The best bedroom layout puts the bed on the longest uninterrupted wall, facing the door but not directly in line with it, with at least 60cm of walkway on every open side. Everything else — wardrobes, bedside tables, where the light falls — follows from that one decision. Here's how to plan it, including the awkward rooms most guides ignore.
Table of contents
- The one rule that decides everything
- Clearances that make a room work
- Awkward rooms: chimney breasts, slopes and box rooms
- Where storage should go
- Frequently asked questions
The one rule that decides everything
Place the bed on the longest wall without a door, window or radiator interrupting it. This gives the room a clear focal point, keeps both sides accessible, and leaves the remaining walls free for storage.
Position it so you can see the doorway from the bed without being directly opposite it — a principle borrowed from feng shui that also happens to be practical: you register who's coming in without the bed being the first thing framed by the open door.
Avoid placing the head of the bed directly under a window where you can help it. Draughts, condensation and morning light all land exactly where your head is.
Clearances that make a room work
- 60cm minimum walkway on each open side of the bed — below this, making the bed becomes a shuffle.
- 76cm for a door's swing arc, kept completely clear.
- 60cm in front of wardrobes for doors and drawers.
- Opening clearance for an ottoman base — at the foot for end-lift designs, along one side for side-lift. See side-lift vs end-lift.
Full measuring method: how to measure your bedroom for a new bed.
Awkward rooms: chimney breasts, slopes and box rooms
Chimney breast: centre the bed on the breast itself and use the alcoves either side for wardrobes or shelving. Fighting the chimney never works; making it the focal point always does.
Sloped ceilings (loft rooms): put the bed under the slope — you only need head height where you sit up. Keep full-height walls for wardrobes. Critical check: an ottoman platform needs clearance to open, so measure the arc against the slope before ordering.
Box rooms: push the bed lengthways against one wall. This sacrifices double-sided access but frees a genuine walkway. A side-lift ottoman is the storage answer here, since nothing slides sideways.
Radiator on the best wall: a bed can sit in front of a radiator, but leave 15–20cm so heat isn't trapped behind the frame.
Ottoman beds for tight layouts
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Browse the range →Where storage should go
Work in this order: under the bed first (free space you've already paid for), vertical second (full-height wardrobes, shelving above doors), freestanding last (every chest of drawers costs floor area). In rooms under about 12m², replacing a chest of drawers with an ottoman base is usually the single biggest gain available — more ideas in small bedroom storage ideas.
Keep bedside surfaces minimal: wall-mounted shelves free roughly 0.3m² per side compared with tables.
Frequently asked questions
Where should a bed be placed in a bedroom?
On the longest wall without a door, window or radiator, positioned so you can see the doorway without being directly in line with it, with 60cm of walkway on each open side.
Can a bed go in front of a window?
It can, and sometimes it's the only option — but expect draughts and early light. Leave a gap behind the headboard for condensation to clear.
How do you lay out a small bedroom?
Bed lengthways against one wall, storage vertical, and use an under-bed storage base instead of a chest of drawers.
Can you put an ottoman bed under a sloped ceiling?
Yes, but measure the platform's opening arc against the slope first — a side-lift design often works where an end-lift won't.
