My bedroom is 10x10. That sounds fine until you put a queen bed in it and realize the nightstands have to be 12 inches wide and the dresser has to go in the closet. I bought an IKEA queen size bed without measuring the hallway first. That was mistake one.
Measuring the path, not just the room
The bed frame itself was 63x85 inches. The hallway was 31 inches wide. The box that Malsjö arrived in was way longer than 85 inches—it's split into two boxes, but the taller side pieces won't bend. If your hallway neck is under 30 inches, you'll be unboxing in the living room or paying a deliverer to bring it up.
The real killer: the headboard. IKEA's queen headboards run 63.5 to 65 inches wide. That's fine unless you're turning a corner. The HEMNES headboard is solid pine and it's heavy. Don't do solo deliveries with that one.
Frame width is the hidden dimension
Queen mattress standard is 60x80. Everything else floats. The BRIMNES frame with storage—the one with drawers—adds 3 inches to each side. My wall to wall clearance was 118 inches. With the frame, I had 25 inches per side for nightstands. Those big round cabinets I liked? 19 inches deep. Left 6 inches of dead space. The frame width determines whether your room can breathe or just exists.
Also: all IKEA beds come with the slatted base. If you buy the Lonset slats, that's 3 inches of sag born—they flex. Over box springs? You can't. IKEA frames are built for slats, not for spring foundations. Your old mattress might feel harder on slats than on the floor. That's normal, but it's why the IKEA latex toppers exist.
Room layout tests I should have done
I traced the bed's footprint with painter's tape. Did that on the floor—matching the actual 63x85 inches with a 5 inch headboard gap. Looked huge on tape. Then I put the bed down, and my visual field cut the room in half. The ceiling light was fixture-mounted exactly where the footboard ends. IKEA headboards are at least 39 inches tall, so if you like a low-slung look, go without a headboard.
The path to the window was 22 inches after bed placement. I couldn't open the left window's drapes without stretching. Ended up using a corner nightstand to add 6 inches of walkway. That forced the bed 4 inches off center—only visible if you're lying flat looking up, but it bothered me for a week.
Slat base and mattress weight
Slats sit on a center rail, but the rail makes a 3-inch height bump under the mattress. With a 10-inch thick mattress you won't feel it. With a 6-inch topper, you'll feel the rail's edge. My partner rolls a lot; the slat spacing on the Sunniva is 2.5 inches. If the slats are too wide, and your mattress is old foam, it'll hang into gaps. My old coil mattress felt like a hammock. Found that out the mornings my back hurt.
IKEA's rail clips sometimes pop if you don't press them fully into the L shape. The instructions show it sideways—right way is pushing inward until you hear the click. Three clips broke in my first build because I used a hammer. Don't. Use your palm.
Sleep quality trade-offs
The frame's height, with slats, runs about 13.5 inches off the floor. My 23-year-old foam mattress sagged at the foot—I won't get into that. But IKEA queen size bed with slats under that, and I got 14 inches of clearance to the floor. Under-bed storage boxes from IKEA (the Samla ones) fit at exactly 5 inches tall, leaving a 9-inch gap—plenty for dust bunnies.
Wood slats squeaked until I put foam tape under every fourth slat. That's 12 strips of tape I should have bought with the frame. The center rail bolt also worked loose after two months—loctite on that thread is worth it.
What I'd tell my past self
Measure the hallway, the room, and then what the frame does to your nightstands. Frame width is the hidden third measurement. My BRIMNES drawer bed is also not a platform—the drawers slam when they're got full. Put felt dots on the roller catches.
And if your mattress is latex, skipped the slats and go with the IKEA Bedde (the solid plywood base). Costs more but no sag over the rail.
I've now helped two friends with their IKEA Queen Bed: What I Learned in 5 Apartments. Both had better planning than me.
The one factor that decides if an IKEA queen size bed will actually work: hallway width for the headboard. Everything else can be solved with a hacksaw or a different corner. You can't fix a doorway that's too narrow.