Aspire Side Opening Ottoman Storage Bed reviewed

The Aspire Side Opening Ottoman Storage Bed solves the problem the usual ottoman creates: instead of lifting from the foot, its mattress platform hinges along one side, so the storage stays reachable when the end of the bed is pushed against a wall. It costs exactly what Aspire’s end-lift ottoman costs, from £229 for a single to £319 for a super king.

Who a side lift suits

In a box room or a narrow double room the bed often fills the space between two walls, and an end-lift base becomes useless because you cannot stand at its foot. Here you open it from the long side instead. Aspire’s listing on B&Q’s marketplace adds that the hinge can be built on the left or the right during assembly, so you choose the side you have access to. The same listing gives a mattress limit of 50kg, a figure Aspire’s own shop leaves out.

Construction and finishes

Under the fabric is a steel frame with 8-ply poplar sprung slats, gas-lift pistons and a black cloth floor beneath the storage area. The headboard and footboard are padded and buttoned, and Aspire’s product page confirms compliance with UK fire-retardant rules for upholstered furniture. Two finishes are on sale: grey linen, in stock in every size when we checked in October 2026, and steel plush velvet, which had sold out from double upwards.

Note the footprint: the frame adds about 12cm to the width and 15 to 19cm to the length of the mattress, which matters in exactly the small rooms this bed is designed for. Measure the gap between the walls before ordering.

The drawbacks match its end-lift sibling. Cover is 12 months, the frame is built in China, and the 14-day returns window is a change-of-mind right rather than a trial. A struck-through “was” price sits beside every size, but it is a permanent fixture on Aspire’s frames, not a sale with an end date.