A double bed is chosen in this order: first the width of the sleeping place that suits the two of you, then a check that the bed will stand in the room with space to walk round it, and only then the base, the headboard and storage. The most common mistake is to start with the look and find out only at home that the wardrobe doors will not open. Below are all the steps in turn.
Step 1. The width of the sleeping place
The size of a bed is the size of the mattress that lies in it. The length is nearly always 2000 mm, and the width is chosen from four options.
| Sleeping place | Who it suits |
|---|---|
| 1400 × 2000 mm | One person with room to spare; two only if the room is very small |
| 1600 × 2000 mm | The most common size for a couple: 800 mm each |
| 1800 × 2000 mm | A couple where one sleeps restlessly or is of large build; families where a child comes into the bed |
| 2000 × 2000 mm | For a large bedroom and those who value space |
A simple test: lie on your backs side by side and put your hands behind your heads. If your elbows do not touch and do not hang over the edge, the width is enough.
If you are tall, check the length of the sleeping place with particular care: there should be a comfortable margin at the head and the feet. A common guide is your height plus 150–200 mm, so a sleeping place 2000 mm long can be at the limit for a very tall person.
Step 2. How much room the bed really takes
The sleeping place and the outer dimensions are different numbers. The side rails are added to the width of the mattress, the headboard and footboard to the length. The difference between models is greater than it seems. Here are the dimensions of four beds for the same 1600 × 2000 mm mattress:
| Model | Width × length of the bed |
|---|---|
| Olivia Soft Bed | 1710 × 2140 mm |
| Josephine Soft Bed | 1740 × 2190 mm |
| Blues Soft Bed | 1950 × 2170 mm |
| Trinity Bed | 1950 × 2300 mm |
Between the narrowest and the widest there are 240 mm of width, and in length the difference reaches 160 mm. In a room 3000 mm wide that decides whether there will be a way through on both sides.
How to measure the room:
- Mark the outer dimensions of the bed, not of the mattress, on the floor with masking tape.
- Check that on the sides where you get up there is a comfortable way through — as a guide, about 600–700 mm — and enough room to open wardrobes, bedside tables and doors.
- Check that the wardrobe doors, the door of the room and the drawers of the chest open.
- Look where the sockets and switches are: the headboard should not cover them.
- If the bed will stand under a window, remember the radiator and the window sill.
Step 3. The base under the mattress
The base decides how the mattress behaves and how long it lasts.
A slatted base is a frame with curved wooden slats. The slats spring a little under weight, and air passes between them, so the mattress ventilates from below. For a double bed it matters that the frame has a central support: without one the middle sags in time.
A solid base is firmer and simpler, but the mattress ventilates less well on it, so it is worth lifting it from time to time.
On the product page of the bed be sure to look at which base comes with it. If a separate one is needed, it can be chosen in the bed frames collection. The Veneto Comfort Bed Frame, for example, is a metal base with beech slats 38 mm wide and 8 mm thick, made for both 1600 × 2000 and 1800 × 2000 mm. There are also frames with double slats and firmness adjustment for a separate zone — they make sense when partners differ noticeably in weight.
Step 4. The headboard
Choose the height of the headboard to suit your habits, not only the interior.
- You read or watch films in bed — take a high upholstered headboard, so that your shoulders rest on it and not only your lower back. On the Melissa Soft Bed it is 1200 mm, on Josephine 1120 mm.
- You only sleep in bed — a lower one will do. The headboard of Olivia is 960 mm, of Trinity 850 mm; such beds seem lighter and do not “eat up” the wall.
- The bed stands under a window or under the slope of an attic — measure the height to the sill or the slope and compare it with the height of the headboard on the product page.
These numbers are the overall height of the bed with the headboard from the floor, not the height above the mattress.
Step 5. Box, fabric, delivery
Storage. Many upholstered beds can be ordered with a lifting mechanism or without. A box is a rescue when wardrobes are few, but lifting needs free space above the bed: a low-hung shelf or a lamp will get in the way.
Fabric. The upholstery is chosen from seven groups of fabric. If there are children or pets in the house, look for a dense fabric that can be cleaned; the samples are gathered in the fabric catalogue. Colour is best looked at in person, in a showroom: on a screen shades are distorted.
Delivery. Measure the doorways, the lift and the turn of the stairs in advance: the headboard is the largest part of the bed. Check on the delivery page in what form furniture is brought.
What to check in the showroom
- Sit on the edge: the bed should not rock or creak.
- Lift and lower the base with the mechanism yourself, with one hand.
- Lean your back on the headboard the way you sit at home.
- Both lie on the bed at once and turn over a few times.
- Ask to be shown which base is inside and what it rests on in the centre.
All the models are gathered in the beds collection. For how upholstered beds, wooden beds and bed frames differ, read our overview of types of bedroom beds.
In short
- A couple usually needs at least 1600 × 2000 mm; 1400 mm is a compromise for a small room.
- Measure the room by the outer dimensions of the bed: for one and the same mattress they differ by hundreds of millimetres.
- On the sides where you get up, leave enough room to walk past (a guide is about 600–700 mm) and to use the furniture.
- Check which base comes with the bed and whether it has a central support.
- A high headboard is for those who read in bed; a low one for small rooms and windows.
Frequently asked questions
Which size of double bed is the most popular?
1600 × 2000 mm: it gives two people enough room and fits into most bedrooms.
Can a mattress of a different size be put in the bed?
No. A smaller mattress will slide about and leave gaps; a larger one will not lie in the frame. Take one exactly the size of the sleeping place.
What is better for two: one mattress or two narrow ones?
One is more comfortable, because there is no join in the middle. Two separate ones make sense when partners need quite different firmness; it is worth talking this option over with a consultant.
Can a bed be bought in instalments?
Read about the terms of paying in instalments on the instalments page.
