What bed size should you choose: 140, 160 or 180?
By Nassim Hasni, publisher of DecoScale · published
Under 10 m², a 140 × 190 cm bed is usually the most you can fit; from 10 to 15 m², a 160 × 200 cm becomes possible; beyond 15 m², it is a comfortable standard. You also need room around it: 50 to 60 cm of walkway on each accessible side. Here is the size by room, the head wall you need and the width per sleeper.
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What bed size for your bedroom's floor area?
According to the retailer Drawer, the floor area of the bedroom decides above all. The chart gives its advice.
| Bedroom floor area | Advised bed size (Drawer) |
|---|---|
| Under 10 m² | 140 × 190 cm at most |
| 10 to 15 m² | 140 cm is safe; 160 × 200 cm possible if the layout is well planned |
| Over 15 m² | 160 × 200 cm a very comfortable standard; 180 × 200 cm worth considering |
Benchmarks of the retailer Drawer, not checked by DecoScale.
Common sizes are 90 × 190 cm for one person, 140 × 190 or 140 × 200 cm, the standard for two in a compact space, 160 × 200 cm, called “queen”, and 180 × 200 cm, called “king”. Chambre Luxe adds 200 × 200 cm, for a suite or a very spacious room. A long, narrow bedroom offers fewer possibilities than a slightly smaller square one: floor area does not say everything, the head wall counts.
What head wall for a 140, 160 or 180 bed?
The width of the sleeping surface, plus the frame, plus the walkway on each accessible side: Chambre Luxe advises about 50 to 60 cm. The chart assumes a frame and headboard 10 cm wider than the sleeping surface, as the small bedroom layout page does, and distinguishes a bed reachable from both sides from one with a side against a wall.
| Bed (sleeping surface, cm) | Head wall, both sides reachable (50 to 60 cm each) (cm) | Head wall, one side against a wall (50 to 60 cm) (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| 140 | 250 to 270 | 200 to 210 |
| 160 | 270 to 290 | 220 to 230 |
| 180 | 290 to 310 | 240 to 250 |
Width of the sleeping surface + 10 cm of frame + the walkway. Walkway: Chambre Luxe, not checked by DecoScale.
The walkways are a source's: DecoScale does not check the walkway around the bed. It places the bed against the wall by its head, so by its short side, within 15 cm of the wall, and the bedside tables against it, at most 15 cm away; the width of two bedside tables adds to the head wall: see the bedside table size guide.
What width per sleeper?
The width of the bed divided by two: 70 cm for a 140, 80 cm for a 160, 90 cm for a 180. According to Drawer, a 140 cm bed leaves little individual space, the 160 cm brings a real gain in comfort, especially if you move in the night, and the 180 cm gives each person their own space.
Do you need a rug under the bed?
The rug dresses the bed: it extends past it at the sides and the foot. Rug sizes, bed by bed, are on the rug size guide.
How does DecoScale place the bed?
First in the bedroom, against the wall by its head. It accepts a listing 80 to 250 cm wide as a bed, and offers a mattress to the size of the sleeping surface. The bed comes from the catalogue, at its real dimensions. These rules are penalties, not bans: in a small bedroom, the engine looks for the layout that breaks the fewest. The plan of the room comes from your photos and two tape-measure dimensions: see the Method page. The other distances in a bedroom are on the room layout dimensions page.
Frequently asked questions
What bed size for a 9 m² bedroom?
A 140 × 190 cm at most, according to the retailer Drawer, to keep a minimum of room to move.
Does a 160 bed fit in a 12 m² bedroom?
It is possible from 10 to 15 m² if the layout is well planned, according to Drawer. You need a head wall of at least 290 cm for a 50 to 60 cm walkway on each side.
What head wall for a 140 bed?
250 to 270 cm with a 50 to 60 cm walkway on both sides, 200 to 210 cm if one side touches the wall, counting 10 cm for the frame.
What width per person in a 160 bed?
80 cm, half the width of the bed. A 140 bed gives 70 cm each, a 180 bed 90 cm.
How much room to leave around a bed?
About 50 to 60 cm of walkway around the accessible sides, according to Chambre Luxe. DecoScale does not check that walkway.
How does DecoScale place the bed?
Against the wall by its head, within 15 cm of the wall; the bedside tables are placed against it, at most 15 cm away.