For most city apartments, a standard double high gloss bed (135cm by 190cm mattress) is the size that balances comfort and floor space best. A small double (120cm by 190cm) suits compact second bedrooms and single sleepers, while a king size (150cm by 200cm) only makes sense if your bedroom can keep at least 60cm of clear space on both sides and at the foot. Super king frames rarely suit a typical urban flat unless the principal bedroom is unusually generous.
The honest answer, though, is that the right size depends on your room rather than the bed. Measure first, then choose. Our range of high gloss beds UK sale covers every standard size, and the guidance below will help you narrow down which one your apartment can comfortably take.
These are the standard UK mattress dimensions. Frames add to them, so treat these as the minimum footprint.
A gloss frame typically adds a few centimetres to the width and length, and a headboard adds more to the length. Some designs with integrated bedside shelves or wide side rails can add considerably more. Always check the external dimensions of the specific bed rather than the mattress size alone.
It also helps to think about the bed as part of the whole room rather than on its own. Our range of modern bedroom furniture UK lists dimensions for wardrobes, chests and bedside cabinets too, so you can plan the full layout at once.
Urban flats, whether purpose built blocks, warehouse conversions or flats carved out of period houses, share a few traits that affect bed choice. Bedrooms are often compact, built in wardrobes or awkward boxing can take a bite out of the floor plan, and windows or radiators frequently sit on the walls you would most like to use for the headboard.
Access is the other consideration. Lifts, communal stairwells and narrow hallways can limit what you can physically get into the flat. Large headboards that arrive as a single panel are the usual culprit, so it is worth measuring the tightest point on the route to your bedroom before you order anything.
Start with the obvious wall to wall measurements, then note the details that actually decide what fits:
Mark the external footprint of the bed on the floor with masking tape. Then walk around it. You should be able to reach both sides of the bed, open the wardrobe fully and get through the door without turning sideways. If any of these feel tight on tape, they will feel tighter once a real frame is in place.
Around 60cm of space on each side you need to access and at the foot of the bed is a sensible working minimum. Around 75cm feels comfortable. Where a wardrobe faces the bed, allow for the full depth of the open door plus enough room to stand in front of it.
Many apartments have a second bedroom that works as a guest room, nursery or study. Here, a small double is often the most useful choice. It sleeps one adult comfortably and two at a pinch, and the extra 15cm saved compared to a double can be the difference between fitting a bedside cabinet and not. In very narrow rooms, positioning the bed against a wall saves even more space, although it does mean one person has to climb in from the end.
Most principal bedrooms in city flats suit a double. It gives a couple enough room to sleep well while leaving space for bedside furniture and a wardrobe. Our modern double high gloss beds UK include low profile designs that keep the room feeling open.
If your main bedroom is generously proportioned, a king size frame becomes realistic. Use the tape test to confirm you can keep the clearances above. Remember that a king size is also 10cm longer than a double, which matters in rooms where the bed faces a wardrobe.
In a studio, the bed shares space with the living area. A double is usually the upper limit, and a frame with integrated storage earns its place by replacing a chest of drawers. A low headboard keeps sightlines clear across the room, so the bed does not dominate the view from the sofa.
Gloss finishes reflect light, which is a genuine advantage in flats where bedrooms may have one small window or face a neighbouring building. A white or pale grey gloss frame bounces daylight around the room and helps it feel less boxed in. The smooth, uninterrupted surfaces also look tidy, which matters in a room you see every day.
Gloss is also practical. It wipes clean easily, which is useful in city homes where dust from traffic and building work can settle quickly. A soft microfibre cloth is usually all you need.
Coordinating the bed with wardrobes and chests in the same gloss tone also helps a compact room feel calmer, because the eye reads one continuous finish rather than several competing ones.
In an apartment, the space under the bed is too valuable to waste. Gloss beds with drawers or an ottoman lift base can absorb bedding, out of season clothing and suitcases, freeing up wardrobe space. If you are choosing between a larger bed without storage and a slightly smaller bed with storage, the smaller storage bed often makes the room feel more spacious overall because it keeps surfaces clear.
Check how drawers open before you commit. Side drawers need clear floor space beside the bed to pull out fully. End drawers need space at the foot. Ottoman beds lift from the top and need no extra floor space, which makes them particularly well suited to tight layouts.
The frame size and the mattress size must match exactly. UK and European sizes differ, so a European mattress will not always fit a UK frame. Mattress depth matters too. A deep mattress on a high frame can make the bed feel bulky in a small room, while a moderate depth keeps the profile lower and the room calmer. If you are buying both together, our mattresses UK sale range lists dimensions clearly so you can match them to your frame.
Once the bed is chosen, the space either side determines what bedside furniture you can use. A cabinet around 40cm wide fits most compact layouts, and wall mounted shelves or floating bedside units free up the floor entirely. Our guide to bedside cabinets in small UK bedrooms covers widths, heights and layouts in more detail.
Wall lights are another space saver. They light the bed for reading without taking up any surface, and they look neat against a gloss headboard.
If you are still unsure, these rules of thumb help:
If you are leaning towards the larger end of the scale, our guide to UK king size bed dimensions for frame, mattress and room explains how much space a king size really needs once the frame is included.
Whichever size suits your apartment, you can browse every option at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
A standard double is the most common choice for principal bedrooms in UK flats, as it suits couples without overwhelming a modest room. Small doubles are often used in second bedrooms.
Not necessarily. If you can tape out the full frame footprint and still keep around 60cm of clear space on both sides and at the foot, a king size will fit comfortably.
Around 60cm on any side you need to access is a practical minimum, with 75cm feeling more comfortable. Allow extra space where wardrobe doors or drawers need to open.
Gloss reflects light, so white and pale grey frames in particular help a small room feel brighter and more open. A low headboard also helps by keeping the walls visible.
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