Reasons Why You Need to Get Yourself a King Size Bed!

Updated 2026: If you’re weighing up whether a king size bed is worth the upgrade from a double, this guide sets out the honest case for it, along with the situations where it isn’t the better choice. For the full breakdown of every UK bed size and its exact measurements, see our bed sizes guide. If you’ve already decided on a bigger bed and are choosing between king and super king specifically, our king size versus super king size guide covers that decision in full.

The Space Problem with a Standard Double

A UK double bed measures 135cm wide by 190cm long. Split that width between two people and each of you gets 67.5cm, which is roughly the same personal width given to a baby in a cot. That comparison sounds dramatic, but it is a genuine one that the National Bed Federation itself uses when talking about double bed sizing.

A king size bed measures 150cm wide by 200cm long, giving each person 75cm rather than 67.5cm. That is a modest 7.5cm improvement per person on paper, but in practice it is the difference between constantly bumping into your partner overnight and having a small buffer of your own space.

What the Research Actually Says

We would rather point you to genuine findings than invent statistics to make the case sound stronger than it is. The National Bed Federation ran an ergonomic pilot study in which only 15% of couples had originally planned to buy a bed larger than a double, yet 50% said they would choose a larger bed after actually trying one. That shift, from 15% intending to upgrade to 50% wanting to once they had felt the difference, is a more convincing argument than any invented survey figure, because it reflects people changing their minds after direct experience rather than a claim nobody can check.

The NBF’s own position on this is straightforward. Their spokesperson has put it simply: buy as big a bed as you can, since more space equals less partner disturbance, which equals better sleep. One retailer’s own consumer research also gives a sense of current UK buying patterns, with double still the most common size at 46% of purchases, king at 33%, single at 14% and super king at 4%, so king size sits as a clear and growing second choice rather than a niche upgrade.

Reasons a King Size Actually Helps

Less disturbance from a moving partner

Everybody shifts position repeatedly through the night as part of normal sleep, changing position to relieve pressure points or adjust temperature. On a 135cm double, your partner is never more than 67.5cm away, so a good proportion of that movement transfers across the mattress as motion, or wakes you through simple proximity. The extra width on a king size creates enough of a gap that far fewer of those movements reach you. This matters most if one of you is a restless sleeper, works shifts that put you on a different schedule, or has a condition such as restless leg syndrome that causes frequent position changes.

Room for different sleeping positions

Side sleeping is the most common position in the UK and needs the most width, since your shoulders and hips extend outward when you’re on your side. Back sleepers need less width but often extend an arm during deeper sleep. If you and your partner favour different positions, a double bed can force one or both of you to compromise on how you naturally sleep. Our guide to the best mattress for each sleeping position goes into this in more detail if that’s a factor for you.

Proper length for taller sleepers

The spine decompresses and lengthens slightly overnight as the pressure of standing and sitting through the day releases, so a mattress that feels the right length when you’re stood next to it can feel a little short once you’re actually lying down. Anyone above roughly 5’11” is worth considering a king size for the extra 10cm of length over a double, quite apart from the width benefit.

Space for family life

If you have young children, mornings and the occasional bad night both tend to involve someone climbing into your bed. A double makes that cramped for everyone. A king size copes with two adults and a child without anyone being squashed against the edge, and the same applies if a dog or cat regularly ends up on the bed with you.

Better proportion in a larger room

A double bed in a very large bedroom can look undersized for the room around it. A king size fills that space more naturally and tends to suit a main bedroom better once the room itself is a reasonable size, without tipping into the space and access demands of a super king.

When a King Size Isn’t the Right Call

None of this means bigger is automatically better, and it is worth being honest about the situations where it isn’t.

If your bedroom is on the smaller side, a king size can leave too little space to move around the bed comfortably or open wardrobe doors properly. Our bed size guide for choosing a mattress for your room sets out the room dimensions worth checking before you commit to a size.

If you and your partner are both on the smaller side and have shared a double for years without any complaints about space, the improvement from moving to a king size may be marginal, and that budget might do more for your sleep spent on a better specified mattress at the size you already have.

If your bedroom is particularly large, a super king may actually suit the room and your needs better than a king size, particularly if you also want the option of a zip and link mattress for delivery access or different firmness on each side. Our king size versus super king size guide covers exactly this decision.

Access matters too. Narrow staircases, tight turns and small landings can make a one piece king size difficult or impossible to deliver in older properties. A king size zip and link mattress, built as two halves, gets around most access problems a one piece mattress would run into.

What the Upgrade Actually Costs

The extra spent on a king size is smaller than it first appears once you spread it across the years you’ll own the mattress. Take our Artisan Naturals as an example, £2,035 in double and £2,180 in king size, a £145 difference. Over a 12 year lifespan, that works out at roughly 3.3 pence extra per night for two people to have proper personal space, which is a smaller outlay than most households spend on subscriptions they barely use.

Frame and bedding costs rise too, since a king size frame typically costs more than an equivalent double and king size bedding runs somewhat higher than double sized sheets, duvets and protectors. Those add up over the years, but they remain a modest addition next to the sleep quality difference most couples report after upgrading.

Our King Size Mattress Range

All three of our main ranges are available in UK king size (150cm x 200cm), two sided and hand made here in the UK. Prices below are king size, correct as of the November 2025 price list.

Origins Comfort 1000, £890 king

Our Origins Comfort 1000 is the accessible entry point into a properly made natural fibre mattress, priced to compete with mid range high street brands while giving you genuine natural filling and two sided construction rather than a synthetic budget build.

Artisan Naturals, £2,180 king

Our Artisan Naturals is our best selling range, hand side stitched with a natural fibre fill and built to be turned and rotated for years of even wear. It’s the mattress most couples land on when they want a genuine step up from an entry level model without moving into bespoke pricing.

Artisan Bespoke 004, £2,860 king

Our Artisan Bespoke 004 sits at the top of the range, built entirely from natural fillings for anyone who wants the fullest natural specification we offer. If you’d like to see how our bespoke range compares with a well known luxury name, our Vispring comparison guide looks at that directly.

Full layer by layer specifications, spring counts and GSM breakdowns for every range are published on our GSM guide, worth a look if you want the exact construction detail behind each price point rather than taking our word for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a king size bed really worth the extra cost over a double?

For most couples, yes, once you spread the price difference across the mattress’s lifespan it usually works out at a few pence per night. It’s less worthwhile if you’ve shared a double comfortably for years with no complaints, in which case that budget may be better spent on a higher specification mattress at your current size.

What is the actual size difference between a double and a king size bed?

A UK double measures 135cm wide by 190cm long. A UK king size measures 150cm wide by 200cm long, 15cm wider and 10cm longer. That extra width gives each person 75cm of personal space instead of 67.5cm.

Will a king size mattress fit up a narrow staircase?

It depends on your property. A one piece king size can struggle with tight stairwells, 180 degree turns or narrow doorways. A zip and link king size, built as two halves, gets around this in most homes where a one piece mattress wouldn’t fit.

Should I get a king size or a super king?

That comes down to room size, budget and how you sleep rather than one being universally better. Our king size versus super king size guide walks through the decision in full.

Summary

A king size bed is a genuine upgrade for most couples sharing a double, not because bigger is automatically better, but because the extra width measurably reduces disturbance from a moving partner and gives taller sleepers proper length. It isn’t the right call for everyone, small bedrooms, difficult access and couples already sleeping well on a double are all good reasons to think twice or look at a zip and link option instead.

If you’re still unsure which size and mattress suits your bedroom and budget, give our small team a call on 0161 437 4419 for honest advice rather than a sales pitch.