Last you saw our new bed Ed – aka, the Edland four-poster bed from Ikea – he looked like this (read more about how we chose him here).
He has since been assembled – and even slept on for one night. And thanks to the Skorva steel support beam (also from Ikea, which is mentioned as a must-have along with the bed in the “good to know” section) Ed can, in fact, hold the weight of 30 dead people (aka: our incredibly heavy mattress) plus the weight of two DIY enthusiasts, their beefy chihuahua named Hamburger, and their baby girl (when she’s in there for a morning snack).
Constructing the bed was a remarkably easy process, especially considering I defied Ikea’s instructions and did it all without a partner (she was on baby duty). But since all of my hands were occupied during the construction phase, I did very little in the way of photographing. Thankfully I can use the Ikea instruction booklet to help re-enact a few scenes.
Like this one, where I hollered “Honey, fetch me my screwdrivers!” – to which I got a glare and an invitation to get them myself, since she was otherwise occupied with Clara.
Or this one where I took my partially constructed bed frame on a magic carpet ride. “A Whole New World” may or may not have been sung as we soared through the clouds.
And of course this is a perfect depiction of the moment when I called Ikea to place an order of Swedish meatballs only to learn that they don’t employ a fleet of food delivery people. Boo.
Ok, so none of those really happened. But I thought it sounded more interesting than the whole “then I put in another screw” play by play. So let’s just fast forward to the after:
Although I should clarify that I definitely got Sherry’s help when it came to wrangling our mattress up onto the frame, which almost killed us- but it’s done and we’re euphoric. It’s a whole lot better than the whole mattress-on-the-floor look that we were rocking since moving in:
Clearly we still have some work to do in the bedroom, but we’re really happy to have Ed as our starting point (especially since he ended our over-two-week marathon of sleeping on the floor).
We love the fact that we’re sleeping higher than we have for the last 4+ years since the Edland is a good foot or so higher than the Malm that we had (and loved) in our old house. But it’s still comfortable to climb in and out of for Sherry (short) and me (tall) so that’s a good thing. And have no fear, Burger can still get into bed – even without the help of the bench that we placed at the foot of the bed as our version of Doggie Steps. Burgmeister doesn’t even need it and instead prefers to take flying leaps to demonstrate his Rottweiler-like agility.
And even though we have plans to change out the fan for a less conflicting ceiling fixture someday, at least we still have enough clearance to use it if we really needed to. You know for some reason in the middle of winter. Seriously, how funny is that perfect little fan facilitating pocket of space up there? Although it might come in handy after we’ve painted the walls and want to ventilate everything and help it dry faster.
Speaking of painting, our next step in the bedroom will probably be to get some color on the walls (we’re thinking a gray-ish blue with some green undertones to work with our whole teal vision from this mood board of yore) – which should make our new white bed frame, er Ed, really stand out. We also want to get a new duvet (not only to change things up a bit, but also because something a little bigger will cover the bedsides more and result in fewer sleep fights over who has more of the covers). And we’ll happily be able to reuse our beloved existing West Elm duvet in the guest room once we get a full sized bed in there (it’s a full/queen sized duvet, but we always thought it was better suited to a full sized bed, which is exactly what we have planned for that room). Slowly but surely…
Psst- To anyone who missed our Nate Berkus appearance, it seems as though it’s going to rerun today. Why are we nervous all over again? Gah.
Erin H says
John- you are hysterical– love the IKEA drawings and associated commentary!
Melissa says
I really love the edlund bed, but have been hesitant to buy it. I’m worried that my mattress and box spring will come up to the top of the headboard part. Are you using a box spring under your mattress? If so, how much of the headboard is visible? Do you think a mattress and box spring would work with it?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melissa,
We’re not using a boxspring, but it has four different levels so you can adjust the height of the mattress (and boxspring) so it hopefully doesn’t cover the headboard. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Michelle W. says
Hi John & Sherry,
Your new bed looks very chic and I love it in white!!!
