Workshop · Tirana, Albania
Custom beds: single, double, lift-up storage beds and nightstands
At Formo Atelier we build custom beds in our Tirana workshop: single and three-quarter beds for children and guest rooms, double beds at 140, 160 or 180 cm, lift-up storage beds and beds with drawers, low platform beds in solid oak or walnut, upholstered beds with a headboard the width of the wall, and nightstands built at the height of your mattress. A bed is the largest thing in the room and the one you use every night, which is why a catalogue frame that is 10 cm too wide costs you the walkway beside it for years.
Free, itemized quote within one business day.
- Years at the bench, from the workshops of Athens to our own in Tirana.
- 30+
- Commissions built to measure and installed by our own team.
- 300+
- European-standard materials and hardware, on every piece, no exceptions.
- 100%
What we build
Every bed size, and the nightstand that goes with it
Every order starts from the mattress you sleep on, the wall the bed stands against and the passage that has to stay free around it. The size, the base and the storage follow from those.
Single and three-quarter beds
Single beds for a 90 x 200 mattress and three-quarter beds for 120 x 200, for children, teenagers and guest rooms, with a headboard sized to the wall and drawers underneath when the room is small.
Double beds: 140, 160 and 180 cm
The three widths a couple chooses between, built for the mattress you already own or the one you are buying, in a frame that adds only what the room can spare on each side.
Lift-up storage beds and beds with drawers
A base that lifts on gas pistons over a compartment the size of the whole bed, or two or three deep drawers that pull out on the free side. We choose the type from the room, so the storage actually opens.
Solid wood and platform beds
Frames in solid oak, walnut, ash or beech, oiled or lacquered, and low platform beds with a recessed base that make a small bedroom look taller and calmer.
Upholstered beds and headboard walls
A fabric-covered base and headboard for reading in bed, or a wood headboard panel that runs the width of the wall with niches, sockets and lights built in.
Nightstands and bedside walls
Floating or freestanding nightstands with a drawer and an open shelf, at the height of your mattress and in the same wood as the bed and the wardrobe, so the room reads as one set.
Materials and finishes
Materials for beds and nightstands
A bed frame carries weight every night and a nightstand is opened every morning, so the wood is chosen for strength and the surfaces for touch. These are the families we build beds from; the MDF vs melamine guide explains what to ask for.
Solid wood
Oak, beech, walnut and ash, selected and dried for interior use. For worktops, table tops, frames and handles, where the surface has to take knocks and be sanded back to new.
Wood veneer
A thin layer of real oak, walnut or ash bonded to a stable board core. The look and touch of solid wood with far less movement, so large doors and panels stay flat for years.
MDF (lacquered or moisture-resistant)
A dense, uniform fibreboard that machines cleanly. Moisture-resistant grades go into carcasses near water; lacquered MDF gives smooth matt or satin fronts in any colour, with no visible joints or grain.
Melamine
Chipboard or MDF faced with a hard, printed melamine layer. Scratch- and moisture-resistant, easy to clean, and available in hundreds of wood and plain decors. Our standard for carcasses and the most practical choice for fronts.
How it works
From the first message to the last hinge
Consultation
Tell us what you need. We reply within one business day.
Site measurement
We measure the space ourselves, including walls out of square, sockets and pipes.
Drawings and quote
You approve 3D views and technical drawings alongside an itemized quote. Nothing is cut before that.
Build and install
Built in our Tirana workshop and installed by the same team, with a handover inspection together.
The right bed size, taken from the mattress and the wall
A bed is ordered by the mattress, but the room is drawn by the frame. A simple wood frame adds about 5 cm on each side, so a 160 x 200 mattress becomes a 170 x 210 cm footprint; an upholstered frame with a padded headboard can add far more. From the frame we keep 60 cm of walkway on each side where someone passes, 70 to 75 to be comfortable, and 100 cm between the foot of the bed and the wardrobe. That is why a 140 x 200 fits a 270 cm wall, a 160 x 200 wants 290 cm and a 180 x 200 around 310 cm. The full tables, single to king, are in our bed sizes guide in cm.
Storage is decided at the visit, not in the catalogue. A lift-up bed needs the side it opens from kept free, and its pistons are chosen for the weight of the base and mattress, usually around 800 N for a double, so it lifts easily and closes without slamming. Drawers need about 90 cm of clear floor in front of them. Six things are fixed before we cut anything: the mattress size, the height and type of headboard, the side the base lifts from, the side the drawers pull out, the type of base and the total height of the bed. Slats are set no more than about 7.5 cm apart, with a centre beam on legs under every double, which is what mattress makers ask for in their warranty terms.
The nightstand sits with its top level with the mattress or up to 5 cm above it, usually 55 to 65 cm high, and 5 to 10 cm from the edge of the bed, which is why we build it after the bed height is fixed rather than before. A floating nightstand on the headboard panel keeps the floor clear in a narrow room. The bed and nightstands are built to match the wardrobe and the rest of the bedroom furniture we make for the same room, and for a child’s room the bed comes first: our guide to children’s bed types by age sets out which bed suits which age.
