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How to Measure Up for Storage Cabinets: A Simple Sizing Guide
October 29, 2026

How to Measure Up for Storage Cabinets: A Simple Sizing Guide

Most furniture mistakes begin with a tape measure. Walls are rarely straight, floors often slope and the space you picture is not always the space you have. This simple sizing guide takes you through measuring for a storage cabinet step by step so it fits first time and looks as though it belongs. We explain the basic kit you need, why width should be measured at three heights, how skirting boards affect depth and why a tall cabinet needs extra headroom to be tilted upright. You will find typical depths for hallway, living room and display cabinets, advice on leaving enough clearance for doors and drawers, and a list of obstacles to check for, from sockets and radiators to coving and meter boxes. We also cover measuring the delivery route through doors and up stairs, marking out the footprint with tape, judging proportion against nearby furniture and a quick summary you can follow on the day....

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What Size Side Table Do You Need for a Snug?
October 19, 2026

What Size Side Table Do You Need for a Snug?

Snugs are small by nature, which is part of their charm. It also means that a side table which looks modest in a spacious lounge can feel bulky once it is placed beside a deep chair in a compact room. This guide sets out a straightforward sizing routine for a side table that fits your snug comfortably. We explain how to measure the arm or seat height of your sofa or chair, how to work out the footprint you can spare and why leaving breathing room on each side makes an arrangement look relaxed. We also cover walkways, door swings and radiators, the importance of visual weight in small rooms, and how to match a table to tub chairs, reading chairs with footstools and compact two seater sofas. There is advice on when storage is worth the extra bulk, a simple trick for testing a footprint before you buy and a list of common sizing mistakes to avoid....

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What Size Side Table Do You Need for a Garden Room?
October 18, 2026

What Size Side Table Do You Need for a Garden Room?

Most garden rooms suit a side table with a top of around 40 to 50cm across and a height close to the arm of the chair beside it, but the right size depends on how you use the space. A compact garden office needs something very different from a larger snug or studio at the end of the lawn. In this guide we explain how to measure your garden room properly, how to judge height against lower lounge seating, and how much clearance to leave around glazed and bifold doors. We look at sizes for different room footprints, why nesting tables are so useful in flexible spaces, and which materials cope with the temperature changes many garden buildings experience. There is also advice for garden rooms used as offices, plus answers to common questions to help you choose a side table that fits comfortably and works hard for you every single day....

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What Size Side Table Do You Need for a Bedroom?
October 18, 2026

What Size Side Table Do You Need for a Bedroom?

Choosing a bedside table is easier once you know which measurements actually matter. The most useful figure is the height of your mattress, because a table that sits level with it, or a few centimetres lower, is comfortable to reach whether you are sitting up with a book or fumbling for an alarm in the dark. From there, width and depth decide how the table relates to the bed and how much it projects into the room. In this guide we set out sensible sizes for single, double and king size beds, explain why depth is often more important than width in compact British bedrooms and show how to plan clearance around doors, radiators and wardrobes. We also look at how much surface you really need, whether drawers or open shelves suit you better and when mismatched pairs make more sense than a symmetrical set. Simple tips for box rooms and generous principal bedrooms round it off....

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4-Piece Bedroom Set Measurements Made Simple: Will It Fit Your Room?
September 15, 2026

4-Piece Bedroom Set Measurements Made Simple: Will It Fit Your Room?

Whether a four piece bedroom set fits comes down to four checks rather than floor area alone, and this guide works through each of them in order. We start with the measurements to take before browsing, including walls measured at two heights, ceiling height, radiator and door positions and the full access route from the front door to the bedroom. Then we cover typical dimensions for wardrobes, chests, bedside cabinets and UK bed sizes, the clearance figures that make a room comfortable to use every day, and a masking tape fit test that reveals problems no floor plan will. There is guidance on laying out the bed and storage around windows, doors and alcoves, options when the room is genuinely too small for four pieces, and answers to the sizing questions we are asked most often....