But the reason for my post is because my sister and I (a happily recruited YHL fan) caught you two on the Nate Berkus Show this afternoon here in Omaha. It happened pretty funny actually because as I was upstairs at our parents house (in town for the holiday) my sister starts screaming from the downstairs frantically telling me “just throw on some pants and get down here NOW”. After flying downstairs I hear your voices on the tv and know it’s you before my sister even starts screaming with enthusiasm “It’s John & Sherry, It’s John & Sherry…”. So glad we were both able to catch the rerun, as we’re HUGE fans of your blog! Made our day that’s for sure, hope this post made yours! :) ~Michelle from Omaha
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Michelle! The way you told that story even we got excited. Like some amazing celebs were on tv. And then it was just us. Haha. Love it. So glad you were able to catch the episode!
xo,
s
Carla says
I really like the new bed! We recently went from the malm to the brimnes (awesome under-bed storage) and the higher level really took some getting used to. Now I love it and I wonder why I waited until AFTER I was pregnant to get off the floor. As for the gray walls I also love that idea, we went with winter solstice (BenMo). We still have lots to do in our bedroom but it’s a really fun project, thanks for helping me stay motivated with all your hard work!
andrea p says
Speaking of ikea furniture…did you guys take your expedit desk/storage system from your old basement or did you leave it at the old house?
LOVE the new bed!
YoungHouseLove says
We conveyed that so it’s still at the old house.
xo,
s
Sheela says
The bed looks nice J & S! Here’s one more color suggestion for you: I painted our bedroom Valspar Jekyll Grand Dining Sea Mist (I know, the longest paint name ever, right?) – it’s a lovely shade of blue/gray/green, and really changes with the light.
Can’t wait to see what you all pick in the end!
Sara says
My 5 year old son was looking at this post over my shoulder (or rather ON my shoulder) and when he saw the Ed bed he said “OH, I want that bed. THAT BED. I want THAT BED for me!”
jill says
someone may have said this already, but why not paint yur fan blades white so they blend in. super fast, cheap and easy.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jill,
We actually prefer table fans in the bedroom like we did in our last house, so we’ll be searching for a fun new light fixture down the line. There’s not exactly a rush though! Too many other things on the to-do list!
xo,
s
katie @ k+b says
yay a bed! i wish our ceilings were high enough for something that fancy cause we actually thought about using one of ana’s plans too!
im excited to see your paint color toooo
Sammy says
I love Ed :)
I’m wondering what you’ll do with the unique “master sink area”… maybe (frosted?) french doors would be nice? Or do you already have a different plan?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sammy,
We have a few different ideas floating around in our heads. Who knows where we’ll end up, but we’ll definitely document every project that we take on!
xo,
s
feep says
We never appreciated a bed so much until we were selling our house. It was on the market for almost a year and in an effort to stage it (we were living in the new house already), we slept on an air mattress on the floor. It was miserable. When we got our bed back, it was probably one of the best nights of sleep I’ve ever had.
Laura Kisailus says
The bed looks great! I have some paint suggestions:
from the C2 line found at some BM stores: Dew Drop (grey-blue green)and Dorian Gray (more grey-blue)
Laura Kisailus says
I should have included links to show you how the color looks in my living room. Also, I bought a great mirror from Ballard Designs that is close to the one you have in your mood board:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91716&id=1043164821&l=c61ae2769f
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91726&id=1043164821&l=a3ca691bc7
YoungHouseLove says
Love the links!
xo,
s
LuLu says
That post was hilarious! I LOVED your version of the Ikea instructions and it will have me forever thinking they are telling me to dial out for meatball delivery! LOL! Thanks for the laugh. You guys are fabulous and your posts always make my day.