How a bed is built in our workshop
The four order steps are above. This is what happens between the site visit and the night you first sleep in the bed, and why the mattress size and the lift-up side are fixed before any board is cut.
Measuring the room and the mattress
The exact mattress size, the width of the headboard wall, sockets and radiators, the door swing and the wardrobe doors, and the passage on each side. The visit ends with the maximum frame the room can take and the side the storage can open from.
Technical drawing
A plan of the room with the bed at its real outside size, an elevation of the headboard with lights and sockets, and a section through the base showing slats, centre beam and the lift-up or drawer mechanism. You approve the drawing before production.
Frame and base
Side rails, headboard and base are cut from the drawing in solid wood or board, jointed and test-assembled in the workshop. Slats go in at the spacing the mattress needs, with a centre beam on legs under every double.
Mechanism, upholstery and finish
Gas pistons or drawer runners are fitted and adjusted, fabric is stretched over the base and headboard, and solid wood is sanded and oiled or lacquered. Nothing is sprayed in your home.
Installation
The bed is assembled in the room, levelled, fixed to the wall where the headboard asks for it, and the lift-up or drawers are tested with the mattress in place. We hand the bed over with you, nightstands already beside it.
A master craftsman with 30 years at the bench
Sherif Hamiti built cabinetry and fine joinery in Athens for three decades before co-founding Formo. Every joint, edge and finish that leaves the workshop passes through his hands.
Technical drawings before the first cut
Ardineli Caci turns your idea into 3D models and production drawings that you approve first, so what gets built is exactly what you signed off, to the millimetre.
European boards and hardware, as standard
Moisture-resistant MDF and quality melamine boards for carcasses, solid wood and veneer where the design calls for it, soft-close hinges and runners on every door and drawer, edges sealed on every panel.
Installed by the team that built it
The same people who measured and built your piece install it: aligned fronts, adjusted hinges, sealed joints against the wall, and a handover inspection with you.
Cost
What affects the cost of custom furniture?
Every project is quoted from real site measurements, so there is no price list. These are the things that move a quote up or down:
Size and layout:
the number of units, tall columns, corners, islands and how much wall you are covering.
Materials:
melamine, lacquered or acrylic fronts, veneer and solid wood sit at very different points, and carcass and fronts can be mixed.
Hardware:
soft-close is standard; pull-out pantries, corner mechanisms, lift-up doors and internal organisers add to it.
Integration:
built-in appliances, lighting, sockets and ventilation planned into the cabinetry.
Site conditions:
walls out of square, pipes to work around, access and floor levels all affect the work on the day.
Questions
Common questions about custom beds
How much does a custom bed cost?
The main factors are the size, the frame material, whether the bed has a lift-up base or drawers, the headboard and any upholstery, and whether nightstands are part of the order. A single bed in board and a solid walnut double with a lift-up base sit far apart. Contact us and we will prepare a free, itemized quote.
Which double bed size should a couple choose: 140, 160 or 180 cm?
160 x 200 is where most couples sleep comfortably without feeling the other person move. 140 x 200 works for a narrow room that cannot give 60 cm of walkway on both sides of a 160, and 180 x 200 can be built for two 90 x 200 mattresses on one frame so each side chooses its own firmness. Between 20 cm of mattress and 20 cm of walkway, choose the walkway.
How wide is a three-quarter bed?
Usually 120 cm, with a length of 190 or 200 cm. In Albanian listings the name is also used for beds up to 140 cm wide, so always ask for the number in centimetres. For one adult it is wide and comfortable; for two people every night it is narrow.
Is a lift-up storage bed worth it?
Yes, when the room has no space for a chest of drawers and the side the base lifts from can stay free. It gives the largest storage of any bed. Where the bed is pushed against a wall or the wardrobe, drawers on the free side are the better answer. We decide which at the visit.
Can you build a bed for a mattress I already own?
Yes, that is the usual case. Bring the mattress size, including the height, and the frame is built around it, so there is no gap at the foot and the nightstands land at the right height. Non-standard sizes and 190 cm lengths are no problem.
How high should the nightstand be?
With its top level with the mattress or up to 5 cm above it, usually 55 to 65 cm, and 5 to 10 cm from the edge of the bed. Because the height depends on the bed and mattress you choose, we fix the nightstand height only after the bed is drawn.
I have a photo of a bed I like. Is that enough to start?
Yes, that is how most orders begin. We measure the room and the mattress, adapt the idea to your wall and passages in a technical drawing, and you approve the drawing before we cut. The idea stays yours; the building is ours.
Do you install beds outside Tirana?
Yes. The bed is built in the Tirana workshop and assembled in the room by our own team across Albania: Durrës, Vlorë, Shkodër, Elbasan, Fier and beyond. Measurement and installation are scheduled together with your quote.
Keep exploring
Start a commission
Ready to plan your bed?
Contact us and we will come back with a drawing for your room and a free quote.
Workshop in Tirana. We build and install across Albania: Durrës, Vlorë, Shkodër, Elbasan, Fier and beyond.
