Hi Benjamin,

Thanks for reaching out about this, we're happy to assist! The Everett Upholstered Bed has been a top-seller for years now at Apt2B; Awesome choice! It is hand manufactured in our home town of Los Angeles (Made in the USA!) and comes with a lifetime guarantee on the frame & workmanship!

While this bed does require a box spring, you can actually use either a standard box spring OR a low-profile box spring. It really just depends on how high you would like your mattress to sit above the rails. At 9"h, a standard box spring would rest 2.5" below the height of the rails meaning only 2.5" of your mattress would be "covered" by the side rails. If a low profile box spring of 5"h was used, 6.5" of your mattress would be "covered" by the side rails.

We hope this information helps and please let us know if you're in need of more clarification, we're happy to assist :)

-Apt2B Customer Care