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How to Measure Your Room for a Traditional Bedroom Set in 10 Easy Steps
September 15, 2026

How to Measure Your Room for a Traditional Bedroom Set in 10 Easy Steps

Measuring a bedroom properly is the difference between a traditional set that fits comfortably and one that blocks a radiator or will not clear the stairs. This ten step guide covers everything worth recording before you order, starting with floor level room dimensions and ceiling heights, then working through the delivery route, fixed obstructions such as chimney breasts and sockets, and the bed position that dictates all remaining placement. It explains standard UK bed sizes, the walking space to allow around each side, and the drawer and door projections most people forget until the furniture arrives. The guide finishes with the particular quirks of traditional pieces, including deeper carcasses, cornices and tall footboards, plus a short FAQ on clearances and quoted dimensions. Common measuring mistakes are set out clearly, including skirting boards, carpet depth and mixed units, and there is a straightforward method for planning the layout on graph paper so several arrangements can be tested before anything is ordered or delivered....

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London vs the Rest of the UK: Furniture Size Style & Spend Differences
September 14, 2026

London vs the Rest of the UK: Furniture Size Style & Spend Differences

The difference between how London furnishes and how the rest of the UK furnishes comes down to floor area, tenure, ceiling height and access, not taste. In this analysis Furniture in Fashion traces each stylistic contrast back to a physical condition: the English Housing Survey records that flats make up a far larger share of London's stock and that more London households rent privately, which removes lofts, garages, sheds and every fitted solution from the equation. The report explains why room count matters more than floor area, why multi purpose rooms demand reconfigurable furniture such as sofa beds and extending tables, and why the high ceilings of period conversions offer storage volume that standard new builds elsewhere cannot. It is explicit that no reliable public dataset compares regional furniture spending, so no spend figures are presented, and closes with practical guidance on buying for adaptability, height and portability. Access, not room size, is the usual constraint....

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UK Nationally Described Space Standard Explained: Furniture Assumptions
September 14, 2026

UK Nationally Described Space Standard Explained: Furniture Assumptions

The Nationally Described Space Standard sets minimum internal areas for new homes in England on the explicit basis that those areas must hold furniture, storage and circulation, and Furniture in Fashion's 2026 report makes that furniture logic visible. The analysis explains that the standard binds only where a local planning authority has adopted it, sets out the standard UK bed, wardrobe, chest and bedside dimensions the areas implicitly assume, and gives the circulation clearances that decide whether a compliant room actually works. It examines why a room can meet its area and still fail, through wall fragmentation from doors, windows, radiators and chimney breasts, through reduced ceiling height in converted spaces, and through built in storage consumed by boilers and consumer units. The report concludes with practical guidance on furniture depth, on sliding versus hinged wardrobe doors, and on specifying second bedrooms honestly....

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How Much Does It Cost to Furnish a Home in the UK? 2026 Room-by-Room Index
September 14, 2026

How Much Does It Cost to Furnish a Home in the UK? 2026 Room-by-Room Index

No UK body publishes a national index for the cost of furnishing a home, so Furniture in Fashion's 2026 report indexes the requirement instead: what each room genuinely needs, at what dimensions, with what clearances. The analysis sets out a room by room framework covering living rooms, dining areas, main and second bedrooms, home offices and hallways, with the single measurement that decides whether each space works and the minimum circulation gap it must retain. It explains why piece counts concentrate in bedrooms while attention concentrates in living rooms, why access dimensions such as 76 cm doorways and turning staircases defeat more purchases than room size does, and why furnishing in room order rather than item order reduces replacement. The report also examines the second bedroom as the most commonly mis specified space in UK housing, and recommends a purchase sequence that starts with the largest footprint items and ends with lighting....

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UK Housing Stock by Region: The UK Breakdown
September 6, 2026

UK Housing Stock by Region: The UK Breakdown

Regional differences in British furniture buying are differences in building, not differences in taste, and Furniture in Fashion sets out why. This 2026 report reads the UK housing stock as a set of physical constraints: pre 1919 terraces offer ceiling height and alcoves but impose narrow halls and turning staircases, so upstairs furniture must be assembled upstairs. Newer housing reverses the problem, giving easy access and consistent room sizes while removing the unbroken wall length that sofas and storage need. Flats and period conversions are governed by lift car dimensions and communal stairs, which makes packed carton size the specification that matters. The analysis draws on the English Housing Survey and the Nationally Described Space Standard for context, gives standard dining clearances of around 60cm behind a chair, and declines to quote regional dwelling shares that should be taken from national statistics directly....

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