A children's loft bed is similar to a bunk bed, but differs from it in that instead of a sleeping place on the lower tier it allows you to place:
- Sofa;
- Work area;
- Play area;
- Sports complex;
- Chest of drawers, wardrobe or any other furniture.
Loft beds save a lot of space in the room and are very popular with children. However, it does have its drawbacks.
- It is potentially dangerous during sleep, as well as during ascents and descents. Standard height frames are intended only for children over 6 years of age. If the child sleeps restlessly, then bunk and attic beds should be abandoned.
- Going to bed and getting out of the bed in the upper tier is not so easy - the child will have to go down and up the stairs several times a day. If the baby is ill, parents should arrange a temporary bed in another place at normal height.
- Cleaning the bed and changing the linen of a loft bed is also more difficult than an ordinary bed.
However, you should not overestimate the danger of grass in bunk beds, because high sides and strict safety rules will help prevent falls - do not go down the stairs in the dark or in a hurry. But you can easily come to terms with the remaining shortcomings, because the advantages of attics are very significant. For those who are preparing to buy children's furniture, we have compiled a small guide to choosing beds for boys and girls, teenagers and toddlers, a review of loft beds from Ikea, as well as a selection of photos of successful examples.
Pros and cons of a loft bed
The classic models, presented in the photo of a children's loft bed from numerous online stores, combine in their design a sleeping area on top and an area for games, school activities, and storage of things below. They may differ in size and appearance, but their main purpose is to combine two functions: to provide the child with a cozy place for a restful sleep and to organize his activities during waking hours.
There are many advantages of a children's loft bed.
Significant space saving for a small room. A two-tier structure, which combines a bed and, for example, a wardrobe, takes up less space than two separate pieces of furniture.
An original design can tell about the gender and age of the youngest family member, his interests and preferences. A loft bed designed in the style of a pirate ship or car will definitely belong to a boy, and decorative elements reminiscent of a fairy-tale meadow or a princess's palace will appeal to a girl.
Discreet decor and a computer desk with an armchair are suitable for a teenager. A mini-sofa with an abundance of toys will be preferred by a sociable child who loves to host friends.
Saving the family budget. Rather than spending money on purchasing a children's bed, a wardrobe for storing clothes and toys, or a desk, it is better to buy a functional loft bed that combines two or three pieces of furniture.
However, choosing this type of children's furniture does not exclude some disadvantages:
- a loft bed is not suitable for a child under 2-3 years old, since due to his age it will be difficult for him to climb up the stairs;
- it will be difficult for a mother to care for a sick child who is prescribed bed rest;
- even if all safety measures are in place, there is always the possibility of injury, especially with restless preschoolers;
- In the hot summer, sleeping upstairs is uncomfortable - even at night it can be too stuffy.
A loft bed is an excellent option for arranging a small room for a preschool and school-age child. But when choosing, it is worth considering all the pros and cons.
Design Features
This type of furniture is a common design with the only difference being the sleeping area, which is located on the highest shelf, and on the lower shelf there is a work table and wardrobe. Its width is different from other models. There are many options for making models from photos. Thanks to this type of furniture with a ladder, it is possible to hide a table, things or household appliances under a place to sleep and make a small personal home for a child. The furniture is called so due to the fact that you need to climb up the stairs. This idea saves space and makes you do gymnastics.
Basically, the product is selected for a child’s room due to the fact that its width is small, but for adults there are double options that are larger in size. Double upholstered furniture of this type for children and teenagers is made of chipboard or wood in the form of pine. The material from which the furniture is made affects the price.
For young children, you can make images from various cartoons in the sleeping area: for boys - a car, for girls - dolls, bears and much more. Machine products and other options are amazing designs that help boys adapt to their new sleeping place.
Model options
Furniture manufacturers most often offer three types of loft bed designs with a sleeping place on top:
- with a lower work area (table, shelves, additional lighting);
- with shelves and drawers for storing clothes, toys, books (almost a full-fledged closet under the bed);
- with play space (additional lighting, textiles, shelves, space for games and toys, as an option - a mini-sofa).
A children's loft bed with a work area is suitable for primary and secondary school students. With such a model, it is easy to organize a child’s time: a first-grader who is getting used to the school routine will be interested in spending time doing his homework, and a teenager who has been working too long on his next assignment can go to bed later without disturbing any of the family members.
A loft bed with a table is also suitable for preschoolers: among them there are many who like to draw, sculpt, design, and play board games.
