Bunk beds for children have long become an integral part of the interior in small apartments. This type of furniture optimizes space for families with two children, gives children a place to play, and can also serve as a sleeping and work space for one child.
Features and Benefits
The main feature of bunk beds is space saving. Even if there are two sleeping places - above and below, designers can easily fit on the sides of the bed a built-in wardrobe, shelves, drawers and other elements that simultaneously perform several functions (for example, drawers-steps to the second floor, a transforming table that understands bed).
The advantage of a solid wood bed is its environmental friendliness. Traditional furniture materials reduce the final cost by bringing the base wood bunk bed closer to the average PVC or particleboard bed. At the same time, solid wood does not emit ethanol when heated, so the bed can be installed next to heaters or central heating pipes.
Most models of wooden beds can be disassembled, turning into two regular beds that can be placed in different places in a room or apartment.
Views
There are a large number of types of beds with two berths, while they can be located in relation to each other in different ways.
The loft bed is the most common model. It is a sleeping place on the "second floor", under which there is a workplace and a wardrobe: a height-adjustable table, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, bookshelves. A wooden loft bed can be a single whole (assembled in a certain sequence, it is impossible to change the arrangement of parts, the wall of the wardrobe is a support for the bed), or it can have a modular design (a bed with a staircase made of solid wood, where additional structures are attached that can be placed anywhere, swapping places).
Regular bunk beds, where one berth is located under the other. A staircase with rungs or steps or a staircase with built-in drawers leads to the second floor.
Fancy beds are most often made to order. The most original solution is a three-in-one bed, where there are two sleeping places and a work space with a wardrobe. One sleeping place is a loft bed, under it there is a working area with wardrobes and a chest of drawers, and the second bed has an exit design and rolls out on rollers from under the working area if necessary. Despite the seeming attractiveness - to expand the useful area of this option, it is worth abandoning the creation of drawers for clothes under the table. Additional drawers will not leave room for legs and it will be impossible to work at such a table.
Another option for very small rooms is a bed with three berths, shelves and a chest of drawers. A large double bed is located on the first tier, a chest of drawers and shelves are mounted on the side, as well as a staircase to the "second floor" with a one-and-a-half bed.
Materials (edit)
Wooden beds are made mainly from coniferous trees. The most common material is pine. A pine bed will be durable and cheap. Pine is a soft wood, it is convenient to handle, but keep in mind that when the seasons change, it is prone to drying out or, conversely, swelling.
No fruit tree wood is used for the manufacture of bedroom furniture. Despite the fact that it is well processed, the strength of the cherry, apple or pear frame will not differ. These boards are best used to decorate beds, they are easy to cut whatever you want.
The best options for a bunk bed are oak and larch. Larch is a coniferous species, but it is light, strong and durable. In addition, the tree is very moisture resistant, not susceptible to mold, rotting and insect attack.
Oak beds are "eternal", but very heavy. Oak has an above average hardness, therefore it is difficult to process and polish. Oak furniture looks massive, so if you have a small room, then do not choose an oak bed: visually, it eats up the space.
Birch beds look very aesthetically pleasing, although making furniture from this solid wood is expensive, so usually pine furniture is revetted with birch veneer.
Dimensions (edit)
Before purchasing natural wood furniture, you need to measure the dimensions of the place where you will put the loft bed. First of all, you need to remember that the berth by the bed will be less than its dimensions by 8 cm in width and 10 cm in length. This is due to the fact that the bed needs to be filled, and it is impossible to do this when the mattress lies close to the frame. Therefore, a bed with a standard mattress 90x2000 cm in length will be at least 2300-2500 cm along the long longitudinal edge.
The height of a standard loft bed without sides is 140 cm, this is the optimal height so that an adult can sit next to the child on the bed in case of anything.
The height of the bed for a small child under 3 years old should be no more than 35 cm. On the second tier, the child should sit without resting his head against the ceiling.
How to choose
First of all, the bed is chosen for its safety. Examine the model, the frame of the upper bed should be supported on four bases. It is desirable that it consists of slats (crossbars) on which the mattress is placed. An option is possible when the sleeping place of the upper bed consists of a solid sheet of chipboard, but at the same time there must be a wardrobe below, which serves as a support for the bed. Be sure to climb onto the second tier and turn around, let someone from below see if the bed sags under your weight and how much.
The height of the sides of the bed must be at least 30 cm, it makes no sense to take the sides below. Once you put the mattress down, they will no longer provide protection against falling.
If you choose a bed from the catalog, then pay attention to the stairs, it should be at an angle and it is desirable that it has steps, and not metal round rungs. It is convenient to climb up and down such a staircase, which will significantly reduce disputes about who to sleep on the "second floor". It would also be ideal to be able to mount the ladder from any convenient side.
Choose a bed with extra drawers at the bottom where you can store pillows, duvets and bedding.
Review of the best brands
The most popular solid wood bunk beds are Toris, Woodmaster and Dreamline.
Toris produces furniture from solid wood, the line of children's beds is called MIA. The frame is made of pine, beech, oak and can be veneered. The manufacturer offers a choice of models with one-sided ladder fastening (MIA 3 and MIA 4), and with the possibility of fastening from either side (models MIA 1 and MIA 2 have a side in the center of the second tier and a place for fastening the ladder on both sides) MIA 6 and MIA 6 are distinguished by the presence of drawers. The height of the bed is 185 cm.
Dreamline has two models of bunk beds: Junior 1 and Junior 2. They differ in the material of the frame, the first is made of solid ash, the second is made of solid beech. Each bed is equipped with two berths with a slatted base and two drawers at the base of the lower tier. The solid wood can be veneered with pear and walnut patina, as well as imitate the texture of any wood. The height of the bed is 190 cm.
Another brand, Woodmaster, produces original designer wooden beds. Their catalog contains beds-houses, beds for sports equipment, beds in which the upper tier imitates the deck of a sailing ship, and the lower one imitates a submarine. All frames are very durable and have a hypoallergenic coating. Quite popular are transforming beds, in which the lower tier moves apart and forms a dining or work area: two sofas and a table between them.
Interesting solutions in interior design
See how the designers successfully play on such common furniture as the loft bed.