Short answer: Our Ara bed comes in two browns. Espresso is a very dark brown upholstered in Performance Chenille, rated at 48,000 Martindale rubs, with removable, machine-washable covers. Walnut is a deeper, warmer wood finish on our Ara Wood design, and it is offered in Canada only. Crumble is a warm greige, not a brown, so it is not part of this guide.
A brown bed is a good base for a calm bedroom, because dark, warm tones keep the room quiet. The choice between fabric and wood changes how you clean the bed and how it feels, so the sections below compare the two before you pick a frame and headboard.
On This Page
- What brown options does the Ara bed come in?
- Espresso: the upholstered brown
- Walnut: the wood brown (Canada only)
- Which Ara frame and headboard suit a brown bed?
- How do you build a calm bedroom around a brown bed?
- Is the Ara bed easy to assemble?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our bedroom range
What brown options does the Ara bed come in?
We offer two browns on the Ara bed, and they are different materials. Both sit on the same steel frame with 15 mm laminated veneer lumber slats.
What brown options does the Ara bed come in?
| Espresso | Walnut | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Performance Chenille upholstery | Ara Wood: ash veneer over engineered panels, with solid ash details on selected designs, in a satin Walnut finish |
| Look | A very dark brown with a soft chenille texture | Deeper and warmer than our Oak finish |
| Martindale rubs | 48,000 | Not applicable |
| Cleaning | Removable cover, machine wash cold on a gentle cycle | Dust and wipe the finished surface |
| Where it is offered | Canada, the United States and Australia | Canada only |
Walnut is a finish colour, so the bed is not solid walnut. The Walnut choice sits in the same colour and finish selector as the fabrics on the Ara page, next to Oak. Our guide to upholstered and wood bed frames explains the construction in more detail.
Espresso: the upholstered brown
Espresso is one of three chenille colours on the Ara bed, next to Sage and Cobblestone. We describe it as a very dark brown, and it suits a bedroom with plenty of daylight or warm lamps.
Chenille is a good all-round fabric for a bed. It is rated at 48,000 Martindale rubs, which is the number of rubs a fabric takes in a lab test before it shows wear. The covers on the frame and the headboard come off, so you can wash them instead of scrubbing the bed.
- Washing: machine wash the cover cold on a gentle cycle and air dry. Avoid bleach, wringing and high temperatures. Only the cover is washable. The foam, panels, steel frame and hardware are not.
- Pets: in our own assessment, Performance Chenille is Good for pets. Claws can occasionally catch the fabric, so it is not as scratch-resistant as our Aquaforte Velvet. Darker colours also tend to conceal dark pet hair better. Our pet-friendly sofa guide explains how we rate each fabric.
- Changing it later: compatible replacement covers are sold separately, so you can change colour without replacing the steel frame.
Seam finishes depend on the headboard and the colour, so check the configurator for Espresso before you plan around channel tufting. Our guide to the best fabric for an upholstered headboard compares every Ara fabric.
Walnut: the wood brown (Canada only)
Walnut is our wood brown. It is a finish on Ara Wood, a design that is offered only on our Canadian site. We describe Walnut as deeper and warmer than Oak, so it suits a bedroom where you want the wood to be a feature.
Ara Wood has no fabric, so there is nothing to wash. The finished surface can generally be dusted and wiped with a soft cloth. Protect it from standing water, excess moisture and harsh cleaning products, because wood can also scratch or dent. If a pet scratches furniture, a fabric bed with a washable cover may be the easier choice. Our guide to bed frames for pets and kids goes through the trade-offs.
Ara Wood has two headboards and two frames:
- Headboards: Round, about 30.5 inches (77.5 cm) high, and Fluted, about 35 inches (89 cm) high.
- Frames: a raised Leg frame, which has no storage, and a Fluted frame, which comes with or without four drawers.
The Walnut and Oak choice applies to the modules in the collection. To mix Ara Wood parts with Ara Upholstered parts, contact our Customer Happiness team about compatibility before you order.
Which Ara frame and headboard suit a brown bed?
Both browns share the same sizes, Full, Queen and King, and the same published weight limits: 600 lb (272 kg) for Full, 800 lb (363 kg) for Queen and 900 lb (408 kg) for King. These are total loads, not per-person ratings.
Which Ara frame and headboard suit a brown bed?
| Choice | Espresso (upholstered) | Walnut (wood, Canada only) |
|---|---|---|
| Headboards | Round and Square, about 35 inches (89 cm) high; Pillow, about 36.6 inches (93 cm); Extended, about 40 inches (102 cm) | Round, about 30.5 inches (77.5 cm); Fluted, about 35 inches (89 cm) |
| Frames | Round or Square, each with or without storage | Raised Leg without storage; Fluted with or without storage |
| Storage | Four drawers, two on each side | Four drawers, Fluted frame only |
| Cover or finish care | Removable covers | Dust and wipe |
A Queen drawer holds about 65 L, a Full drawer about 53 L and a King drawer about 81 L. The drawers open from the sides, so leave room beside the bed.
For the cleanest silhouette, pair a Round or Square headboard with a regular seam. A Pillow headboard is better if you sit up to read, but it makes the assembled Queen and King bed about 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) deeper. Our Ara customization guide shows every headboard and frame dimension.
Our Ara bed starts from $1,425 on our product page, and the price depends on the size, frame, headboard and storage you pick. We include a 30-day free trial and a 5-year warranty for manufacturer defects, as listed on the product page.
How do you build a calm bedroom around a brown bed?
Keep contrast low and let texture do the work. As general advice, not a product specification, pick two or three tones that sit close together, so nothing in the room competes for attention.
- Espresso: the dark, cosy option. Keep the walls and bedding in warm, quiet tones, and give the room daylight or warm lamps so the headboard does not feel heavy.
- Walnut: repeat a wood tone that is already in the room, such as a floor or a dresser, rather than adding a new one.
- Texture: chenille against smooth bedding keeps a quiet palette from looking flat.
For a living room that matches the bedroom, our guide to brown sofas and sofa beds covers Espresso and the other browns we offer, and our sofa colour guide shows how to choose between them. Free swatches let you see the fabric colours in your own light before you order.
Is the Ara bed easy to assemble?
The main frame assembles without tools. It has four steel sections joined by corner legs and hand-tightened screws, and the upholstered panels fold and clip on. If you choose storage, the drawers are assembled with the Allen key that comes with the bed. Some steps are manageable alone, but the assembly guide recommends two adults for the larger pieces, so plan for help. Our unboxing and assembly guide lists the boxes and the order to open them.
Our recommendation
Choose by how you want to live with the bed.
- Choose Espresso if you want a very dark brown, a soft texture and a cover you can wash, or if you live outside Canada.
- Choose Walnut if you live in Canada and prefer visible wood with a deeper, warmer tone than Oak, and you are comfortable dusting and wiping rather than washing a cover.
- Choose a Round or Square headboard for a calm, minimal look, and a Pillow headboard if you sit up in bed.
- Add storage only if you have room to open the side drawers.
Order free swatches for Espresso first, because a dark colour looks different at night than it does on screen.
Explore our bedroom range
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.