Small Double Beds and 4ft Bed Frames with Storage
A small double is 6 inches (15cm) narrower than a standard double, and almost every question about it comes down to what those 6 inches cost. The honest answer is that they matter more than the number suggests, and less than most people fear — which is why the size exists at all, and why it is often the right bed for a room that will not take a full double.
This collection covers small double beds and 4ft bed frames in wood and upholstered fabric, including small double ottoman beds with storage underneath.
Small double bed size and dimensions
A small double measures 4ft wide by 6ft 3in long, which is 120cm by 190cm. The length is identical to a single and to a standard double, so the difference between the sizes is only ever width. Any small double mattress will fit any small double frame.
Small double versus double: what 6 inches change
A standard double is 4ft 6in, so the small double gives each of two people 24 inches (60cm) rather than 27 inches (68cm). For comparison, a single bed gives one person 36 inches, which is why two adults in a small double have less room each than a child sleeping alone.
In practice it works for two people who sleep close, for a couple where one is away often, and for a guest room where the bed is used occasionally. It is harder work for two adults sleeping in it nightly, particularly if either is broad-shouldered or a restless sleeper. Where the room takes 4ft 6in, take it — and where it does not, a small double is a real double rather than a compromise, which is more than can be said for a single.
How much room a small double bed needs
Allow at least 24 inches (60cm) of clear floor down each side if two people are getting in and out, and the same at the foot if there is anything to walk past. A small double against a wall on one side only works if one person always sleeps on the outside and does not mind climbing over.
The frame is always wider than 4ft, and by a variable amount — an inch or two on a slim wooden frame, four or five on an upholstered one with padded sides. In a room where the size was chosen because a double would not fit, that external width is the measurement that decides whether it goes in.
4ft beds and three quarter beds: the same size, different names
The same bed is sold under three names. Small double is the most common, 4ft is the trade measurement, and three quarter or 3/4 is the older term, still widely used and still worth searching. All three describe a bed 4ft wide by 6ft 3in long. If you have an older three quarter bed and are replacing the mattress, a modern small double mattress will fit it.
Six inches is not something a photograph can convey, and it is the whole decision here. Our Enniskillen showroom has small doubles and standard doubles made up side by side, and lying on both settles in a minute what no measurement will.
Small double beds with storage
A small double is usually chosen because the room is tight, and a tight room is exactly where the space under the bed is worth having. At 4ft by 6ft 3in there is a genuine amount of it — noticeably more than under a single, and only 6 inches less across than under a full double.
Small double ottoman beds
An ottoman bed lifts the whole base on gas struts, so the entire footprint underneath becomes one open compartment with nothing divided up and nothing lost to runners. On a small double that is close to 4ft by 6ft 3in of usable floor, deep enough for suitcases standing on their sides, spare bedding and out-of-season clothes all at once.
At this width the lift can be from the end or from one side, and which one you want depends entirely on the room. An end-lifting bed needs clear floor at the foot; a side-lifting one needs it along one long side. In a room narrow enough to have ruled out a full double, the end lift is usually the one that works.
The struts do the work, so the base rises with one hand even made up. They are also the part that wears over many years, and they can be replaced.
Wooden and upholstered small double beds
The frame material changes how the bed behaves in a small room more than it changes what it costs.
Wooden small double beds
Timber is quiet, and with two people in a 4ft bed there is more movement transmitted through the frame than in a single. A solid wooden frame on a good slatted base does not creak or shift when someone turns over, which is the single most common complaint about a bed shared by two people in a small room.
A wooden frame is also the slimmer of the two in external width, which matters when the size was chosen because a double would not fit. Where every inch counts, timber gets you closer to the mattress size than upholstery does.
Upholstered and velvet small double beds
An upholstered frame is padded across the sides and the headboard, so it is soft where you lean against it and it absorbs sound rather than reflecting it — worth something in a small hard room. The headboard comes as part of the bed, finished and matched, with nothing to fit afterwards.
Velvet is the most asked-for fabric here, crushed velvet included. It reads warmer and deeper in colour than a flat weave and it catches light along the padding, which gives a plain small room something to look at. The trade-offs are the same as any upholstered bed: more thought about cleaning than timber needs, and a few extra inches of external width.
White, grey and oak small double beds
Small doubles go into rooms that were too small for a double, and pale frames keep those rooms from closing in. White is the most asked-for finish and works with any bedding. Grey is the most forgiving in upholstered fabric, hiding marks along the sides where a bed gets brushed past in a narrow gap. Oak and natural timber warm up a spare room that is otherwise plain, and hide knocks better than any painted finish.
Where the frame is wooden and you want a padded head end, a separate headboard fixes to the frame and can be changed later without replacing the bed. Our headboards collection covers the fittings and heights.
Small double beds for spare rooms and couples
Two rooms account for most small doubles. The first is a spare room that has to take two people occasionally without giving up its floor the rest of the year — the size that turns a single guest room into a bed a couple can actually stay in. The second is a main bedroom in a smaller house or a flat, where a 4ft 6in double would leave no room to walk past.
The question to ask in both cases is who sleeps in it and how often. For occasional use by two, or nightly use by one who wants the room to spread out, a small double is comfortably the right answer.
Small double bed FAQs
What size is a small double bed?
4ft by 6ft 3in, or 120cm by 190cm. The length is the same as a single and a standard double, so only the width changes between sizes. Any small double mattress fits any small double frame.
Is a small double big enough for two people?
For two people who sleep close, for occasional guest use, or where one partner is often away, yes. Each person gets 24 inches (60cm) against 27 inches (68cm) in a standard double. For two adults sharing every night, particularly if either is broad-shouldered or moves a lot in their sleep, a full double is the more comfortable answer where the room allows it.
What is the difference between a small double and a double?
6 inches (15cm) of width, and nothing else. Both are 6ft 3in long. A double is 4ft 6in wide and a small double is 4ft.
Is a 4ft bed the same as a small double?
Yes. Small double, 4ft and three quarter all describe the same bed, 4ft wide by 6ft 3in long. Three quarter is the older term and is still in use, so it is worth searching all three when comparing.
How much space do you need around a small double bed?
At least 24 inches (60cm) of clear floor on each side if two people use it, and the same at the foot if you have to walk past. Remember the frame is wider than the mattress — measure the external width, not the 4ft on the label.
How much fits under a small double ottoman bed?
Close to the full footprint of the bed, because the base lifts as one piece with nothing divided up. At 4ft by 6ft 3in that takes suitcases standing on their sides along with spare bedding, which is a meaningful amount more than a single ottoman holds.