on our bed and just fit his feet on. If he scoots down at all, his feet hang off. I'd like one, but it would probably limit his use of the bed.

MrsBreaux2008 · September 2010

We are in the no foot board camp because H is 6'-4" and his feet are near the end. When we do sleep in a bed with a foot board, he's pretty miserable.

Our bed is a platform bed - so it's got a "rim" all the way around the sides and bottom. We don't typically have many issues with the comforter falling off though.

martinilove · September 2010

I can go either way on them. On past beds, I haven't had one, but our current bed does and I like it. I think it really depends on the bed itself. In your case, I prefer it without the footboard.

Susie Derkins · September 2010

Hmm.

Since Calvin's so much taller than me, he usually sleeps kind of diagonally anyway. So it's hard for me to assess how he'd do with a footboard. He says he doesn't care, I'm just worried that we might buy a bed and he might suddenly care. Is it completely weird to see how he fits in a furniture store? I have no idea how else to figure it out. I guess he could lay down on my parents' bed sometime when we visit. It has a high footboard, and is a queen like ours.

Come to think of it, we had a double bed with a footboard for a while, but it's a lower footboard. He was ok with that.

I just can't stomach buying really nice bedroom furniture without a solution to the comforter situation. It bugs me on a constant basis.

whitney1170 · September 2010

Susie Derkins:

Hmm.

Since Calvin's so much taller than me, he usually sleeps kind of diagonally anyway. So it's hard for me to assess how he'd do with a footboard. He says he doesn't care, I'm just worried that we might buy a bed and he might suddenly care. Is it completely weird to see how he fits in a furniture store? I have no idea how else to figure it out. I guess he could lay down on my parents' bed sometime when we visit. It has a high footboard, and is a queen like ours.

Come to think of it, we had a double bed with a footboard for a while, but it's a lower footboard. He was ok with that.

I just can't stomach buying really nice bedroom furniture without a solution to the comforter situation. It bugs me on a constant basis.

I would totally do that "Goldielocks" style until I was comfortable with what I wanted! But I'm the person that furniture stores hate, I sit on, touch, and try out everything, even if I have no interest in buying it lol.

TamponMary · September 2010

I love the look of footboards on a bed, but they wouldn't work for us. One, my DH is 6'3" and he would not like it. Plus, by the time I rearrange all the pillows to my liking, I'm kinda sleeping w/ my feet off the bed. (I'm 5'8".) Plus, I think they would probably make the room appear smaller.

Mrs.Matt · September 2010

I like footboards, but not the tall kind. I like the footboards that are about the same height as the mattress or a little shorter. I think it makes the bed look nice and put-together but it doesn't feel confining.

SSM&JLM · September 2010

We have a footboard b/c it came with the bed as a set, but in our apt before we just had a bed frame and had no cover slippage issues. DH isn't tall, but I guess he makes do with the footboard, he's never complained.

If you room is small and depending upon the way the bed faces, a footboard might break up the visual too much. Our guest bed has both and I hate it, but we're living with it for now. The footboard makes the room look too small, which you can probably see in my bio.

katydid17 · September 2010

We just bought a bed with a footboard - I think it looks great.

maxtherat · September 2010

I honestly prefer the first way (with the foot board) better for the bed you are looking at, but it totally depends on the room you are putting it in, would it get in the way of anything else? I've never really had the covers falling off the bed problem, I've had the thief cover problem though, although one thing I have noticed with foot boards is that the covers get stuck between the mattress and the foot board if you kick them down

Rock-n-Voll · September 2010

I've never had a footboard but family members who have are always telling me it's a PITA to make the bed with one. For the bed you posted, I think it looks nicer without the footboard.

karome · September 2010

I like a footboard. It somehow makes the bed look complete to me. And i don't think it really isn't any harder to make the bed but I have had footboard beds most of my life so that might be why.

That being said, I don't like the footboard on the bed you posted (sorry). I don't like that it curves which results in it taking up more space both visually and actually since it will need to be farther from the wall due to the curve in the headboard and anything you place at the foot for someone to sit on (like a narrow bench) would have to sit out far enough that they don't hit their head when they sit up.

ecleptic · September 2010

Susie Derkins:
Hmm.
Since Calvin's so much taller than me, he usually sleeps kind of diagonally anyway. So it's hard for me to assess how he'd do with a footboard. He says he doesn't care, I'm just worried that we might buy a bed and he might suddenly care. Is it completely weird to see how he fits in a furniture store? I have no idea how else to figure it out. I guess he could lay down on my parents' bed sometime when we visit. It has a high footboard, and is a queen like ours.
Come to think of it, we had a double bed with a footboard for a while, but it's a lower footboard. He was ok with that.
I just can't stomach buying really nice bedroom furniture without a solution to the comforter situation. It bugs me on a constant basis.

You may not know if he likes it until you've lived with it. My husband had never had a bed with a significant foot board before we bought the headboard/footboard for our queen 5 or 6 years ago. Initially we both loved it and it was awesome at keeping the covers and pillows on the bed. When we moved last year- he finally admitted that he really wanted to be able to sit on the end of the bed again (does he ever sit on the end of the bed? No. But that's apparently not the point) and banished the foot board to the closet.

Which made me sad because I love footboards- especially that one. When we bought our king we got a platform bed with no footer and a very minimal headboard. Husband loves it, I'm okay with it. The king kinda overwhelms the room anyway so a giant footboard would have felt restrictive. The covers and pillows wind up all over the floor again though

NOLARedBeans · November 2015

Can you please provide a link for this bed or give manufacturer/model info? If you can't do it here please PM me. Thanks.

NOLARedBeans · November 2015

This is in regards to the post above by 'iwaly889'.

Beds - footboard or no footboard?

Re: Beds - footboard or no footboard?

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