Hands up, who wants a bigger bed? Most of us probably do, but our bedrooms don’t always allow it. You need at least 40cm at the sides and bottom of a bed to comfortably walk around it, and bigger people do better with at least 50cm.
Another reason you need at least 40cm at the foot of a bed is to accommodate adjacent furniture with doors and drawers so there’s enough clearance. You may need up to 60cm of clearance in some places due to bedroom furniture.
If you have a narrow bedroom, you could cram in a bigger bed and squeeze around it, but is it worth it? What you gain in bed space, you lose in floor space, and it’s usually best to balance bed and floor space for a comfortable bedroom.
This article runs through the minimum room sizes for doubles, kings, and super kings – read on to see if your ideal bed size fits.
A note on bed and mattress sizes
When the bed industry talks about sizes, it uses mattress sizes. For example, a double mattress is 135cm x 190cm (4’7″ x 6’6″) – this IS NOT the bed size. Beds are usually wider and longer than mattresses, so you need to measure the frame.
You can usually add 1-2cm to the length and width, but some frames (like those with a padded headboard) can be significantly wider and longer. The guidelines below consider an extra 3cm in length and width.
Double bed minimum room size
A double mattress measures 135cm x 190cm (4’6″ x 6’3″) and our average double frame comes in at 138cm x 193cm. You need 40cm around the bed frame, so the minimum room width is 178cm, and the minimum length is 233cm.
178cm x 233cm is the minimum room size for walking around a double bed without a squeeze. However, if you are happy squeezing past, you can knock down the extra width and height by 10cm, so you have at least 30cm of clearance.
King bed minimum room size
King mattresses measure 150cm x 200cm (5’3″ x 6’6″), so they are 15cm wider and 10cm longer than doubles. If we add 3cm to the length and width of the bed frame, the minimum room size for a king size bed comes in at 193cm x 243cm with 40cm clearance.
However, this is only the minimum size to squeeze the bed in. If you want a wardrobe, chest of drawers and space for other furniture, the minimum bedroom size is 12ft x 9 ft 10in – this will give you all the space you need.
Super king minimum room size
Super king mattresses measure 180cm x 200cm (6′ x 6’6″), with bed frames coming in at 183cm x 203cm on average. You need a bedroom at least 223cm wide and 243cm long to squeeze it in, which gives you 40cm clearance.
Because super kings are enormous, we recommend at least 125 sq. ft of bedroom space, or 13ft x 9 ft 10in, which is enough space for additional furniture.
Top tips for fitting a bigger bed
- If you have a small bedroom but want a bigger bed, choose a bed frame that is as close to the mattress’s dimensions as possible.
- Ottoman and divan beds provide storage space, so you could make do without a chest of drawers, freeing up floor space.
- You can get wardrobes with built-in drawers if your big bed frame doesn’t allow a chest of drawers.
- Choose narrow furniture – narrow furniture takes up less floor space, and you can add height to retain storage space.
- Don’t forget to measure up correctly – take the bed frame measurements and map out where it will sit in your bedroom. Does it fit? You need at least 40cm around the bed to comfortably walk around it.
