A double bed in the UK is 190cm long, which is 6ft 3in. The width is 135cm, or 4ft 6in. Length is the measurement people most often overlook, and it is the one that causes the most regret, because it is fixed across three of the five British bed sizes: single, small double and double are all 190cm long. Only king and super king step up to 200cm.
That means moving from a single to a double gains you 45cm of width and no additional legroom whatsoever. If your reason for changing beds is that your feet reach the end, a double will not solve it. A king size will, by adding 10cm.
A 190cm mattress suits anyone up to roughly 185cm tall comfortably, allowing a little room at the head and feet. Above that height, you will feel the end of the mattress, and once bedding is tucked in the sensation becomes more pronounced.
The practical test is simple. Lie on the bed as you normally sleep, with a pillow under your head, and see how much space remains beyond your feet. If it is less than about 5cm, the mattress is short for you. Remember also that many people sleep diagonally or with legs extended, which uses length that a straight measurement does not reveal.
Duvets complicate it further. A duvet tucked under the mattress at the foot pulls taut across the feet and makes a short bed feel shorter. Leaving the foot untucked helps, though it is a workaround rather than a fix.
If length is your issue, look at our modern king size fabric beds UK sale range, where the 200cm mattress length makes an immediate difference for taller sleepers.
Here is where planning goes wrong. The mattress is 190cm, but the bed you place in the room is longer. An upholstered frame with a padded footboard can add 12cm or more at the foot, and the headboard adds at its own end. A wooden frame with a solid footboard adds similar.
Realistically, allow 205cm to 215cm of floor length for a double bed, and check the specification of the particular frame rather than assuming. This matters enormously in rooms where the bed has to fit between two walls, in alcoves, and in loft rooms where a sloping ceiling limits how far the bed can sit from one side.
Frames without a footboard save the most length. Divan bases with a bolt on headboard are among the shortest overall, adding only the headboard depth. If your room is tight lengthways, that format is worth considering before compromising on size. Our modern double fabric beds UK listings state the full external dimensions so you can compare properly.
With a 135cm by 190cm mattress and a frame taking the footprint to roughly 155cm by 210cm, you then need circulation space. Allow 60cm on both long sides and at the foot where possible. That suggests a room of around 2.8m by 3m for a comfortable arrangement.
Where the room is narrower, place the bed against one long wall. You lose two sided access, which makes changing the sheets more awkward, but you gain a usable strip of floor for a wardrobe or chest of drawers. In a genuinely narrow room, this is the difference between a functional bedroom and a bed with nowhere to put clothes.
Where the room is short lengthways, the bed may need to sit across the room rather than along it, with the headboard against a long wall. Check the door swing before committing, since a door opening onto the foot of the bed is a daily irritation.
A small double at 120cm by 190cm suits one adult wanting more room, or a guest bedroom that must also hold furniture. It saves 15cm of width over a double, which can be exactly what a box room needs.
A standard double at 135cm by 190cm is the default for British couples and fits most main bedrooms. Each sleeper has 67.5cm, which is narrower than a single mattress, so it is workable rather than luxurious for two.
A king at 150cm by 200cm adds both width and the critical extra length. If the room measures at least 3m by 3.3m and either sleeper is tall, it is the sensible step. Our modern beds UK sale range lets you compare all three sizes in the same styles.
One further consideration is what else the bed has to do. If it doubles as somewhere to work, read or watch television, the extra length and width of a king pays back beyond sleeping. If the room is used only for sleeping, a double in a well proportioned room is perfectly adequate.
Double mattresses are the most widely available UK size, so choice is broadest here across pocket sprung, foam and hybrid constructions. That also means competitive pricing, which is worth knowing if you are weighing a better mattress against a larger frame.
Double bedding is likewise the easiest size to source. A double duvet is 200cm by 200cm and a fitted sheet is cut for a 135cm by 190cm mattress. Check the mattress depth when buying fitted sheets, because a deep mattress needs a deeper skirt or the corners will lift.
Support underneath is straightforward at this width, though a centre rail with a leg is still preferable on a 135cm base and prevents the mattress dipping over time. Browse our modern mattresses UK sale range and check the base recommendation for whichever construction you choose.
A double bed occupies a large share of a typical British bedroom, so the storage around it has to be efficient. Where floor space in front of the bed is limited, drawer bases cannot open properly, and a lift up base makes better use of the same volume.
Slim bedside cabinets keep the walkway clear, and a tall narrow chest of drawers holds as much as a wide low one while using less wall. Our modern chest of drawers UK sale range includes both proportions so you can choose according to the wall you have available.
Wardrobe depth is worth checking too. A standard wardrobe is around 58cm deep to allow hangers to sit square. Shallower units force clothes to hang front to back, which reduces capacity considerably.
You can see how bed, bedside and wardrobe proportions work together across the bedroom collections at Furniture in Fashion.
No. Both are 190cm long in the UK. A double is 45cm wider than a single but offers no additional legroom.
A king is 200cm long against a double at 190cm, so 10cm longer, as well as 15cm wider. That extra length is what benefits taller sleepers.
Allow 205cm to 215cm depending on the frame, since footboards and headboards add to the 190cm mattress length. Always check the frame’s external dimensions.
Extra long variants exist but sit outside standard UK sizing, which makes mattresses and bedding harder to source. Moving up to a king size is usually the simpler solution.
Up to around 185cm tall, yes. Beyond that the 190cm mattress starts to feel short, particularly with the duvet tucked in at the foot.
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