When moving home for the first time, the size of bed that will fit in your bedroom compared to the one you want can be just one of many confusing obstacles to making your new house a home.

In the last month, 13,000 UK searchers have Googled ‘what size bed?’ as they look to the internet for top tips on these pivotal decisions.

According to leading bed retailer, Bensons for Beds, your maths teacher may have been correct when they said the subject was going to become vital in your future, as their expert answer is: it’s all about the ratios.

The Golden Ratio

Rachel Marshall, Brand Manager from Bensons, commented, “Of course, your choice of bed is entirely a personal decision, but if you’re looking for the perfect size to suit the measurements of your bedroom then there’s a maths formula that could help provide the answer.

Like many aspects of design and architecture around the world, The Golden Ratio applies here, too. The Golden Ratio of 1:1.618 was developed by the ancient Greeks. It’s the idea that all of the appealing, aesthetic elements of nature and beyond in the world are naturally spaced out and this ratio creates the optimum spacing for a positive aesthetic.

For beds in bedrooms, this would mean that for every 1.618m of bedroom space, you should have 1m of a bed. This means you need to work out your floor surface area and compare the closest bed size to the ratio and that is the optimum size bed for the space available. This will make the best of the space, allowing some left over for aesthetic, too.”

Avoiding The Dreaded Return

It’s not uncommon for first-time buyers to purchase a bed and have to return it once they discover it can’t fit through the door frame. Rachel provides some actionable tips you can do to ensure your new bed will fit in your home, “It’s so important to not skip the measurement stage, for five minutes of working out the numbers you could save a lot of stress and even money in having to arrange returns.

Measure your door frame focusing on the narrowest part, get the measurements of the bed frame or each piece of the disassembled frame and compare. Ensure the largest measurement for your bed frame is still smaller than your door frame – otherwise, it’s a no-no!

Next, check you have a clear pathway, is there enough space to manoeuvre the bed around your staircase without causing any damage? And finally, plan! Take time before you jump into purchasing the bed that will suit your interior the best and ensure you have the space for it.”

The Aesthetic Bed Choice

Despite interiors and aesthetics being the main attraction for individuals purchasing a bed, according to experts, this should be the final priority once spacing and measurements have been finalised.

Rachel says, “Now you know for sure the sizing you can opt for, you need to pick a bed that suits your needs. Single beds optimise space efficiency, double beds feel a little more grown up, queen-size beds provide an ideal balance between room space and sleeping space while king-size beds provide more luxury.

“Spatially, you need enough space around your bed for a good traffic flow, to avoid clunky movement in your bedroom. The height of your chosen bed should complement the other pieces of furniture in the room and make sense visually. Ottoman beds are great ways to maximise space and storage so you can have the best of all worlds when it comes to buying your new bed.”

Gavin Chappell, Chief Operating Officer at Bensons commented, “Historically – we have seen that up to 0.5% of our total orders can’t be delivered due to the product not fitting in the customers’ home – this could be up to 30 – 40 customers every week not getting their product. We are now using our new Customer Data Portal to remind customers that order large products that they need to measure access to their room of choice and have seen a 50% increase in the success rate. We would absolutely encourage every customer to think about, and measure, the access in their property to their designated room of choice”