Spanish Beds

While we’ve been looking in furniture shops for dining room stuff and sofas, we were also on the look out for beds. Beds, it transpired, are a confusing issue. First of all, sizing. I am used to a standard double bed being 4’ 6” wide and 6’ long. At 6’ 1” myself, a standard double is not terribly appealing. A king size bed, at 5’ wide and 6’ 3” long is a much better prospect. Spanish bed sizes appeared to be very varied but the main ones to interest us were widths of 135cms or 150cms. 135cms is only 4’5” – too narrow for my tastes. the wider format could be either 150cms x 190cms or 150cms x 200cms. Technically, 150cms wide is equivalent to 4’ 11” – close enough. 190cms long is equivalent to almost 6’ 3” and 200cms long is equivalent to a luxurious 6’ 6”.

Spanish houses do not generally have very large bedrooms. There is usually a built in wardrobe and room for a bed with little else in the way of furniture. We’ve been using a 150cms x 190cms bed at our friends’ house and it is adequate. Measuring our intended bedroom in Casa Libélule, there might just be room for a 200cm-long bed. Tempting. We do, however, also have to address the even thornier issue of headboards. But first …

The normal Spanish design for a bed is a very basic frame of metal with utilitarian supporting legs. They look institutional, more like hospital beds than anything else. We were not impressed and they really didn’t appeal. In their favour, though, the space under the bed could well do for the storage of suitcases should we happen to be visited by friends. 😉

Our dining room supplier of choice, JYSK, had a more Danish design with a very pleasant wooden frame. This bed was quite low, though, and came with an integral headboard which was also very low – perhaps a bit too low for me. The curious thing about this option was that the bed frame was literally all you got; not only did you have to buy a mattress separately but the wooden slats jobby that sat inside the bed frame and supported the mattress was also a separate extra.

Next up we found bed bases that were similar to divan bases but the whole mattress support platform lifted up to reveal a storage box. That would be useful in a house with limited storage space. For some reason, though, although all the wardrobe doors we’ve encountered in Spain are pine, there were no pine coloured bed bases. Curious! We could go for a material finish, I suppose.

Most of the above would need to be ordered and delivered after we return in the middle of March. Thus, we’d be likely to be sleeping on our emergency airbed. There are worse fates but a real bed would be very much more pleasant after an 8-hour drive down from Bilbao.

There’s a little local shop in Jalón that sells, amongst other things, beds. They are, however, the traditional “institutional” design of bed, though there is one in the catalogue with a material finish which gives a much softer appearance. He seems to think that he could get us one before the end of this week. Our idea is to use get a 150cms x 190cms one of these and use it ourselves until we can find/order a more appropriate one, then move it up to the guest room. We’ve paid a deposit so fingers crossed that it comes. As well as a guest bed, it should buy us some thinking time.

Added to the bed frame choices, there was, of course a mattress decision to make. OK, it has to be firm but there’s the usual confusing array of foam, memory foam, combinations of foam, (posture) sprung, pocket sprung … the list goes on. Lying on mattresses in most shops is something that everybody does but which tells you very little. In this shop – a bit of a glory hole – there wasn’t really room, He did have in stock what appeared to be a very form foam/memory foam job for about 190€. We went for it. If it turns out to be less than ideal, we haven’t lost all that much.

Somewhat easier today, was spending yet another grand on white goods for Casa’s kitchen. Our favourite local lock-barrel-amending hardware store provided us with a fridge/freezer, washing machine and dishwasher. If we get electricity connected, we could get them delivered and connected at the end of the week. Otherwise.the middle of march is fine. Francine also had fun picking an iron and ironing board, a kettle, a toaster and, most importantly for Spain, an electric juicer for the oranges that cost all of 3€ for 5kgs. We took the small stuff but the ironing board will be delivered with the white goods.Even more excitingly, we were told to present ourselves at the Ayuntamiento [Town Hall] to sign the contract for our water supply. Tomorrow at 9:00 AM we should be getting a water meter fitted. Yay!!

It’s time there was a picture of the view from Casa’s balcony. Not bad, eh? :))

More progress!