How to Measure Your Room for a Bedroom Set with Bedside Tables in 8 Easy Steps

To measure a bedroom for a set with bedside tables, work through eight checks in order: the floor dimensions, the obstructions, the door and window swings, the bed footprint, the bedside gaps, the wardrobe clearance, the walkways and finally the delivery route. Done properly it takes about thirty minutes and it removes almost every risk involved in ordering furniture you cannot see in person.

The most common mistake is measuring only the room and not the furniture behaviour within it. A wardrobe door needs space to open. A drawer needs space to pull out. A bedside table needs to sit within reach of the pillow, not simply somewhere along the wall. These are the details that decide whether a room works.

Step 1: Measure the Floor at Two Heights

Measure the length and width of the room at floor level, then repeat at around one metre. The two figures often differ because of skirting boards, pipe boxing, window reveals and uneven older walls.

Use the smaller of the two figures when planning, since furniture panels are rigid and will not accommodate a narrowing wall. In older properties it is worth measuring the width at three points along the room, as walls are rarely parallel.

Write the measurements down in centimetres rather than working in a mixture of units, and sketch a simple plan as you go. You do not need it to scale; you need it to be labelled.

Step 2: Mark Every Obstruction

On your sketch, mark the radiator, the chimney breast, any alcoves, the sockets, the light switch and the position of any boiler or airing cupboard.

Radiators need particular attention. Placing a chest of drawers or a bed hard against one blocks the heat and can dry out timber. Leave at least 10cm of clearance, and avoid putting the head of the bed directly against a radiator wall if you can.

Sockets matter for bedside tables. If the only socket sits behind where the wardrobe will stand, the lamp plan changes. Note socket heights too, since a table pushed against a wall can foul a low plug.

Step 3: Record Door and Window Swings

Open the bedroom door fully and mark the arc it travels on your plan. Nothing can occupy that arc. Do the same for any window that opens inwards, and note the position of window handles, which project further than people expect.

Check the sill height as well. A chest of drawers under a window works only if the unit is lower than the sill, and a bed positioned under a window needs the headboard to clear it.

If the room has a fitted or sliding wardrobe already, mark its door travel too, since it cannot be blocked by a bed corner.

Step 4: Work Out the Bed Footprint

Use the frame dimensions, not the mattress size. A UK double mattress is 135cm by 190cm, but the frame around it may be 145cm wide and 205cm long, and more where the design includes a footboard or a surrounding rail.

Check the headboard height too, particularly under a sloped ceiling or beneath a window. Note whether the frame has storage, because an ottoman needs clear height above and a drawer frame needs clear space at the side.

Place the bed on your sketch first, before anything else. It is the least flexible item in the room and everything else has to work around it. Browsing our modern beds UK sale range with the frame dimensions to hand rather than the mattress size is the simplest way to avoid a mismatch.

Step 5: Measure the Bedside Gaps

With the bed positioned, measure the gap remaining on each side. This is the figure that determines the bedside tables you can use.

As a guide, a gap of 45cm or more takes a standard bedside cabinet. Between 30cm and 45cm calls for a slim cabinet or a narrow table. Under 30cm is better served by a wall mounted shelf or a clip on light with no surface at all.

Check the height as well as the width. The table surface should sit level with the top of the mattress or up to 5cm above it. Buying a cabinet that is 15cm too low is a common and entirely avoidable irritation.

If the two sides differ, do not force symmetry. Options across our bedside cabinets UK sale range include slim and standard depths, so a mismatched pair chosen for each side often works better than a matching pair that does not fit either.

Step 6: Check Wardrobe and Drawer Clearance

A hinged wardrobe door needs the door width plus room for you to stand, which in practice means around 90cm of clear floor in front of it. A sliding wardrobe needs only the width of the unit itself plus standing room, typically around 60cm.

Drawers need the drawer depth plus roughly 20cm. Measure the deepest drawer in the set, usually the bottom one on a chest, and check that pulling it fully out does not hit the bed.

Also confirm the wardrobe height against the ceiling, and allow an extra 5cm to 10cm for tilting the unit upright during assembly. Tall wardrobes are frequently built flat on the floor and then raised, which needs diagonal clearance greater than the finished height.

Step 7: Confirm the Walkways

Stand back and check the circulation. Aim for 60cm to 75cm on any side of the bed you use daily, 90cm in front of hinged wardrobe doors, and a clear path from the door to the window without stepping around anything.

If the numbers do not work, reduce furniture size in this order: bed size first, then wardrobe width, then the bedside tables. Walkways should be the last thing you compromise, because they affect how the room feels every single day.

A useful physical check is to mark the furniture footprint on the floor with masking tape and live with it for a day. Walking the route tells you more than any measurement.

A Note on Sloped Ceilings and Alcoves

Loft rooms and older properties add two complications worth measuring separately. For a sloped ceiling, measure the height at the wall, the height at the point where the slope begins, and the horizontal distance between them. Furniture can only sit under the slope where the unit height is less than the ceiling height at that exact point, plus a small allowance for the wall angle.

For alcoves, measure the width at the back, the middle and the front of the recess. Chimney breasts are rarely square, and a wardrobe sized to the widest point will not slide in. Work to the narrowest figure and allow a centimetre of tolerance on each side.

Where a piece must sit in an alcove, check the skirting board depth too. Most furniture sits flush against the skirting rather than the wall, which pushes it forward by two or three centimetres and can affect a door opening nearby.

Step 8: Measure the Delivery Route

Finally, measure the journey from the front door to the bedroom: the entrance width, the tightest hallway point, the stairwell turn, the landing and the bedroom doorway.

For flat packed furniture, compare these against the longest carton dimension. For assembled items, compare against the full unit depth and width. Where a turn is tight, the diagonal matters more than the straight width.

We publish assembled and packaged dimensions on each product page, so you can check both before ordering. At Furniture in Fashion we also offer free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes, and Returns are available up to 30 days if something does not suit the room once it arrives.

Putting the Plan Together

With the eight steps complete you should have a labelled sketch showing the room, the obstructions, the door arcs, the furniture footprints and the walkways. That single sheet is what turns online shopping from a gamble into a straightforward comparison.

When you are ready to compare pieces, it helps to review a coordinated range against the plan rather than shopping item by item, since the dimensions within a range are designed to work together. Our wider modern bedroom furniture UK collection lists full measurements on every product, which makes checking against your sketch quick.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much space should be between the bed and a bedside table?

Ideally none, or a very small gap. The table should sit close enough to reach from the pillow, usually within 5cm of the bed frame. A large gap collects dropped items and makes the pairing look unresolved.

What height should bedside tables be?

Level with the mattress top, or up to 5cm higher. Most standard cabinets are between 45cm and 60cm tall, which suits the majority of bed frames, but check against the frame you are buying rather than assuming.

Do I need clearance at the foot of the bed?

If the foot faces a wardrobe or a door, yes. Allow at least 60cm to pass comfortably, and 90cm if a wardrobe door opens into that space. If the foot of the bed faces a clear wall, a smaller gap is acceptable.

What if my room is not square?

Measure the width at several points and plan to the narrowest. In older homes a difference of several centimetres along one wall is common, and scribing or a small gap behind the furniture will absorb it.

Should I measure before or after choosing furniture?

Before, always. Measuring first narrows the options to pieces that will actually fit, which makes the choice easier rather than harder. Choosing first and measuring afterwards is how returns happen.