Short answer: Start with the wall, not the bed. A Full Ara bed with a Round or Square headboard is 169.6 cm (66.8 inches) wide, so a wall of about 231 cm (91 inches) leaves 61 cm (24 inches) beside it. Our Talus nightstand is 43.5 cm (17.1 inches) square, which keeps a bedside surface within reach in a small room. Leave 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 inches) beside the bed, and at least 76 cm (30 inches) to walk past the foot of the bed, with 91 cm (36 inches) more comfortable.
Tight bedrooms rarely fail because the bed is too big. They fail because the bed, a nightstand and a door swing each take a little more than expected. The sections below turn that into numbers you can check against your own walls.
On This Page
- How much clearance does a bed need?
- How much room does each Ara bed take?
- Which nightstand is slim?
- Three example layouts, with the sums
- Where can you buy bedroom furniture that fits in tight spaces?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our bedroom range
How much clearance does a bed need?
Plan the walking space first and fit the furniture inside it. These are the spaces to protect, and they are general advice, not product specifications.
- Beside the bed: leave 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 inches) on the side you get in and out, and nearer 91 cm if the room allows. Our bedroom furniture buying guide covers the order to buy things in.
- At the foot and along any main path: 76 cm (30 inches) is the minimum and 91 cm (36 inches) is more comfortable, which lets you pass and make the bed without turning sideways.
- Doors and wardrobes: let the door swing fully without touching the bed or a nightstand. If it cannot, move the bed before changing anything else.
- Windows and heaters: leave room to open the window and do not push the headboard or a nightstand against a heat source.
- Drawers: if you choose the storage frame, the drawers open to the side, so the space beside the bed has to hold an open drawer as well as you. Our Ara storage guide shows how much room they need.
How much room does each Ara bed take?
Two measurements matter in a tight room: the width of the headboard, which is the widest part of the bed, and the front-to-back depth of the whole bed. The frame alone is narrower than the headboard, so plan around the headboard.
How much room does each Ara bed take?
| Size | Frame, W x D | Round or Square headboard width | Total depth, Round or Square | Wall width for 61 cm (24 in) beside the bed | Wall width for 91 cm (36 in) beside the bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 158.5 x 203.5 cm (62.4 x 80.1 inches) | 169.6 cm (66.8 inches) | 210.8 cm (83 inches) | 230.6 cm (90.8 inches) | 260.6 cm (102.6 inches) |
| Queen | 173.5 x 216.5 cm (68.3 x 85.2 inches) | 185.6 cm (73.1 inches) | 223.5 cm (88 inches) | 246.6 cm (97.1 inches) | 276.6 cm (108.9 inches) |
| King | 202.3 x 216.5 cm (79.6 x 85.2 inches) | See the customisation guide | 223.5 cm (88 inches) | Add the headboard width to the space beside the bed | Add the headboard width to the space beside the bed |
The wall widths are our arithmetic: headboard width plus the space beside the bed (for example, Full: 169.6 + 61 = 230.6 cm). Add the width of a nightstand if one sits on the open side. The frame sizes are for the non-storage frame; the storage frame is slightly wider (162.3 cm for a Full, 177.7 cm for a Queen and 205.7 cm for a King).
The headboard changes the numbers. The Pillow headboard is narrower than Round or Square (160.6 cm for a Full, 176.6 cm for a Queen), but the whole bed is 11.4 cm (4.5 inches) deeper. The Extended headboard is far wider, 278.3 cm (109.6 inches) for a Full, so it suits a wide wall rather than a tight one. Our Ara customisation guide lists all the headboard and frame measurements.
Which nightstand is slim?
Our Talus nightstand is square, so the width you give up beside the bed is the same as the depth you give up toward the room.
Which nightstand is slim?
| Nightstand | Size, W x D x H | Finishes | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talus | 43.5 x 43.5 x 55 cm (17.1 x 17.1 x 21.7 inches) | Oak, Walnut | A reversible drawer you can place on top or at the bottom, a cord pass-through and extended side panels that help keep things from slipping off the top |
Talus is ash wood veneer over MDF, and its drawer can sit either way up to suit how you reach for it. If a nightstand does not fit beside the bed, our nightstand guide covers height, width and other ways to keep a surface within reach. You can see it on our nightstands page.
Three example layouts, with the sums
These rooms are examples, not products. The arithmetic uses the sizes in the table above and the Talus width of 43.5 cm (17.1 inches).
- A 3.05 x 3.05 m room (10 x 10 feet) with a Full bed. Put the headboard against one wall and a Talus beside it. The wall is 304.8 cm: 304.8 minus 169.6 for the headboard minus 43.5 for the nightstand leaves 91.7 cm (36.1 inches) beside the bed. The bed is 210.8 cm deep, which leaves 94.0 cm (37 inches) at the foot.
- A 2.44 x 3.96 m room (8 x 13 feet) with a Full bed. The wall is 243.8 cm. A Round or Square headboard leaves 74.2 cm (29.2 inches) beside the bed, which is inside the 61 to 91 cm range. The Pillow headboard is narrower and leaves 83.2 cm (32.8 inches), so it gives the most room. There is no room for a nightstand beside the bed here (74.2 minus 43.5 leaves only 30.7 cm); use a wall-mounted shelf at bed height instead, as a general idea. The deeper Pillow bed still leaves about 174 cm (68.5 inches) at the foot.
- A 3.35 x 3.66 m room (11 x 12 feet) with a Queen bed. Put the headboard on the 3.35 m wall (335.3 cm). With a Round headboard and one Talus the space beside the bed is 106.2 cm (41.8 inches), and 142 cm (56 inches) remain at the foot. A second nightstand would cut the space to 62.7 cm (24.7 inches), which just meets the 61 cm minimum but leaves no spare room, so keep one and use the other side for walking.
Where can you buy bedroom furniture that fits in tight spaces?
We sell the bed and the nightstand, and we list their sizes so you can do the sums above before you order. Our bedroom collection has the Ara bed, our mattresses and the Talus nightstand. For storage that does not need floor space, our small bedroom storage guide covers under-bed options and where to put a dresser.
Our recommendation
- A 3.05 x 3.05 m room: a Full Ara with a Round headboard and one Talus. A Queen also fits, leaving 75.7 cm (29.8 inches) beside the bed (304.8 minus 185.6 minus 43.5), but a 3.35 m wall gives more room.
- A 3.35 m wall or wider: a Queen Ara with a Round headboard and one Talus.
- A narrow room, about 2.44 m wide: a Full Ara with the Pillow headboard, which leaves the most room beside the bed, no nightstand beside the bed and a shelf on the wall.
- Not enough wall for a Queen: choose a Full, because the headboard is 16 cm (6.3 inches) narrower.
- You need the drawers: choose the storage frame only if the open side keeps room for a drawer and your path.
Explore our bedroom range
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.