Measure the bedroom and pick the bed. You see whether it fits with room to walk round it, which wall its head should go on, and the biggest bed the room takes. Then open the room in the free planner and arrange the rest.
Your bed
A queen fitshead on the 12′ wall · 40″ each side, 46″ at the foot
Quick answer: a bed needs a walkway on both sides and at its foot: 24″ at the least, 30″ to be comfortable, 36″ where a dresser stands at the foot. With 30″ of walkway a queen needs a room about 10′ 4″ × 9′ 8″ and a king about 11′ 8″ × 9′ 8″. The planner above checks your room, then opens it in the free 2D planner.
How to use the bedroom layout planner
- Measure the room wall to wall, both ways.
- Pick the bed and how much walkway you want round it. The answer says whether it fits, which wall its head should go on, and the biggest bed the room takes.
- Open it in the free planner to place the nightstands, the dresser and the rest, drawn to scale. Copy link keeps the result.
The rules of a bedroom layout
- Walkways on both sides of the bed: 24″ (61 cm) is the least an adult walks through without turning sideways; 30″ (76 cm) is comfortable for making the bed; 36″ (91 cm) is what a main path should have.
- At the foot: the same, and 36″ where a dresser stands opposite, so its drawers open with someone standing there.
- Head on a solid wall, not under a window and not on the wall you walk in through. The planner tries both walls and picks the one leaving more room.
- The bed is bigger than the mattress. On a frame with a headboard it takes about 4″ more width and 6″ more length.
Room size for each bed
The room each bed needs, across the head wall × out from it:
| Bed (mattress) | 24″ walkways | 30″ walkways | 36″ walkways |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin (38″ × 75″) | 7′ 6″ × 8′ 9″ | 8′ 6″ × 9′ 3″ | 9′ 6″ × 9′ 9″ |
| Twin XL (38″ × 80″) | 7′ 6″ × 9′ 2″ | 8′ 6″ × 9′ 8″ | 9′ 6″ × 10′ 2″ |
| Full (54″ × 75″) | 8′ 10″ × 8′ 9″ | 9′ 10″ × 9′ 3″ | 10′ 10″ × 9′ 9″ |
| Queen (60″ × 80″) | 9′ 4″ × 9′ 2″ | 10′ 4″ × 9′ 8″ | 11′ 4″ × 10′ 2″ |
| King (76″ × 80″) | 10′ 8″ × 9′ 2″ | 11′ 8″ × 9′ 8″ | 12′ 8″ × 10′ 2″ |
| California king (72″ × 84″) | 10′ 4″ × 9′ 6″ | 11′ 4″ × 10′ | 12′ 4″ × 10′ 6″ |
Three worked examples
A queen in a 12′ × 11′ bedroom. Head on the 12′ wall, it leaves 40″ on each side and 46″ at the foot: room for nightstands and a dresser. The biggest bed this room takes is a king.
A queen in a 10′ × 10′ room. It fits, snugly: 28″ each side, just under the comfortable 30″. A full leaves the whole 30″.
A king in a 12′ × 10′ room. Head on the 12′ wall: 32″ each side and 34″ at the foot. It fits, with no room for a dresser at the foot.
Common bedroom layout mistakes
- Measuring the mattress, not the bed. A headboard and frame add inches, and the walkway starts at the frame.
- Buying the biggest bed that squeezes in. A king with 20″ each side is a room you edge round. A queen with 30″ is a room you live in.
- A dresser at the foot with 24″. Its drawers take 18″ when open. Leave 36″.
- Forgetting the door’s swing. A door opening into the room needs its own clear arc. Draw it in the planner.
Then size what goes round the bed: the nightstand and headboard size calculator, the rug size calculator for the rug under it, and the curtain size calculator for the windows.
Plan the whole bedroom: the free 2D room planner opens with a furnished bedroom you can resize and rearrange, drawn to scale.
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Bedroom layout questions
What size room do you need for a king bed?
About 11′ 8″ × 9′ 8″ for 30″ walkways round it, and 10′ 8″ × 9′ 2″ at the least (24″). With a dresser at the foot, allow 12′ 8″ × 10′ 2″ (36″ walkways).
What is the minimum bedroom size for a queen bed?
About 9′ 4″ × 9′ 2″, with 24″ to walk on both sides and at the foot. For a comfortable 30″, 10′ 4″ × 9′ 8″.
How much space should be around a bed?
24″ (61 cm) at the least on each side you walk and at the foot, 30″ (76 cm) to be comfortable, and 36″ (91 cm) in front of a dresser.
Which wall should the bed go on?
A solid wall with space on both sides of the bed, ideally facing the door rather than on the wall you walk in through. Which of two walls leaves more room depends on the room’s two sizes against the bed’s; the planner tries both and picks the better.
Will a king bed fit in a 10 × 12 room?
Yes, with the head on the 12′ wall: it leaves 32″ on each side and 34″ at the foot. That is comfortable to walk, but leaves no room for a dresser at the foot.
Is there a free bedroom layout planner?
Yes: the calculator above checks the bed, and the free 2D room planner opens a furnished bedroom to scale that you can resize, rearrange and save, with no download.