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Questions about beds and mattresses answered. And some stories told.

Great — if tucking sheets neatly is important to you, especially around the corners and sides, you’ll want to consider both the mattress dimensions and how close it is to the frame or lip of your bed.  Here’s how to think about it:

Allow For Clearance Around the Mattress

• Ideal clearance between mattress and frame:
  1.5–3 cm on each side (3–6 cm total width and length) allows enough room for sheets without making the mattress feel loose or unstable.
• If the mattress fits too tightly in the frame, it becomes hard to tuck sheets, especially fitted ones.

Go Slightly Smaller if Needed

If you’re going custom and you’re tight on room, it’s okay to size the mattress 2-3cm smaller than the bed frame on all sides. That small gap won’t affect comfort but gives you room to:

• Easily fit a fitted sheet without pulling
• Tuck in flat sheets and blankets at the sides and bottom

Example:

If your bed frame interior is European Queen 160 × 200 cm, consider a mattress size of:

• 158 × 198 cm if you want extra tucking room (a little more with thick blankets)
• 160 × 200 cm if you want a snug, standard fit

Final Tip:

If you’re custom-ordering, tell the mattress maker your frame’s exact inner dimensions and ask them to leave a small allowance for bedding — many custom shops like Nine Clouds Beds (where there is no up charge with a small change in size request) are used to this request.