15 Spectacular DIY Bed Frame Plans You Can Make Today (with Pictures)

You don’t always realize this, but your bed is the piece of furniture you spend the most time in. In fact, most people spend about one-third of their days in it. So, it’s understandable that you’d want to customize your bed to suit your personality. Either you want it to fit into the general decor scheme of your bedroom, or you want it to have features to maximize your comfort when you’re in it. Whether it’s designing it to look like the rest of your bedroom set or adding lights so that you can read before you drift off, you want the right bed for you.

That’s why learning how to build a bed frame is a very attractive DIY project. You can either spend precious hours scouring stores or looking for pre-fabricated models to order off the internet and assemble in your home. Or, you can save yourself quite a few bucks and follow these plans available for free on the internet. We’ve got a range to suit just about every need, from simple pallet-wood twin beds to luxurious kings. Since you’re already in a DIY mood, don’t be afraid to freelance these designs if you feel confident.

The 15 Spectacular DIY Bed Frame Plans

1. Herringbone bed plan from Jens Blah Blah Blog

Despite it being a DIY design, this bed looks like you spent a lot of money buying it from a furniture store. Its design says sophisticated but comfortable, modern but a little bit classic, too. But you’ll know that not only did you build it by hand but that the price was also made to fit a budget. The best thing comes in knowing that you made what you’re sleeping on, which is about as satisfying a feeling as it gets.

The instructions are here. They aren’t just numbered but come with pictures so that you can get an idea for what it’s supposed to look like step-by-step instead of having to imagine. For something for which precision fits are important, that’s a comfortable extra.

2. Mid-Century DIY bed plan from Bigger than the Three of Us

A minimalist design that lets you present your bedding instead of the frame. Its unique look also has a touch of sophistication that lets people who see it know that you’ve got some skills with wood. It might look flimsy, but one of the great things about this design is that it conceals its strength.

A platform bed frame like this provides excellent support for a comfy memory foam mattress, and you’ll be sleeping peacefully on a stylish foundation.

The instructions come with a complete set of materials you need. The author says it’s a long tutorial, but the key to this frame lies in getting the details right. One thing it didn’t get into the specifics on is whether to stain and what color to use. That happy extra is left to the person building it.

3. Bed with lights frame plan from Instructables

The great thing about building your own bed frame is that you’re free to customize a basic design to suit your needs. If you like to read before falling asleep, that means adding lights into the headboard so that you and your partner can stay up as late as you’d like without having to wrestle with clip-on lights.

The instructions tell you that the first step is sneaking a camera into a furniture store to take pics of the design you want to build. We don’t endorse that. But, it is a way to save a lot of money if that’s what you do.

4. King size bed frame plan from Shanty-to-Chic

Big, sturdy and definitely a little regal looking, this king-sized bed not only projects that you’re the lord of the castle but that you’ve also got some serious wood-working skills. This one isn’t really designed to customize with bells and whistles. It’s just designed to be the custom-built centerpiece of your bedrooms set.

If you set out to build this bed, prepare to be in for the long haul. The instructions not only lay out a process that is going to take a long time but one that requires an arsenal full of power tools. This project is definitely best suited to people who are serious about woodworking.

5. Pottery Barn farmhouse bed plan from Distinctly Made

Perfect for a home that has a country-style decor scheme, this bed frame has a simple, rugged design with just a whiff of artisan flair. This is less the bed sleeping system that some of our bed frames are, this one is really about being the place where you lay your head.

Dinstinctlymade’s instructions start with a very reasonable premise. Buy your mattress first so you can fit your frame to that. This is one of the big advantages of building your own. You don’t just have options in building the frame, but in getting it sized perfectly.

6. Queen size bed frame plan from Sawdust Girl

This platform bed is perfect for people who don’t want a headboard. It lets your mattress sit elevated above the wood frame. It’s also got some drawers so that you can store extra bedding, or even little extras like books and reading lights if you also don’t want a nightstand. Of course, you can always skip the drawers if you prefer.