LuLu
Keeley says
We painted our bedroom (and one of our bathrooms) Silver Sage (from Restoration Hardware, also available in Behr) and we LOVE it. It’s definitely grey/green/blue and looks different in different lighting situations. Of course, you two have excellent taste and probably don’t need any paint tips! :)
Kiara says
Hi there,
I’ve been thinking about getthing the same bed for a while for our new(ish) condo but it doesn’t seem deep enough for a mattress and box spring. Do you all use both or just a mattress?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
It appears to work with a boxspring (although we just used a mattress) since there are four different heights for the support beams (so you’d just make yours lower). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
We have an Ikea bed, the Hemnes, and do not have a box spring. They sell these slatted thingies that you put across the frame and help support the mattress. It works great, though I would recommend getting some Velcro or something like it to hold the slats in place. They tend to move around and can suddenly pop out, which makes a really loud sound that leaves your heart racing and the mattress sagging.
katherine says
hey y’all,
been reading for awhile (gathering inspiration for when i’m a homeowner myself someday…i hope), and i LOVE your bedding. my boyfriend and i recently moved in together, and the current bedding i have is too girly, i think. i’ve been trying to find something both modern and masculine; any tips on where i can find something like that? or, where you got yours? :D
thanks for the help!
katherine
YoungHouseLove says
We got ours from West Elm a while back so maybe try ebay? You could also check Target (they have a cool modern Dwell line that reminds us a lot of our bedding). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kirsten D says
I can’t wait to see what color you choose, as I was just thinking that a grayish blue/ green for our bed room to match the new bedding we just bought. Our bedroom is kinda the same that you can see the sink from the bed. :)
Ruth says
It looks great.
Bobbie Brown says
Love the new bed and the new house! I am excited to see what you guys do with it :) (the new house that is!)
Courtney says
Re your Nate Berkus appearance- I was flipping through the channels (about 5 since I only have digital antenna, not cable) and I found his show. My teen son was up for a Christmas Visit, and he actually said “Hey I like this guy”. So we watched a little bit of it and I could have sworn I knew the two judges. I just starting following your blog, so I wasn’t sure. Then today I took the time to read thru (quickly) a few of the blogs I follow and I see this entry. Congrats for being on his show (even if it was a while ago). I love your ideas and I hope I can do some in my house.
Cdub says
I have been eyeing that bed for a while. The only concern I had was that it wouldn’t be “sturdy” enough. I love Ikea, but figuring out what is made well and can stand up to a beating can be tricky. After putting it together what do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
Intensely sturdy. It has a steel frame and it holds our extremely heavy mattress like a champ. So far we’re loving it.
xo,
s
elsie says
psst! remember me? I was the one who had wanted the edland forever and your post helped convince my husband to go for it! here it is: http://elauinc.blogspot.com/2011/01/bed.html
thanks again!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoooo! So glad. Congrats on the new Ed in your life!
xo,
s
Brynne says
Is the Edland bed a very bright white? I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, but my duvet cover is mainly cream, so I’m a little worried it will end up looking dirty. Maybe I could squeeze a new duvet cover in the budget…
Thanks!
Love, a new devoted reader of YHL!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Brynne,
It’s definitely white and not cream, but it’s a warm white so we say go for it!
xo,
s
Patricia says
excellent collection. Thanks :)
Lacey says
We purchased our Edland over New Years and are excited to set it up! Glad to see it is a well loved IKEA product. I’m so excited to sleep in it. (We too have been sleeping on the ground!)
Ban Clothing says
I am surprised you bought this for $300 and didn’t make on yourselves. You guys are SO ambitious and it seemed like a place to possibly save money.
YoungHouseLove says
With our super heavy organic mattress we didn’t want to take any chances. You can read all about our should-we-make-it thought process in the link that we included at the beginning of this post. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Brynne says
I’m going for it! I just measured the height of the ceiling fan in our (rented apartment) bedroom and I was excited to find that the bed will fit with a bit of room to spare! Thanks for the color information! I have my heart set on the Urban Outfitter’s Falling Leaves quilt (the link is too long to post, but it’s GORGEOUS), but it’s good to know that my current duvet will probably work as well :)
abby says
i feel curious to know if the bed is painted white. i’d like a more organic feel and if it’s painted, i’d be able to strip it down to the bare wood. thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Abby,
We don’t think it’s solid wood that has been painted, it feel too smooth – kind of like laminate.
xo,
s
Lauren says
Hi to both of you! I recently purchased the Edland bed and put it together tonight. I was planning on using a box spring and mattress but after placing both in the bed they were about 20 feet off the ground, which is a little high to climb into every night!
