Double bed: what size to choose and what to look at besides looks

A bed is bought once for many years, and it is almost always chosen with the eyes: you scroll through photographs, find a beautiful one, order it. Then it turns out you cannot get past on one side, the headboard has covered the socket, and it is cramped for two. Let's go through it properly, so that a year from now there is nothing to regret.

First, the uncomfortable truth: the most important part of a bed is the mattress

It is slightly awkward for a bed maker to admit, but there it is. You sleep on the mattress, not on the headboard. The bed is responsible for the size, for how comfortable it is to sit on, for how it looks and how the room feels. Sleep is the mattress's job. So the order is this: first the bed size and the mattress, then the model that fits them. Not the other way round.

What size to choose

On our site beds are made in widths of 140, 160, 180 and 200 cm — and in any other width if needed. The reference points are simple:

• For one adult — from 70 cm wide, but comfortable from 90.
• For a couple — from 140 cm. Ideally each person should still have about 20 centimetres to the edge of the mattress.
• In length, the bed should be 10–15 cm longer than the taller partner. At 185 cm tall, a 190 cm bed means hitting the end with your feet every night.

If you are choosing between a beautiful bed with wide side rails and a more compact one with a bigger mattress — take the bigger mattress. Wide rails look striking, but you do not sleep on them.

A non-standard size is perfectly normal

To us it makes no difference whether it is 160×200 or 143×157. We build the bed around any mattress size, and these orders come in more and more often. The reasons vary: someone is shipping furniture to a new home in another country and buying a mattress there in a different measuring system (193×203, for instance), someone has an alcove in the wall, someone has an old frame they are attached to. One warning: a non-standard bed drags a non-standard mattress behind it, and later non-standard bed linen. If there is no concrete reason to leave the standard, it is simpler to stay within 160, 180 or 200.

The most common mistake: confusing outer dimensions with mattress size

The outer dimensions of a bed and the mattress size are different things. To the mattress you add rails, side panels and the headboard, so a bed for a 180×200 mattress takes up noticeably more room than that. Before ordering, check three things:

1. The walkway. On both sides there should be room to walk past and to make the bed, not to squeeze through.
2. The sockets. This is our classic: a wide headboard covers exactly the bedside sockets that were put there for the lamp and the chargers.
3. The wardrobe doors. Check that they open with the bed in place.

The outer dimensions are on each model's page, and the 3D models can be downloaded to place the bed in your room plan before ordering.

Headboard: think about what you do in bed

If the bed is only for sleeping, the headboard is mostly about looks. If you also read, work or watch television in it, choose a soft headboard, preferably with side panels: it creates a cocoon effect that makes it easier to unwind. Headboard height should be measured against the room: account for the ceiling height, shelves and anything hanging above the bed. If nothing restricts you, a tall headboard becomes the room's focal point.

Rails and legs are about safety, not only design

If there is little space around the bed, choose models with a soft base, rounded corners and legs set back under the frame. You will not hurt yourself on those at night. Tall legs have their advantages too: it is easier to clean underneath, and they are the option for rooms with underfloor heating. But they are also exactly what you catch your little toe on.

Storage box: yes or no

A storage box is extra space that, over time, tends to turn into a depot for things nobody needs. The lifting mechanism makes the bed more expensive, and the box makes it harder to air the mattress. Our advice is simple: take it if you genuinely have nowhere to keep bed linen and seasonal things. If you have a wardrobe, don't. The box can be fitted to many models — for example Grand Nobel, Continental, Oberig, Pure and Hippo. Each model's page says whether it is possible.

A bed you can wash whole

Sonia deserves a paragraph of her own. Her cover comes off completely — off the whole bed, not just the cushions. It can be taken off and washed. It sounds like a detail, right up until you have children, animals, or the habit of having breakfast in bed. After the first spilled coffee, the difference between "call the dry cleaner" and "take the cover off and put it in the machine" becomes very tangible. It is one of those features you look at last when buying and find most important two years later.

One mattress or two

If the two of you differ noticeably in height, weight, build or sleeping habits, it makes sense to take two separate mattresses instead of one. Sleeping becomes more comfortable for both, and carrying them up the stairs is far easier.

Fabric: the one that survives your life

A bed lives in the bedroom, but the fabric on it works as hard as on a sofa: dust, coffee, a child, a cat. Choose upholstery that cleans easily, and if you have animals, look at the hard-wearing fabrics. The fabric gallery is on the site, and the samples can be seen in person in our showroom in Cascais, at Joaquim Teotónio Segurado 68A.

Some of our double beds

• Continental — tall headboard with piping, classic shape.
• Grand Nobel — a large bed with a wide headboard.
• Oberig — soft headboard with piping, calm geometry.
• Hippo — a low bed with a soft base.
• Pure — spare and simple, with a rail running all the way round.
• Barvy — a statement headboard.
• Ruta — two materials combined on the headboard and the frame.
• Sonia — the cover comes off completely; the bed can be washed.

All models are in the bed catalogue. Any of them can be made to your mattress size.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ideal width for a double bed?
For a couple, from 140 cm; comfortable at 160 or 180. We make beds 140, 160, 180 and 200 cm wide, and outside those sizes too.

How long should the bed be?
The mattress should be 10–15 cm longer than the taller partner.

Can a bed be made in a non-standard size?
Yes, almost any model can be made for any mattress size, even 193×203 or 143×157. Bear in mind that the mattress and the bed linen will also have to be non-standard.

How do a bed's outer dimensions differ from the mattress size?
The outer dimensions are the whole bed, with rails, side panels and headboard. They are always larger than the mattress, and they are what you measure against the room.

Is there a bed whose cover can be removed and washed?
Yes, Sonia: the cover comes off the whole bed, not just the cushions.

Is the mattress included in the price of the bed?
No, the mattress is paid for separately.

Can a storage box be fitted?
On many models, yes. It is stated on each model's page on the site.

How long does a bed take to make?
An individual order takes 25 to 44 working days.