Will It Fit? Your Home Measuring Guide

Buying a new bed or mattress is exciting, but there’s nothing worse than getting your item in your bedroom and realising it just doesn’t fit in your space.

While you might’ve used our bed and mattress size guide to determine the bed size you’d like, our home measuring guide will help you determine if your chosen size is suitable for your bedroom. There’s more to consider than just if your room is big enough for a king-size bed; for example, you need to be able to build your bed if it comes flat-packed, or pull out under-bed drawers if you’ve opted for a storage bed.

Read our step-by-step guide and top tips to make sure you get your better night’s sleep in the most stress-free way possible!

Step 1: Understanding your item’s measurements

If you’re just replacing your mattress and keeping your current bed frame, as long as you’ve ordered the right size, you’ll know it’ll fit in your bedroom. Just remember that while bed frames and mattresses are listed as having the same dimensions (to make shopping easier), bed frames are often ever so slightly bigger (by a couple of centimetres) to ensure your mattress fits properly. This just allows enough room for movement to avoid putting excess strain on the bed frame.

If you’re ordering a new bed frame, it’s important you understand exactly what you’re buying. Check the ‘product dimensions’ on our website, and follow these tips:

1. The 60cm clearance rule: For a comfortable, livable bedroom, we recommend having at least 60cm (approx. 2 feet) of walking space around the sides and foot of the bed. This also allows plenty of space to open under-bed drawers or reach things you might’ve slid under the bed to store.
2. Map it out with newspaper or tape: If you’re a visual thinker, use masking tape or old newspapers to map out the bed’s dimensions on the floor. Open wardrobes, walk around, and make sure you’re happy with the amount of space leftover.
3. Account for obstacles: Do you have a sloping ‘a-frame’ ceiling? Low-hanging lights? Built-in wardrobes that can’t be moved? Make sure you consider the unique structural aspects of your bedroom, and remember to check the ‘swing’ of the door, making sure it doesn’t hit the corner of your new bed.

Step 2: Planning for storage

If you’re upgrading to a storage bed with drawers, or even an ottoman lift bed, make sure your room is big enough to open and access it properly. Storage beds and divans are a great way to keep your bedroom or guest room neat and tidy, but they’re useless if you don’t have the space to use them effectively!

Here are a couple of tips if you’re ordering a bed with storage:

1. Drawer clearance: For divans with drawers, you need at least 32cm of clear floor space for a drawer to extend. However, we actually recommend 60cm, so you can comfortably kneel or stand while reaching inside.
2. Think about bedside tables: If you’re opting for a 4-drawer divan bed, there’s a chance that your bedside tables will interfere with you opening the top two drawers. Make sure you’ve got enough space to move your bedside tables out of the way as needed, or opt for a 2-drawer divan bed, which just has drawers at the bottom of the bed.
3. Don’t overlook vertical space: Going for a spacious ottoman bed? As a benchmark, our Ottoman Divan Bed opens up about 110cm, and then you’ll need to add your mattress depth on top (usually around 28cm) to see how much height it will take up vertically when open. This is important to note if you have sloped or particularly low ceilings.

Step 3: The delivery path

Our delivery team are great, but they can’t defy physics! Not only do you need to make sure your new bed will fit in the room you’d like it in, but you need to know that you can get it there safely, too.

Here are our tips for getting your new bed or mattress from your door to your bedroom:

1. Start at the front door: Open your door fully and measure the narrowest point of the frame. If this width is greater than your item's box, it will pass through easily. If not, check if the item can fit through upright by comparing your door height to the box's length. Most flat mattresses fit through standard UK frames with a bit of 'wriggling,' though you should double-check clearance if you have particularly low door frames.
2. Hallways and obstructions: Walk the route from your door to your bedroom, measuring the narrowest points of your hallway and keeping an eye out for fixed obstacles such as radiators, low-hanging light fixtures, or shelving that could snag a boxed or flat mattress.
3. Staircase ‘bulkhead’ height: This is the most common problem with getting a mattress up the stairs. Measure the shortest vertical distance from the ceiling (the bulkhead) to the stair directly below it. A high-quality, natural, or firm mattress in particular shouldn’t be folded, so it needs this clearance to pass through diagonally.
4. Navigating corners and landings: If your stairs have a turn or a small landing, you need to measure the depth, width, and height of that space. This ensures you have enough ‘pivot room’ to rotate long items. Don’t forget about bannisters and handrails too, and if you need to lift an item above the handrail, make sure there’s enough clearance below the ceiling.
5. Clear the deck: Before delivery, make sure to remove any picture frames, mirrors, or floor lamps along the route. Also, make sure there’s plenty of room to place your items down in the room you’d like them in.

Step 4: Making room for assembly

Whether you’re expanding a rolled mattress, building a divan bed, or assembling a flat-packed bed frame, you need enough space to be able to move around and work safely.

Here are a couple of tips to make things a bit easier:

1. Clear a build zone: Clear a floor area that is at least 60cm wider and longer than the bed frame itself. This gives you space to move around, test drawers, and stops you from getting trapped in a corner while tightening screws!
2. Protect your floor and fragile items: Assemble your bed on a carpet or use leftover cardboard packaging to protect any hardwood floors. Be mindful of easily damaged items in the room, as you don’t want to accidentally swing a headboard around and break something.
3. Prep your tools: Most frames include Allen keys, but our Divan Assembly Guide, which you should take a look at if you’ve ordered a divan or divan set, also suggests having a rubber mallet handy to securely tap in anything that might’ve come loose in transit. It's also worth noting that a divan bed larger than a small double will come as two halves that attach together.
4. Boxed mattress tips: If you’ve ordered a rolled-up mattress that comes in a box, remember they can be heavy, and unpack it only once it’s in the room where you’ll be expanding it. Otherwise, you’ll find it more difficult to manoeuvre it once it’s fully expanded.

The final checklist

We know you’re going to be in a hurry to place your order and start expecting your new bed or mattress (as soon as tomorrow with our free next-day delivery!), but taking a few moments to double-check your space now can save hours of hassle on delivery day.

Here’s a final checklist summarising the most important things you need to consider before ordering:

1. Frame vs. mattress: Remember not to assume your bed and mattress are exactly the same size. Frames, especially upholstered styles, are always a few centimetres wider and longer to fit the mattress snugly. Check the ‘dimensions’ section on our website for accurate measurements.
2. The 60cm rule: Ensure you have at least 60cm of walking space around the bed. This allows for walking, opening under-bed storage drawers, and opening doors and wardrobes in your room. And remember to consider vertical height when buying an ottoman.
3. Delivery route: Walk the path from your front door to the bedroom. Measure narrow points, door frames, and the vertical height of your stairway, removing breakable items as you go.
4. Space to work: If your bed is arriving flat-packed or mattress rolled and boxed, you need a workspace. Again, ensure there’s at least 60cm of room around the bed so you can move around safely while building.

Get ready for a better night’s sleep

Measuring your room and home for an easy delivery might feel like a chore, but it’s an important step toward an easier, stress-free process, which will ultimately help you enjoy your first night’s rest in your new bed setup even more!

Once you’ve received your order and begun your journey toward a better night’s sleep, take a look at our other Buying Guides to learn how to maintain your bed and mattress and enjoy them for as long as possible.