This project looks like it is really complicated, but the instructions really break it down into pretty simple steps. Just make sure you get the measurements right, so that that the mattress doesn’t slide around while you sleep.

7. Platform bed from Build Something

A simple design that lets your bed blend into an overall look rather than dominates it, this platform bed has a sleek, modern look. While it puts your bedding on a platform, it is still pretty close to the ground, making it perfect for people who don’t want a lot of airspace between their mattress and the floor.

One thing we like about this design is that while it’s pretty simple it still does put some emphasis on details. So you’ll want to at least have the instructions on hand to provide guidance on how to get it looking right.

8. Twin bed from pallets bed frame plan from Couplejones

This one is simple, cheap and perfect for kids. Upcycling pallets might be a fad that has faded, but the fact remains that they are designed to bear weight, which makes their planks perfect for a bed frame. This one comes with wheels to make it easier to move around a room, for redesigns or to vacuum under it.

The great thing about pallet wood designs is that it’s simple enough to make freelancing simple. This one is no different. Because the materials are widely available and honestly a bit crude, it is also really forgiving to little mistakes.

9. Race car bed frame plan from Lowes

Sleeping in a race car has been a kid’s dream for decades. Thanks to lowes.com, you don’t have to spend a lot of money building one. As long as you’ve invested in the right tools — coincidentally, also available at Lowe’s — you can knock this out pretty easily. Plus, you can give it any paint scheme you’d like.

This project feels like it ought to be really complicated, but it really isn’t. The instructions are easy to follow, explicit in what you need and thorough when teaching you how to build a bed frame.

10. DIY Floating bed plan from Lifebuzz

Called a floating bed because of lights attached to the bottom of the frame that create the illusion that it’s floating in thin air, this is a fun bed frame with a slanted headboard to hold your pillows in place. While we really like the lighting trick in theory, we do think that this limits in the number of bedrooms that it can really fit into.

Fortunately, Lifebuzz has put together a good set of plans on how to build it. That’s good because to get the effect you want, you’ll need to build it just right. If you’ve got experience with lighting and woodworking, this is a great project.

11. DIY Farmhouse bed frame plan from A City Born Love

Acitybornlove gives us a good basic, sturdy king-size bed frame that is perfect for a home that has a country look to it. It is sturdy enough to be a farmhouse bed and big enough to take a prominent place in your bedroom set and uses materials that are simple enough to give it a rustic look.

The instructions aren’t all that complicated. This is a perfect project for someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience with woodworking but wants to gain it. With a good saw with a sharp blade and a good working tape measure, you can build this bed frame.

SEE ALSO: 10 free printable woodworking plans ready for you to DIY

12. Simple twin bed frame plan from Jen Woodhouse

This simple platform bed is a great frame to let your bedding shine while hiding what it’s sitting on. It’s also an easy, fast project that just about anyone at any skill level can build. If you’re looking for a bed with a headboard, you’ll want to look elsewhere, though.

The instructions for this frame are simple. Jenwoodhouse explains them in just a short handful of photos, in fact. You can also freelance from the basic design.

13. DIY poster bed by Jaime Costiglio

Nothing makes a statement that you are in the master bedroom like a great bed with four solid corner posts. This bed not only makes for an excellent centerpiece, but also is extremely durable. Consider draping the posts with fabric canopy, beading, or wrapping them with lights. You may also choose to leave as is and it will still make a statement. Here are the plans.

14. DIY wood bed by the Accent Piece

This DIY wood bed by the Accent Piece features a conservative design that is ideal for the simple individual. Consider painting your wall white to bring out its beautiful design and color. It also allows you loads of space beneath. Do not go cheap on the wood. Here are the plans.

15. DIY chevron queen bed by Jen Woodhouse

Despite its sophisticated look, this DIY chevron reclaimed bed is remarkably easy to pull off, thus making it an ideal project for novice DIYers. Have people marvel at your talent after following through with this plan.

See also: Do You Need a Bed Frame? Everything You Need to Know!

Featured Image Credit: laura adai, Unsplash