The best beds for sloped ceiling bedrooms are low frames with a short headboard, or a headboard that can be left off, positioned so you can sit up in bed without your head meeting the slope. Low platform beds and slim upholstered frames work well. If you need storage, a foot end opening ottoman can suit a slope, provided the platform rises into the taller part of the room. Tall headboards, four poster frames and side opening ottomans placed under the slope are usually best avoided.<\/p>\n
Our modern beds UK<\/a> range includes many low profile frames, but the right choice depends on the shape of your room. Here is how to work it out.<\/p>\n In a room with a sloping ceiling, floor area tells only half the story. What matters is usable height at the points where you will sleep, sit and stand. Measure the following and write them down:<\/p>\n A simple sketch of the room in section, showing the slope as a line, makes it much easier to see where a bed will fit.<\/p>\n The single most useful measurement is the height you need when sitting up in bed. Sit upright on your current bed with your back against the headboard and ask someone to measure from the floor to the top of your head, then add a comfortable allowance above it. That figure is the minimum ceiling height you want above your pillows.<\/p>\n Lying down needs far less height, which is why many people happily sleep with their feet towards the low side of a slope. What becomes uncomfortable is sitting up to read, getting into bed or turning over and catching an elbow on the ceiling.<\/p>\n There are three common positions in a sloped room, and each suits a different shape of space.<\/p>\n If your room has a full height gable wall, placing the headboard there gives you the most headroom above the pillows, with the slopes rising on either side. This is often the most comfortable arrangement and allows a taller headboard.<\/p>\n Placing the head of the bed under the slope, with your feet towards the centre of the room, frees the tallest area for walking and standing. It only works if the sitting up height is available near the head of the bed, so measure carefully. A low headboard or no headboard at all is usually needed.<\/p>\n Running the bed along the knee wall, with one long side under the slope, keeps the centre of the room clear. It suits a single sleeper and is common in narrow attic rooms. The person on the low side will have less headroom, so this layout rarely suits a couple.<\/p>\n Every centimetre the mattress rises reduces your headroom. A low platform bed with a medium depth mattress keeps the sleeping surface down and gives you more space above. A tall ottoman with a deep mattress can lift you noticeably closer to the slope.<\/p>\n Check the platform height in the product details and add your mattress depth to find the finished height. Then subtract that from the ceiling height at the head of the bed to see how much room you will have when sitting up.<\/p>\n A low, simple headboard is the safest choice under a slope. Panelled or upholstered headboards of modest height work well, and some beds are designed with a headboard that can be left off entirely. Avoid tall or wingback headboards unless the bed sits against a full height wall.<\/p>\n If you love the look of a statement headboard, a bed against the gable wall is the place for it. Elsewhere, consider painting a band of colour on the knee wall behind the bed to create the effect of a headboard without any height at all.<\/p>\n Storage is valuable in loft rooms, which often lack space for a full height wardrobe. An ottoman can help, but the opening direction is crucial. A foot end opening ottoman, positioned with its head under the slope, lifts the platform into the taller part of the room. A side opening ottoman placed with its long side under the slope may not open fully.<\/p>\n Drawer bases can also work, provided the drawers open into the room rather than towards the knee wall.<\/p>\n The low space between the knee wall and the point where you can comfortably stand is often wasted. Low chests of drawers, built in cupboards or baskets fit neatly here. Our bedroom furniture UK<\/a> collection includes low pieces that sit comfortably under a slope, and a low unit from the modern chest of drawers UK<\/a> range can tuck into the eaves, leaving the taller areas of the room clear for walking and dressing.<\/p>\n Before choosing a chest, check the height of the slope at the point where it will stand and allow enough space to open the top drawer fully, and to stand in front of it without stooping.<\/p>\n Dormer windows create pockets of full height within a sloped room, and they can be excellent places for a bed if the dormer is wide enough. A bed set into a dormer, with the headboard against the window wall, gains headroom and a view, though you will need good curtains or blinds to manage light and draughts.<\/p>\n Skylights bring welcome daylight into loft rooms, but a skylight directly above the pillows can feel exposed and lets in early light in summer. Placing the bed so the skylight sits above the foot rather than the head is often more comfortable. Check, too, that the window can be opened easily from where you stand, rather than requiring you to climb onto the bed.<\/p>\n Bedside tables need to fit beneath the slope too, which favours low designs. Our bedside cabinets UK sale<\/a> range includes compact and low cabinets that sit neatly beside a low bed. If you are fitting several pieces into the room, our guide on whether you can put a chest of drawers in a small UK room<\/a> covers the clearances in more detail.<\/p>\n Lighting needs some thought. A pendant light rarely works close to a slope, so wall lights mounted on the gable wall or knee wall, or table lamps on low bedside tables, are often better. If you have a skylight above the bed, consider a blackout blind designed for roof windows, as morning light can be very bright. For more on how ceiling height affects lighting choices, our article on UK ceiling heights by property age and lighting<\/a> is a useful companion.<\/p>\n The usable floor area of a sloped room is smaller than its total floor area, so a bed that fits on paper may feel cramped in reality. A double or small double often suits loft rooms better than a king, especially when the bed runs parallel to the slope. A single is a sensible choice for a narrow attic or a child’s room.<\/p>\n If the room is wide with a full height gable wall, a king size bed can work well, as long as both sleepers have enough sitting up height.<\/p>\n Loft conversion stairs are often steep and narrow, sometimes with a tight turn at the top. Measure the stair width, the headroom above the stairs and any turns before ordering. A bed that arrives in several parts, with a separate headboard and side rails, is far easier to carry up than one with a single large base.<\/p>\nStart by measuring the slope, not just the floor<\/h3>\n
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The sitting up test<\/h3>\n
Where to place the bed<\/h3>\n
Headboard against the gable wall<\/h3>\n
Headboard against the knee wall<\/h3>\n
Bed parallel to the slope<\/h3>\n
Bed height matters more than usual<\/h3>\n
Choosing the headboard<\/h3>\n
Storage beds under a slope<\/h3>\n
Making use of the eaves<\/h3>\n
Dormers, skylights and windows<\/h3>\n
Bedside furniture and lighting<\/h3>\n
Choosing the right size<\/h3>\n
Getting the bed up the stairs<\/h3>\n
Bringing it together<\/h3>\n