An electric TV lift bed and a small double TV bed are not really rivals: one describes how the television moves, the other describes how big the bed is. The useful question is which matters more in your room. If floor space is the constraint, start with a small double frame and accept a smaller screen. If you have room to spare and care most about smooth, quiet operation, prioritise a good electric lift and choose the size around it.
Many people find the two ideas overlap, because plenty of small double designs in our range of modern TV beds UK sale already use an electric lift. Knowing where each feature costs you space, screen size or comfort makes the choice much easier.
An electric TV lift is a motorised mechanism hidden inside the footboard. A bracket holds the television, and when you press a button on the remote or a wired control, the motor raises the screen to viewing height. Press again and it lowers back into the footboard, leaving a padded panel that looks like any other upholstered bed end.
The lift needs a mains socket within reach of the foot of the bed, and the cable route matters more than most people expect. In a lot of UK bedrooms the nearest socket sits beside the bed or under a window, so measure the distance before you commit. A neat extension routed along the skirting is usually fine, but it should never be pinched under the frame or a castor.
Most lifts include a safety stop that halts the motor if it meets resistance. It is still sensible to keep the top of the footboard clear of mugs, books and pets before raising the screen.
A small double, sometimes called a three quarter bed, takes a mattress of 120 x 190 cm in standard UK sizing. That is 15 cm narrower than a standard double. On paper the difference sounds small, but in a box room or a converted loft it can be the gap that lets a wardrobe door swing fully open or a bedside table fit on both sides.
The TV mechanism in a small double sits in a narrower footboard, which limits the width of screen it can hold. The exact limit varies between models, so the product listing is the place to check, both for maximum screen size and for weight. Measure your television across its full width, including any bezel, rather than relying on the diagonal figure alone.
Because the mechanism and the frame size are separate decisions, you will often see small double beds with electric lifts as standard. You will also see larger beds that use the same motor. So the real comparison becomes a set of trade offs rather than a straight choice:
Begin with the floor plan. A useful habit is to mark the outline of the bed on the carpet with masking tape, then walk around it. Leave enough space to open drawers, pull back a duvet and move past the foot of the bed without turning sideways.
A TV bed also needs clearance at the foot end, because you sit up in bed and look over the footboard at the screen. If the bed sits close to a wall or a radiator, the raised television may feel too near. In a compact room, a small double often frees up just enough length and width to keep that viewing distance comfortable.
In a medium or larger bedroom the argument shifts. A small double may look slightly lost, and a standard double or king size gives a more balanced proportion against the walls. Here the quality of the lift, the finish of the upholstery and the storage options start to matter more than squeezing out a few centimetres. If you are weighing up alternatives across the whole room, our wider modern bedroom furniture UK collection shows how beds sit alongside wardrobes, chests and dressing tables.
For one adult, a small double is generous. You get space to read, stretch and keep a laptop or a book beside you without it sliding onto the floor. For two adults, it works best when both sleepers are fairly still and neither runs particularly warm.
Guest rooms are a common use for small double TV beds. Visitors appreciate a television that disappears when it is not needed, and the narrower frame leaves space for a desk or chair so the room can double as a study for the rest of the year.
Whichever direction you take, the mattress decides how the bed feels. A TV bed frame is designed around a specific mattress size, so a small double needs a 120 x 190 cm mattress, not a standard double squeezed in. A mattress that is too thick can also raise your sleeping height so much that your eye line meets the top of the footboard instead of the screen.
Check the recommended mattress depth on the product page and choose something within that range. Our small double fabric beds UK are listed with sizes that match standard UK mattresses, which removes a lot of guesswork when you order the two together.
Electric lifts are generally quiet, producing a low hum for the few seconds it takes to raise or lower the screen. Most people stop noticing it within a week. Speed varies slightly between mechanisms but is rarely a deciding factor.
What makes a difference is how often you will use it. If you watch television in bed most evenings, the convenience of a remote is easy to appreciate. If you only watch now and again, a TV bed still earns its place by keeping the screen hidden, which helps the bedroom feel calmer when you are trying to sleep.
A small double TV bed with an electric lift changes how you arrange the rest of the room. Because the television lives at the foot of the bed, you no longer need a separate stand or a wall bracket. That frees up a wall for storage or simply leaves it clear, which makes a compact room feel more open.
Keep bedside furniture slim. A cabinet around 40 cm wide sits comfortably beside a small double without crowding the walkway. For practical guidance on scaling these pieces, our article on choosing a bedside cabinet for a small UK bedroom covers widths, heights and drawer depth.
If the bedroom already has a television unit you are replacing, our guide to styling TV units with UK bedroom furniture is a useful reference for coordinating finishes so the room still feels joined up once the bed arrives.
Storage is worth considering alongside size, because a small room often relies on the bed to hold more than a mattress. Some small double TV beds offer an ottoman base that lifts on gas struts, while others have drawers along the sides. Both can be useful, but each behaves differently in a compact room.
Drawers need clear floor space to pull out, which can be scarce if the bed sits close to a wall or wardrobe. An ottoman base opens upwards instead, so it works in tighter layouts, provided nothing is mounted low on the wall above the bed. In either case, remember that the lift housing occupies part of the space at the foot end, so storage will be slightly shorter than the mattress itself.
If you choose a frame without integrated storage, low lidded boxes can slide beneath many designs. Check the clearance under the side rails before buying boxes, as TV bed frames vary in how close they sit to the floor.
Answer three questions honestly. How wide is the space between the walls once you allow for walkways? How wide is the television you already own, or plan to buy? Where is the nearest socket to the foot of the bed?
If the room is tight and the screen is modest, a small double TV bed with an electric lift is likely to suit you well. If the room is generous and you want a larger screen, look at a wider frame and treat the lift as a standard feature to compare on quality. Either way, our team at Furniture in Fashion lists the key measurements on every product page, and we offer free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
Yes. Many small double TV beds use an electric lift as standard. The narrower footboard usually limits the maximum screen width, so check the listed screen size and weight before ordering.
A small double takes a 120 x 190 cm mattress in standard UK sizing. Keep within the recommended mattress depth so the footboard does not block your view of the screen.
They do. The motor runs from the mains, so plan for a socket within easy reach of the foot of the bed and route the cable safely along the skirting.
It can be, particularly for couples who are comfortable sharing a slightly narrower mattress. If either sleeper moves a lot, a standard double or larger may feel more restful.
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