We spend about ⅓ of our lives sleeping and more time on our beds than on any other piece of furniture in our homes.
The bedroom is both the launching pad and landing pad for our day. It’s where we jump out of bed or hit the snooze button in the morning, and it’s where we retreat to unwind or sleep in the evening. With these dual daily duties, this personal space profoundly impacts our well-being and our interactions with the world. That’s why it is so important to thoughtfully design the bedroom from ceiling fixtures to floor coverings. These details have a ripple effect beyond how we simply experience this space.
Below are some tips to help you give your bedroom the design attention it deserves. Consider them a framework to support rather than supplant your design style. And, as always, let me know if you have any other suggestions!
Mattress Sizes
Crib 28” x 53”
Twin 39” x 66”-76”
TwinXL 39” x 75”-80”
Full 54” x 75”-84”
Queen 60” x 80”
QueenXL 60” x 84”
King 76” x 80”
Cal King 78” x 84”
Pillow Sizes
Standard 20″ x 26”
Queen 20″ x 30”
King 20″ x 36”
Euro 26″ x 26″
Headboard Sizes
Headboards are typically 48” high.
Remember: The higher the headboard, the more headboard will show above the pillows and the more the headboard will become the room’s focal point.
Dresser & Armoire Sizes
A typical 6-drawer, rectangular dresser measures 60” w x 20” d X 30”h.
A typical armoire measures 60”w x 17”d x 60”h.
Nightstand Sizes
A typical nightstand measures 20”w x 20”d x 24”-28”h.
The nightstand height should match the height of the top of the mattress or be 3 inches plus or minus from the top of the mattress.
Remember: Nightstand dimensions can increase or decrease depending on the size of the bed. The nightstand should be proportional to the size of the bed.
Rug Sizes
The bed and rug sizes listed below work best together. You can also opt for runners on either side of the bed.
Cal King 12’ x 15’
King 9’ x 12’
Queen 8’ x 10’
Full 6’ x 9’
Twin 5’ x 8’
Keep 2’ of the rug on all sides of the bed (except the back which is usually up against the wall).
At a minimum, the front legs of the bed should be on the rug.
Maintain 36” of spacing around the bed for traffic flow.
The rug should fit under the dresser or stop 2-3 inches before the furniture. The rug should not push up against the edges of the furniture.
Nightstands should have all 4 legs either on or off the rug.
Overhead Lighting
Choose a lighting diameter in inches equal to the sum of the length and width of the room in feet (i.e., 10’x12’ room = 22” diameter fixture).
Hang the light 7’ from the floor.
If the ceiling height is greater than 8’ you can add 5” per additional foot. (So if your ceilings are 9’ high, the light would hang 7’-5”’ from the floor.)
Bedside Lighting
Your bedside lamp should be about ⅓ the surface size of the nightstand.
The bedside lampshade diameter should be less than the nightstand width.
The bottom of a table lamp shade should be at chin height when you are sitting up in bed.
Bedside sconces should measure 50”-60” from the floor to the top of the fixture or just above your shoulder when you are sitting up in bed.
Benches
Benches at the foot of your bed should be shorter than the bed.
Measurements of ¾ the bed width and 2”-3” less than the mattress height is the general rule.
Artwork
Hang artwork 4”-6” above the top of your headboard.
In general, hang artwork at eye level, about 60” from the floor to the center of the artwork. Artwork should measure about 60%-80% of the width of the furniture it hangs above.
