Double Beds

The 4ft6 double is the bed size most British bedrooms are built around. At 135cm wide, it's the standard two-sleeper size — the one developers plan rooms for, the one most bedding is cut to, and the one most couples start out on. When you're shopping for double beds, you're shopping for the default, and that's an advantage: every option, fabric and storage configuration is designed to fit it.

Why the 4ft6 double endures

Double beds remain the go-to for good reason. They give two people a comfortable night's sleep without demanding the floor space of a king or super king, which makes them well suited to main bedrooms in flats and terraced houses, to guest rooms, and to anyone who'd rather use the saved space for wardrobes, a desk or simply room to move. For a single sleeper who likes to spread out, a double is genuinely generous.

Double bed dimensions and getting the fit right

Double bed dimensions are 4ft6 wide — 135cm — which is six inches wider than a small double and six inches narrower than a 5ft king. The standard UK length means it suits most adults comfortably. Before ordering, check the footprint against your room: allow clearance to walk around the bed, space for bedside furniture, and — importantly — room for any storage base to operate. A gas-lift ottoman needs clearance at the foot end to lift, and divan drawers need to open on the side you choose them.

Configuring your double bed

Each double in this range is made to order, so the choices are yours:

• Fabric — plush velvet, crushed velvet, crushed ice, chenille, Naples, Coniston or Dumfries.
• Colour — grey, silver, cream, black, navy, blue, green, mustard, beige, teal, pink and more.
• Headboard — winged, wingback, buttoned, diamond-buttoned, chesterfield, sleigh, stud, panel or two-tone, in 48", 54" floor-standing or 60" heights.
• Storage — a gas-lift ottoman base, or divan drawers in 2-drawer, 4-drawer and footend arrangements.

Across the collection you'll find these options on upholstered beds, divan beds, ottoman storage beds and TV beds, all in a 4ft6 double.

How to choose within the double range

Begin with storage, because it tends to drive the rest of the decision. A gas-lift ottoman double gives you the entire area beneath the mattress for bedding, suitcases and out-of-season clothing — a strong choice if wardrobe space is tight. Divan drawers suit those who want quick, everyday access without lifting a mattress. If storage isn't a concern, a straight upholstered frame keeps things simple and lets the headboard do the talking.

On headboards, a winged or chesterfield double reads as a centrepiece, while a clean panel headboard sits happily against patterned wallpaper or in a smaller room. Match the headboard height to your ceiling: a 60" headboard is a genuine statement, whereas 48" or 54" floor-standing options are easier to live with in lower rooms.

One quiet advantage of the 4ft6 size is how easy it is to live with afterwards. Bedding, mattress protectors and throws are stocked everywhere in double size, so dressing the bed is never a hunt. That same ubiquity makes a double a sensible choice for a guest room, where visitors arrive with their own expectations of what a bed should feel like.

Why Adeline Waterson

These double beds are made to order in the UK, built around the options you choose rather than pulled from a warehouse shelf. That means a real choice of fabrics, colours, headboards and storage — enough to match a double to headboards and other pieces elsewhere in the range. UK delivery is available and a 10-year warranty upgrade is offered. Whatever your room and whatever your taste, the 4ft6 double here can be configured to fit both.

Browse the double beds below and build yours.