How to Measure Your Room for a Grey Bedroom Set in 8 Easy Steps

Measuring for a grey bedroom set takes about twenty minutes and saves a great deal of trouble later. Work through eight steps: measure the room, record the fixed obstacles, map the door swing, check the delivery route, plan the clearances, size the bed, size the storage, then test the layout on the floor with tape. Do them in that order and you will know exactly which set fits before you order anything.

Grey is the most requested bedroom finish in UK homes, and it is available in an unusually wide range of widths and depths. That choice is helpful only if you know your numbers. What follows is the process, with the figures that matter at each stage.

Step 1: Measure the room properly

Measure the length and width at floor level, then repeat at around waist height. Older houses rarely have parallel walls, and a room that is 3.2m at one end can be 3.14m at the other. Always work from the smallest reading.

Record the ceiling height too, at the lowest point if there is a slope or a boxed section. Tall grey wardrobes are often between 190cm and 216cm, so this figure decides whether a full height unit is possible.

Write everything down in centimetres. Mixing units is how mistakes happen.

Step 2: Record the fixed obstacles

Walk the room and note every feature that furniture cannot occupy: the radiator and its width, the window sill height, skirting board depth, the chimney breast and alcoves, sockets, the light switch and any loft hatch above.

Skirting is the one people forget. A deep skirting board of 15cm or more holds furniture away from the wall, adding two or three centimetres to the overall depth of every piece. In a tight alcove that is enough to stop a wardrobe fitting.

Measure alcoves at the back and at the front opening, because they are often narrower at one end.

Step 3: Map the door swing

Open the bedroom door fully and mark the arc it travels on the floor with masking tape. That area is unavailable, and it is usually larger than people picture.

Check any built in cupboard doors and the window opening too. A window that opens inwards will hit the top of a chest of drawers placed beneath it.

If the door swing is stealing a significant area, consider rehanging it to open the other way. It is a small job that can release enough space for a chest of drawers.

Step 4: Check the delivery route

This is the step that catches people out. Measure the narrowest point between the front door and the bedroom: the hallway width, the staircase turn, the landing and the bedroom door frame.

Compare that against the largest single component of the set you are considering. A wardrobe supplied flat packed is rarely a problem, but a preassembled wardrobe or a rigid bed frame can be. Check whether items arrive assembled before ordering.

Also note the ceiling height above the staircase turn, since a long panel needs diagonal clearance to swing round the bend.

Step 5: Plan the clearances

Furniture needs breathing room to function. Use these figures as minimums:

• 60cm beside the bed on the main access side, 45cm on the secondary side
• 75cm in front of a wardrobe with hinged doors, so the door opens fully and you can stand at it
• 90cm in front of a chest of drawers if the drawers are deep
• 45cm at the foot of the bed as a walkway, more if there is a radiator

Subtract these clearance zones from your floor plan. What remains is the area furniture can actually occupy, and it is always less than the raw room dimensions suggest.

Step 6: Size the bed

Bed sizes in the UK are consistent, but frames are not. A double mattress is 135cm by 190cm, yet the frame around it can add anywhere from 4cm to 25cm in width depending on the design.

Always use the external frame dimensions from the product listing rather than the mattress size. Check the headboard height as well if the bed sits under a window, because a tall headboard can block the sill.

Compare your options across our modern beds UK sale range and note the external width, external length and headboard height for each shortlisted frame.

Step 7: Size the storage

Grey wardrobes commonly come in 50cm, 100cm, 150cm and 200cm widths, with depths between 50cm and 60cm. The depth figure is the critical one, since it determines how far the unit intrudes into the walkway.

A depth of 58cm to 60cm allows clothes to hang square on the rail. Anything shallower usually means a pull out rail running front to back, which holds less. If you can only fit a shallow unit, accept the reduced capacity rather than forcing a deep one into a narrow room.

For drawers, measure the width and then add the drawer projection, which is roughly the same as the depth of the unit. Our modern chest of drawers UK sale listings give both figures, and both matter when the chest faces the bed.

Step 8: Test the layout with tape

The final step costs nothing and prevents most errors. Using masking tape, mark the footprint of every piece on the floor at full size. Include the clearance zones in a different colour.

Then live with it for a day. Walk the route from the door to the window. Stand where the wardrobe will be and open an imaginary door. Sit on the floor where the bed will sit and reach for where the bedside cabinet will go.

You will notice problems in ten minutes of walking around that no floor plan reveals. Adjust the tape until the room works, then take your final measurements from the tape rather than from the original plan.

Why grey makes the measuring easier

There is a practical advantage to a grey scheme beyond appearance. Because grey ranges are produced in so many widths, you can usually find a piece that fits an awkward dimension precisely, rather than compromising on a standard size.

Grey also tolerates mixing better than white or a specific wood tone. If you need a 45cm bedside cabinet from one collection to fit a tight gap, a similar grey from another range will usually sit comfortably alongside, particularly if both are matt.

Full grey collections and individual pieces are listed side by side at Furniture in Fashion, with dimensions given for every item so you can check them against your measurements before ordering.

Recording your measurements so they stay useful

Keep everything in one place, ideally a note on your phone rather than a scrap of paper that goes missing. List the room dimensions, the ceiling height, the delivery route bottleneck and the maximum width, depth and height available in each furniture position.

That last list is the one you will actually shop with. Rather than comparing your room against every product, you check each product against four numbers. It turns an overwhelming choice into a simple filter.

Photograph the room from the doorway and from each corner as well. Having images to hand makes it far easier to judge whether a piece will suit the space when you are browsing later.

If two people share the room, agree the layout before ordering. Measuring is straightforward, but rearranging a fully assembled wardrobe because one of you wanted it on the other wall is not.

Common measuring mistakes

Measuring only once and at one height is the most frequent error, followed by forgetting the skirting board. Both lead to furniture that almost fits.

Assuming the mattress size equals the bed size is another, as is ignoring the drawer projection on a chest placed opposite the bed. A chest that leaves 70cm of walkway sounds fine until the drawers open into 45cm of it.

Finally, people measure the room but not the route. There is little comfort in a wardrobe that fits the bedroom perfectly and cannot get past the stair turn.

Frequently asked questions

How much space do I need around a bed?

Allow 60cm on the main access side, 45cm on the other side, and 45cm at the foot. Less than that and making the bed becomes awkward.

What depth should a bedroom wardrobe be?

Between 58cm and 60cm allows clothes to hang square on a standard rail. Shallower units of around 50cm work but usually need a front to back pull out rail, which reduces capacity.

Do I need to measure the staircase?

Yes, if the bedroom is upstairs and any item arrives preassembled. Measure the narrowest point of the turn and the ceiling height above it, then compare with the largest component dimension.

Does grey furniture make a room look smaller?

Light and mid greys reflect a reasonable amount of light and keep rooms feeling open. Very dark charcoal absorbs light, so pair it with pale walls and flooring if the room is small.

Should I measure before or after new flooring?

Measure after, or allow for the finished floor height. A thick carpet with underlay can reduce the ceiling clearance by two centimetres or more, which matters for tall wardrobes.