I saw that you only used a mattress and the midbeam, which, I attempted to do myself but the mattress was sinking badly in the gaps between the midbeam and the sides. Did you end up getting the slats to support your mattress or does the midbeam work fine for you? Just wondering how it worked out for you.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah! We got the slats and the midbeam which they recommend if you’re going boxspringless. But there are four different heights for the boxspring or mattress to be placed, so if you want the bed to be less high off the ground perhaps you can mount the boxspring into the bottom holes (instead of the middle or top ones) and you won’t need slats at all. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kate Collins says
I have been considering getting this myself. Are you using a boxspring as well as the mattress? If not, do you think it would work with a boxspring? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, we don’t have a boxspring, just a mattress and the wood slats that Ikea sells for those who don’t have a boxspring (you can raise the mattress so it doesn’t look too low thanks to the bed’s adjustable base. But it would definitely work with a boxspring!
xo,
s
Mary says
Hi YHL, I’m going to be bringing Mr. Ed into the master bedroom of my first house in a couple of weeks and am making my IKEA list to prepare.l I’m curious about which slatted bed base you’ve paired with him? Any thoughts? There is a pretty big price difference (over 100 bones!) between the different options and I’m wondering if there is an important reason to splurge or if I can safely save those pennies for accessories.
thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We went with the inexpensive one. We had that one in our last house and it was great. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Laura says
I finally finished putting Ed together. I put the bottom supports in the lowest holes since my mattress seemed pretty thick (not using a box spring). But when I got the mattress on the bed, I’m not sure it is high enough above the wood sides (looks about 4 inches above.) Legs seem to rub wood sides getting out of bed. Did you also put the supports in the lowest holes? Its hard to tell from pics how high your mattress is above the side of the bed. I hate to take it all apart again to raise the mattress, plus headboard will look shorter.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, ours isn’t on the bottom holes, and I think it’s about 5-6″ above the rails so we don’t rub on them? Maybe the middle holes? The headboard is pretty hard to see (it’s short to begin with I think) so we just use big pillows to add some height to the front of the bed that way instead. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jenny says
Since we are on the topic of Ed the bed, may I ask for a follow up post regarding the mattress? https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/07/sleep-easy/
Another rating after all this time, is your mattress holding up well?
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Very very heavy to move, but otherwise perfect!
xo,
s
Susan JPB says
Can you tell me the dimensions of this bed? I see you can still buy one on craigslist. Don’t know why Ikea stopped making it. Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
It comes in many sizes I think (queen, king, full) so I’m not sure if the one on craigslist would be the same. So sorry!
xo
s
michelle says
How does the Savvy Rest Mattress fit into the Ikea bedframe? I was looking at different Ikea bedframes for the Savvy Rest mattress we just ordered (soo exciting!), but it seems their dimensions are off? The Ikea bed frames might be a bit smaller (the Edland doesn’t seem to be sold anymore). Was this an issue for you?
YoungHouseLove says
It fits right in (we also had a malm bed in our first house and it fit there). It’s a queen mattress and a queen bed, so we haven’t had any issues with it!
xo
s
Mal says
Hi guys love your house, just wanted to ask you something, why are you against the idea of tv in the master bedroom? I mean sometimes there might be shows/movies with adult content u guys want to watch but don’t want your lil one to see it…u cannot restrict the kid from coming into the living room…I think privacy is missing in this set up, what do u say? what are your reasons …I jst wanted to know…Thanks :)
YoungHouseLove says
We actually added a TV later (here’s that post) but have yet to hook it up! Haha! Maybe we will in the new house…?
xo
s