Habitat has divided the internet with its ‘marmite’ £280 bed frame – but this chic design is surprisingly easy to style

This season Habitat has fully embraced the retro aesthetic this chrome details and mid-century inspired designs. However, their latest launch, the Albers Steel Double Bed Frame (£280), a striking chrome bed, has left the internet divided. While some love its stylish look, others are unconvinced by its 'clinical' appearance.

Chrome is a huge home decor trend for 2026. Still, I’m a little surprised to see the metal finish make its way into 2026’s bed trends, while cool and modern, chrome is not exactly cosy, and at odds with the cocooning upholstered headboard trend that's still going strong this season.

However, I do agree it has a certain charm, and if you, too, are tempted to bring the chrome trend into your bedroom, this statement piece is a fabulous way to embrace it.

While chrome is accepted as part of sleek kitchen finishes, and even lighting options (I love M&S’s Chrome Colby Lamp), it has been becoming increasingly popular within furniture. This retro trend draws inspiration from the ‘50s space-age era when chrome experienced a huge boom in popularity. Now, seeing a similar resurgence of mid-century styles, chrome is edging its way into our seating and bedroom ideas.

‘At first glance, this bed seems to go against almost every trend we’ve been expecting to see for 2026. It's cool chrome finish and rather sterile, tubular metal curve shape feel a long way from the upholstered, sculptural statement headboards that have dominated bedrooms so far this year,’ says Natalie Evans, founder and CEO of home styling and staging company Little Barn Door.

‘However, with a 1970s decor resurgence firmly on the cards, those softly rounded metal curves may hit exactly the right note for lovers of retro design. In many ways, it also feels reflective of the iconic 1960s and 70s furniture associated with IKEA, where playful modernism and practical, lightweight forms were key.’

If you type ‘Habitat chrome bed’ into your TikTok search bar, you’ll find plenty of unboxing videos from people who adore this bed frame. But you’ll also see lots of comments from people who are less convinced by this design choice.

‘No offence at all, but doesn’t this look like a hospital bed?’ said one.

‘I love chrome, and I kinda love the frame, but it’s also giving hospital vibes, I don’t know 😭’ said another.

It is a marmite trend, but it is also not impossible to make this bed frame look cosy.

'I'm a big fan of the chrome furniture trend, so when I first saw this Habitat bed frame, I thought it was so stylish, so sleek! I'm not surprised it went viral and even sold out at one point, especially given the quite affordable £280 price point. But to avoid making your bedroom look cold and clinical, I'd pair it with warm tones, soft textures and materials to counteract the coolness of the chrome,’ recommends Sara Hesikova, Room Decor Editor at Ideal Home.

Natalie agrees, stating it is a good choice for smaller bedrooms.

‘It is clean, youthful and surprisingly versatile. The open, curved frame helps create a sense of light and visual space, making it particularly well-suited to compact bedrooms or darker rooms where heavier, upholstered beds can feel overpowering. Used within a softer, more character-led scheme, it could become an unexpected but effective retro accent,’ she says.

Shop the trend

‘This bed is definitely a marmite design - you're either going to love it or hate it! But, 1950's and 60's design is big this season, and Habitat's Alber bed is the best reinterpretation of this retro look that I've come across. And it's affordable. I think this could well become a cult classic of the future,’ concludes Amy Lockwood, Sleep Editor at Ideal Home.

Whether you love or hate chrome, surely you can see that in the right bedroom, it can look surprisingly chic.