How I Fit A King Size Bed In My Small Bedroom And How You Can Too

Have you ever said “I’d love a bigger bed, but there is no way I could fit one in my bedroom?” or have you just accepted that a queen bed is all you will ever have, while dreaming of a roomy king size mattress?  Today I’m going to show you why that may be false and how maybe – just maybe – you can have the bedroom you have always dreamed of, even if your space is small.

Must have links:

Lifting storage bed

Nightstand dressers

My story

For many, many years I thought there was NO WAY we could ever fit a king bed in our small bedroom.  No way.  King beds were just too big and our rooms were just too narrow.  I blamed the 1960s and their petite beds and petite furniture.  Our house just wasn’t built for king size beds.  Or really any furniture for that matter, but that’s a different story.  

I would look at other peoples beds and say, man, I wish I could fit something that big in my room. 

It was only after moving into our new bedroom that was not much larger but had a slightly different layout that I realized I could possibly make a king work.

Do you know what made me change my mind? Research!

Dimensions

I started researching the dimensions of queen beds, king beds and California king beds and was so surprised by what I found out. King mattresses are the same length as queens! How did I not know that?  And with a 16″ increase in width, they are only 8″ larger per side.  

Here are the standard dimensions of each mattress:

Queen: 60″ wide by 80″ long

King: 76″ wide by 80″ long

Cal King: 72″ wide by 84″ long

Now, as you can see above, a California king is in fact longer, by 8 inches, but narrower than a normal king at only 72 inches.

So what does this all mean?

This means if you have enough space to walk around the bed at the foot of the bed, but extra width on the sides of the bed, you may in fact be able to fit a wider bed in the room!  

This was absolutely the case in our room.  Since our room was a long, narrow rectangle, I knew we had a bit of extra space on the side of our bed, but absolutely zero additional room at the foot of the bed (we still needed it as a walkway!). I got out my trusty measuring tape and measured, measured, measured!

By measuring the space and using masking tape to visualize the size of a king size bed, I was able to see that it was in fact possible to fit a bed and two mid sized dresser nightstands. It required removing the dresser that was in the room, but as long as I could figure out replacement storage for the dresser, I thought I could make it work. I was ecstatic!

How to fit a king size bed in a small master bedroom

Measure your space

Always the best first step.  Measure your room and compare it against the bed sizes listed below.  To make sure you can walk around your bed, you will need 18 inches at the minimum.  Make sure you have at least 18 inches on both sides of the bed and at the foot of the bed.  You will also want to factor in any bed frame you might purchase or use, since sometimes these can be significantly longer or wider than the mattress.  

Think about other furniture in the room

The key to fitting a king size bed in small master bedroom is to minimize the other furniture in the room.  Often there isn’t space for a big bed AND a dresser AND nightstands.  You have to consolidate and minimize the furniture with items that can do double duty.  

In our bedroom I swapped out the long 6 drawer dresser and the smaller nightstand for two 3 drawer dressers that could double as nightstands.  While this may seem like we gave up storage, we actually came out even.  The larger, deeper drawers on the new nightstands fully absorbed everything we had in our previous dresser and nightstands. 

By removing the dresser, we gained space for a larger bed and more floor space around the bed. 

Make sure you have enough storage

In a small bedroom, it always seems like there is never enough storage.  If you end up going for a larger bed, you may need to think outside the box and go with different storage alternatives instead of a dresser.  Here are a few additional ways to add storage to a small bedroom:

• Use dressers as nightstands
• Consider under the bed storage bins
• Add closet organizers to make better use of the space
• Store less frequently used items in other parts of the home
• Swap your bed frame for a storage bed

Choose the right bed frame

Our storage bed was a lucky Amazon find.  While searching for a new king size bed frame I started looking at storage beds with drawers underneath.  While I loved the idea of drawers for storage, I worried out dresser nightstands would be in the way, making them non functional.

Then I stumbled upon this bed that lifted using hydraulics and though it was such a unique way to use the space under the bed.  Not only was it easy to access, but the entire storage space was “hidden” from view, thanks to the base that wraps around the space from mattress to floor. 

This bed has added a tremendous amount of storage for less frequently used items, like off season clothing, winter gear, and extra bedding. Currently I have two of these IKEA bins, but I’m planning to pick up 2-3 more since I still have unused space underneath!

And if you want to see this bed in action, be sure to check out the video below:

@smallishhome

I’m in love with my new bed frame – the whole platform base lifts to reveal TONS of concealed storage – perfect for extra bedding, off season clothing and winter gear. It’s 🤌 for our small bedroom. #storagebed #smallbedroomdesign #storagehacks

♬ original sound – Lisa

Truly, I’m in love with this bed frame.  I love the storage it provides, I love the way it looks in our room, and most of all, I feel like I’ve finally *made it* to adulthood now that I have a king size bed.  Silly, I know, but my almost 40 year old body is sure thankful for the extra space! 

If you would like to see more of our primary bedroom refresh, you can click the link below to read the post:

Modern Primary Bedroom Refresh