Queen Size Beds

Hello all,
I am in the last few weeks before I begin my new life in the UK. Exciting. Also, alot of work as you all know. I am distracting myself with smaller, but equally important details.

My latest: are queen size bed common in UK households or are the majority of the beds double? I noticed IKEA UK doesn't sell queen size beds (which I planned to buy when I got there) and I wondered if this were a barometer of the availability of queen size beds. I am  buying whole new linen (heaven!) and I worried I won't be able to use them or they won't fit properly.

Thanks in advance!

Z.A.

They do have queen and king size beds here, but I believe a US queen is actually the same size as what they call a "king" size here.

Ikea --- the only problem with them is that the beds they sell are not even exactly the sizes of most UK beds, as Ikea products are kind of in a world of their own when it comes to beds. If you buy an Ikea bed it may not fit standard sized UK sheets bought elsewhere in the UK.

Let me go find a link to bed sizes.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/bedsizes.html

The first table of sizes gives standard US measurements, scroll down and you get the table of UK measurements. As you can see, single and doubles are the same sizes in each country, but other sizes start to differ, and what would be a queen in the US will be approximately a king in the UK.

Thank you, thank you. I'm thinking of my pretty new sheets and duvet cover and feeling a bit anxious.

Z.A.

I would think that your US queen sized sheets should fit the size they call "king" in the UK; but check out the charts in that link, and if possible check the measurements of your sheets and see if it can work with the UK size charts. Hope this helps! I know my US "full" size sheets fit the UK "double" but can't vouch personally for the other sizes.

I would think that your US queen sized sheets should fit the size they call "king" in the UK;

A US queen and UK king are close enough that you shouldn't have any problems with sheets. I brought my US queen-size mattress and bed over with me, and I always buy king-size sheets in the UK. It's not exact, but good enough.

Ikea, however, is a completely different animal, I'm told. 

I am doing the opposite of Chary, ie using my US queen linens on a UK king bed and it's fine.

Ikea uses metric sizing.

The UK King size bed is 2 inches shorter than a US Queen.  This wikipedia article has a nice clear chart about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_size

UK King is 60 x 78 and US Queen is 60 x 80.  For us my husband is very tall he is 77 inches and we need that extra two inches so his feet are not off the bed.

I am doing the opposite of Chary, ie using my US queen linens on a UK king bed and it's fine.

Same! 

We just bought a new UK king mattress and intend to keep using our US queen sheets once it arrives.  We did find that most furnished rentals had double beds rather than king size, and some of that seems to be due to room size, at least in central London.  We lucked out with our last place having a king, and when we moved (yesterday!) to our new place, we decided to buy our own bed and mattress.  When/if we go back to the US, we'll just keep using/buying queen sheets for it.

I am doing the opposite of Chary, ie using my US queen linens on a UK king bed and it's fine.

me too. 

Great responses, everyone! Very helpful. And congrats on the move, Ophinky--hope you're enjoying your new bed in your new home.

I'll buy double sheets for my guest room and keep buying queen for my own room. The chart was very helpful, Midnight Blue.

Should I buy the duvet itself (for the queen cover already purchased)? Seems like if I buy a King duvet in the UK, I'll be okay. And isn't it cheaper to buy a really plush duvet over there rather than one from North America?

The buy it here/buy it there question will come down to personal preference.

I brought all my linens with me as I moved over at an age where I had already acquired some quality stuff. It would have been way more to replace them in the UK. I just shoved my duvet in a trash bag and kept squashing and taping it till it was as small as it could get. 

Why not look at some UK prices online for the type of duvet you need and compare with US prices?

I brought some sheets, duvets, etc. with me, and have added more over here. One of my favourite sites for buying bedding in the UK is King of Cotton. I find their quality and prices to be really good.

I find the US generally cheaper.  If you do bring stuff over vaccum bags are a lifesaver.

I brought some sheets, duvets, etc. with me, and have added more over here. One of my favourite sites for buying bedding in the UK is King of Cotton. I find their quality and prices to be really good.

Wow, their prices are super good! Thanks for sharing the link