7 snug space-saving ways to incorporate a double-decker bed

Ask any parents and they will share that having a small abode with 2 or more exuberant, boisterous kids is really a pain, especially when it comes to setting up a shared bedroom for these high energy kids! The good news is that you do not need to sacrifice functionality for style and design.

In fact, there are a couple of means to fix that crowded bedroom, reclaim the hidden spaces and even make it pull double or triple duty.

Without further ado, here are some practical ways to get the most out of that small bedroom and elevate it from a cramped to a comfortable sanctuary, where your little ones can have a peaceful sleep!

1. Terraced bed frame

Suitable for: Room with low ceiling and bay window

Don’t let a low ceiling and bay window get you down when you are unable to consider a traditional double deck bed. Take a leaf from the terraced garden beds, which are built on a slope and customize a “terraced” bed frame to address these annoying constraints.

Similar to a modified version of a 2 in 1 bed-frame, a semi-pull out bed and table can be constructed at the end. In this way, the lower bed cum can be tucked away when not in use.

To beef up the storage space and keep clutter at bay, incorporate inbuilt storage drawers at the bottom of the bed frame to reclaim precious spaces.

2. Vertical heights

Suitable for: Narrow room with high ceiling

An elegantly built double-deck bunk can fit even in the smallest of spaces! In this sturdy bed construct, a row of stairs is built at the end of the double-deck bed to keep the bunk slim and compact. These stairs can also pull dual duty as flip-up storage boxes.

Furthermore, a wall-mounted fold up or down mini study table can also be installed at the bed end to further utilize the empty space next to the stairs.

3. Stack like Jenga

Suitable for: Room with low ceiling

In this minimalist approach, the bed frames are simple constructs which looked like floating shelves which are cleverly held in place by the ladder in the middle. Due to the low ceiling, the beds are placed and angled perpendicular to each other to make room for more head and breathing space. 

These beds once stacked perpendicularly, help to maintain a more open layout while retaining their personal sleeping alcove. The void, which was free up below the floating bed frame, can then be used for study or lounging.

4. Keep it hidden

Suitable for: Room which needs to multi-purpose

 

Squeeze the most out of a tiny space by keeping the beds neatly hidden and stowed away while they are not in use.  By using Murphy bunk beds, you will be able to give the space-challenged room a multi-functional treatment.

In this way, you have more control over the room where it can be repurposed as either a play or study area.

By giving the room a multi-functional treatment, it can be either be utilized as a play or study area. Furthermore, keeping the bulky beds out of sight helps to make the tiny room look less claustrophobic.

Once stowed away, the room is like a blank canvas and you will have the freedom to re-purpose the room in any manner you deem suitable.

5. Configurable and flexible

Suitable for: Room which needs to multi-purpose without a free wall for the Murphy bunk beds

When installing the Murphy bunk beds is not an option for you,  you can still make your room flexible by mounting the stacked double bunk beds on tiny sliding tracks or casters so they can be glided and pushed against a corner when they are not in use.

Where possible, make all the furniture movable too. In this way, they can be easily shifted around whenever you need to quickly reconfigure the room for other usage within minutes.

6. Split symmetry

Suitable for: 2 small rooms combined into one and for older kids who desire privacy

When you bring down the walls of the adjoining rooms, you also took away the privacy too. However, you can still keep the rooms separated by dual purposing the bunk beds as privacy divider. Such an ingenious bedroom configuration will allow the kids to keep their own defined space.

7. Multi-functional 3 in 1 design bed

Suitable for: Younger child sharing with an older sibling

 

If the room is not unable to cater for any form of bunk bed configurations, you can consider a traditional approach where a foldable bed mattress is used along with a normal-sized single bed.

However, you can up the game by going for a multi-functional 3 in 1 design; a sofa, a chaise and a single bed combination. There are also other combinations such as a seat, a table, and a single bed so to maximise its space footprint!

This article was first published in Renonation.