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This natural wood bed frame might be the first thing I’ve put together quickly… and correctly.

CNET’s key takeaways

• The Helix Madison bed frame, available in natural wood or white, is $929 for a queen before sales.
• It’s straightforward to put together and requires no tools.
• That said, the frame is a little expensive and incompatible with headboards.

My beautiful, four-poster bed frame broke a few months ago.

Immediately afterward, as I was lying there, slowly sliding to the corner of my mattress that had plummeted to the ground (from a decent height, I might add), I cursed that antique frame. It was creaky to the point it would wake me up, and it was higher off the floor than frames are nowadays.

Part of me was happy to be rid of it.

As my boyfriend and I yanked the wooden side rails apart from the headboard, I realized I wasn’t ready to start looking for a new bed frame. They’re expensive, and many are so low-quality that they break while you’re assembling them or after just a few months. Through the years, I’ve seen plenty of sleep products not live up to the hype, and I was unwilling to lug another one up the stairs to my bedroom. However, after a few days of floor sleeping, I was neck deep in research for my next bed frame. I’ve tested plenty of bed frames and mattresses during my career, but even I was a little overwhelmed by the many options.

All I knew was that I was done with complicated bed frames. I wanted something simple. Then I started testing the Helix Madison bed frame, and I haven’t looked back.

My experience with the Helix Madison bed frame

The Helix Madison is the perfect choice for people (like me) who don’t want to deal with a bunch of screws and sacrifice time deciphering the illustrations in the instructions packet. It’s hands down the easiest piece of furniture I’ve put together. I should mention that I’m not the best at that — the desk I put together in college shook if you put any weight on it. The Madison bed frame is foolproof. It has a brilliant interlocking design that doesn’t require any tools.

The outer frame consists of four corner pieces and four pieces of wood that fit together without screws or dowels. The outside wood pieces are notched so you can tell how they interlock with the legs. Then, you add the center support beam and the slats, and you’re done. I timed the setup, and it took less than 5 minutes. 

Um, 5 minutes! It took us at least 30 minutes to get our old bed frame apart, and we had to break it to do so. The old pieces were heavy and difficult to move out of the bedroom. The Helix Madison bed frame was a breeze to move. My partner and I could easily pick up the box and carry it upstairs. I can’t imagine the average person would have a difficult time lifting the bed frame in the box or once it’s put together. It took longer to take the Helix bed frame out of the box than it did to put it together. It was pretty snuggly packaged, so unpacking took a little longer than 5 minutes, but once it was out and I had the pieces sorted, putting it together was simple.

As easy as it was to put together, I was a little worried about the quality and stability of the bed, mainly because it has no screws. But I’ve been sleeping on this bed frame for a few months now, and it’s a night-and-day difference compared with my vintage four-poster. I no longer wake up from the creaks that echo around my room when my partner rolls over. 

The specs:

Besides being easy to put together, this bed has a few other key features you should know about.

• 30-night sleep trial
• Free shipping and five-year limited warranty
• Available in natural (what I have) or white
• Tool-free assembly 
• Bedrails: 100% Appalachian hardwood; slats: 100% southern yellow pine; legs: 100% Appalachian maple
• Available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king and California king
• Not compatible with headboards

CNET’s buying advice

The Helix Madison bed frame is a no-brainer if you don’t want a fancy bed frame but want something slightly more elevated than a bare metal one. It’s a little on the expensive side for how simple it is to put together, but with sales, I’ve seen the price of a queen drop from $930 to around $695. Helix often runs sitewide sales around big holidays like Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. The discount will vary by holiday, though in my experience, Helix averages around 25% off.

I can’t ignore that even with sales, it’s still a big investment, especially if you compare it with a basic metal frame that costs only $60 on Amazon. However, I can vouch for the quality of this bed frame. The novelty of being able to put it together in 5 minutes may also make it more appealing, if you can afford it.

I’ve had plenty of heavy frames that were a pain to put together, and sometimes worse to take apart. The Helix Madison bed frame was a breath of fresh air, every step of the way. I’ve only noticed a little chip in the protective coating around the wood side rail, but nothing that’s worried me about the stability. Overall, it’s a solid bed frame that I’d recommend to anyone. The only thing that bums me out about this product is that it’s not compatible with headboards. But if you don’t care about that or want a simple frame for your guest bed, you’ll like the Helix Madison bed frame.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.