One of the best space-saving bedroom ideas is bunk beds. Traditionally simple and plain, bunk beds have commonly been useful for stacking beds but little else.
Because they’re blasé and usually not particularly user-friendly, bunk beds are often foisted upon young children who don’t get much say in the matter. Bunk beds certainly aren’t considered “home décor.”
Modern bunk beds, however, can do more than just pile up mattresses. Now capable of more functionality and style, bunk beds aren’t just for kids anymore. They are beginning to earn a respectable place in attractive interior design for young adults who need to make the best use of small spaces.
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Whether you’re choosing bunk beds for youngsters or oldsters, here are seven interior design ideas that will help you take bunk beds beyond the basics in style and usability.
1. Blend with the Room
Instead of just plunking stacked beds in a room, design your bunk beds with the room’s style and décor in mind. You can either paint the bunk bed structure to blend with your room’s color scheme, or you can pair natural wood bunk beds with wood floors and wood doors. Painted bunk beds are more modern; natural wood will have a more traditional look.
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2. Add Privacy
One of the reasons bunk beds are for more than little ones now is that they can include the privacy older children or young adults want. Adding a rod and curtains to each bed space creates some welcome seclusion.
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3. Light it Up
In the little cave-like cubbies created by bunk beds, it’s hard to do much of anything but sleep — unless you have a light. Attaching a small, adjustable reading lamp to the wall by the head of each bed will add functionality to the bunk bed set-up.
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4. Make Room for a “Nightstand”
In normal bunk beds, sleepers have no place to set an alarm clock, a phone, or a glass of water. This tends to make bunk beds unpractical for any but the smallest children. If, however, you extend the length of the bunk bed, you can include a platform that can be used as a nightstand.
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5. Storage Too
As long as you’re extending your bunk bed, extend it both ways, and you can add shelves at either end for books or toys. You can also include drawers beneath the lower bed for additional storage.
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6. Two Sizes
The typical bunk bed is designed for two equal-sized beds. You don’t have to be that limited. You can create a bunk bed set that has a larger lower bed so an older child will be more comfortable.
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7. For More Than Sleeping
Truly creative bunk beds are for more than just sleeping. You can buy pre-made bunk-bed sets that look like playgrounds. However, a more sophisticated design is a bunk bed construction that turns each level into a sofa by day. This would work well for teens or young adults because it makes for a great hang-out spot.
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Clearly, bunk beds have grown up in the interior design world. Now more than just something stuffed into a kid’s room, bunk beds can add fun and flair to bedroom décor.
If you’d like to see what bunk beds can do for a bedroom you’re designing, you can try them out first in virtual space to see what they would look like in reality using House Tipster’s Virtual Rooms, a free 3D room styling planner.
