Short answer: Start with the wall, not the bed. A Full Ara bed with a Round or Square headboard is 66.8 inches wide, so a wall of about 91 inches leaves 24 inches beside it. Add the width of a nightstand if one sits on the open side. Leave 24 to 36 inches beside the bed, and at least 30 inches to walk past the foot of the bed, with 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?
- How do you fit a nightstand into a tight bedroom?
- 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 24 to 36 inches on the side you get in and out, and nearer 36 inches if the room allows. Our bedroom furniture buying guide covers the order to buy things in.
- At the foot and along any main path: 30 inches is the minimum and 36 inches is more comfortable, which lets you pass and make the bed without turning sideways.
- Doors and closets: let the door swing fully without touching the bed or a nightstand. If it cannot, move the bed before changing anything else.
- Windows and radiators: 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 24 in beside the bed | Wall width for 36 in beside the bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 62.4 x 80.1 inches | 66.8 inches | 83 inches | 90.8 inches | 102.8 inches |
| Queen | 68.3 x 85.2 inches | 73.1 inches | 88 inches | 97.1 inches | 109.1 inches |
| King | 82.9 x 85.2 inches | 86.9 inches | 88 inches | 110.9 inches | 122.9 inches |
The wall widths are our arithmetic: headboard width plus the space beside the bed (for example, Full: 66.8 + 24 = 90.8 inches). 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 (63.9 inches for a Full, 70.0 for a Queen and 84.2 for a King).
The headboard changes the numbers. The Pillow headboard is narrower than Round or Square (63.2 inches for a Full, 69.5 for a Queen), but the whole bed is 4.5 inches deeper. The Extended headboard is far wider, 109.6 inches for a Full, so it suits a wide wall rather than a tight one. Our Ara customization guide lists all the headboard and frame measurements.
How do you fit a nightstand into a tight bedroom?
We do not list a nightstand on our US site, so this section is general advice, not a product specification. Work backward from the wall: subtract the headboard width and 24 inches beside the bed, and what is left is the most width a nightstand can have. On a 120-inch wall with a Full bed, that is 120 minus 66.8 minus 24, or 29.2 inches. On a 108-inch wall it is 17.2 inches, which fits only the slimmest nightstands.
When there is no room, a shelf mounted on the wall at bed height gives you a surface with no footprint on the floor. Check that the door swing and any storage drawers still clear before you commit. Our small bedroom storage guide covers other ways to keep things within reach.
Three example layouts, with the sums
These rooms are examples, not products. The arithmetic uses the sizes in the table above and a nightstand 17 inches wide.
- A 10 x 10 foot room with a Full bed. Put the headboard against one wall and a 17-inch nightstand beside it. The wall is 120 inches: 120 minus 66.8 for the headboard minus 17 for the nightstand leaves 36.2 inches beside the bed. The bed is 83 inches deep, which leaves 37 inches at the foot.
- An 8 x 13 foot room with a Full bed. The wall is 96 inches. A Round or Square headboard leaves 29.2 inches beside the bed, which is inside the 24 to 36 inch range. The Pillow headboard is narrower and leaves 32.8 inches, so it gives the most room. There is no room for a nightstand beside the bed here (29.2 minus 17 leaves only 12.2 inches); use a wall-mounted shelf at bed height instead, as a general idea. The deeper Pillow bed still leaves about 68.5 inches at the foot.
- An 11 x 12 foot room with a Queen bed. Put the headboard on the 11-foot wall (132 inches). With a Round headboard and one 17-inch nightstand the space beside the bed is 41.9 inches, and 56 inches remain at the foot. A second nightstand would cut the space to 24.9 inches, which just meets the 24 inch minimum but leaves no spare room, so keep one and use the other side for walking.
For a floor plan of your own room, you can book a free design consultation.
Where can you buy bedroom furniture that fits in tight spaces?
We sell the Ara bed in Full, Queen and King, and we list its sizes so you can do the sums above before you order. Our bedroom collection has the Ara bed and our mattresses. 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 10 x 10 foot room: a Full Ara with a Round headboard and one nightstand. A Queen also fits, leaving 29.9 inches beside the bed (120 minus 73.1 minus 17), but an 11 foot wall gives more room.
- An 11 foot wall or wider: a Queen Ara with a Round headboard and one nightstand.
- A narrow room, about 8 feet 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 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.