A children's loft bed with a wardrobe is not only an excellent solution for caring mothers who care about order in the nursery. Young fans of quests and spy missions will be interested in hiding their secrets in boxes. At the same time, the benefits for the child are obvious: learning to carefully store your things and maintain cleanliness is necessary from early childhood.
A loft bed with a play area located in the lower tier has a lot of opportunities to organize space for free time. At the same time, drawers built into the steps can serve as storage for children's clothes or toys.
Fans of active games will love the mini-sports corner with a mat on the floor, a wall bars, and pull-up bars. By arranging additional lighting on the lower “floor”, adding curtains and throwing a few pillows on the floor, you can turn the area into a secluded house for quiet games. There are countless options for organizing a place for games; parents just have to take into account the interests of their baby.
A children's loft bed with a bed underneath is not a variation of a bunk bed. Rather this is the way:
- organize sleeping places in a cramped one-room apartment (children’s upstairs, adults downstairs);
- provide additional sleeping space for visiting relatives with children.
Instead of a bed, manufacturers often offer a sofa: it is suitable for a child’s meetings with friends and as a place to sleep.
Photo gallery
A loft bed will be the optimal solution if there is a lack of living space. If necessary, you can convert the space under the attic, freeing up space or changing furniture.
Thanks to the variety of models, this bed will find its application in any interior.
Decor for girls and boys
Decorative finishing of loft beds is the main thing that can determine the choice of a piece of furniture for a child of a certain gender. Color, additional elements, shape suggest which bed to choose for a boy or a girl.
So, a children's loft bed for a girl will most likely be stylized as a doll's house or a fairy-tale palace. And children's loft beds for boys are often offered in the form of racing cars, sea caravels or spaceships.
When choosing, it is not necessary to focus on furniture for a child of a certain gender. There are many universal models.
With a little imagination, parents and their child can design a loft bed in their own style. This includes the color of the bed linen, the designs on the bed next to it, textile additions (curtains, pillows), and, of course, appropriate games and toys.
Ladder
Any such model should be equipped with a convenient ladder. It is important to think about which staircase will be most convenient. There are several options:
- vertical - although it takes up little space, it is considered the most dangerous of all. More often used for school-age children;
- at an angle - radius or straight. It is important to remember that the stronger the slope of the structure, the more space will be required to place furniture in the room. It is better to choose the option with flat steps, since round ones can be dangerous;
- in the form of a module - a convenient option, where the steps are also retractable drawers;
- podium – looks like a podium platform located in the middle of the height of the structure. At the bottom of the podium there is a convenient storage system, and at the top there is a small staircase.
Vertical Modular Angled Podium
Selection rules
When choosing a loft bed for a child, you should be guided by the principle of safety. The corners should be rounded, the steps should be wide, the sides of the bed should be high and located on all sides. The structure itself should not be shaky; all elements should be securely fastened.
It is also important what material the children's loft bed is made of. Ideally, it will be natural wood - an environmentally friendly, “breathable” material.
Considering that in a few years the furniture will still have to be changed as the child grows up, you can choose more affordable chipboard and MDF. The main thing is that the material does not release toxic substances into the air.
The height of the upper tier is best determined by the height of the child. If the model assumes a work area as the lower tier, then the student should not touch the bed with his head while sitting at the table.
For very young children, a bed located at a level accessible to parental hands is suitable, because a child who is fussy at night will need to be calmed down.
A loft bed for a child’s room is a universal solution for cramped conditions in an apartment. In addition, all children, without exception, like this two-story furniture - a place where they can sleep, play, study and receive guests will become the most favorite in the house.
Additional equipment
A loft bed is a structure that combines many elements. A mandatory part of all models is the frame. If desired, the following components can be added to it:
- Tabletop. For small children, stationary modifications will be more convenient, while schoolchildren will be more comfortable studying with mobile ones.
- The stairs. For your baby, you can order shelf steps that make it easy and safe to climb up.
- Cabinet or rack. For additional elements there is a niche under the bed or table. Nightstands are also placed there.
- Curtain. The child feels more comfortable when the play area is separated from the rest of the room.
- Gorka. A wooden structure is placed near the bed to make it easier for the baby to get down.
Additional elements should not take up much space. The best options for small spaces are transformable models.
Photo of a children's loft bed
Placement nuances
Designers very elegantly fit a ceiling-mounted bed into the interior. But in addition to aesthetic aspects, technical ones must also be taken into account.
When mounting to the ceiling, check whether the ceiling can withstand the required weight. It is especially important to carry out correct calculations in old and panel apartment buildings if there is a residential floor on top: furniture and appliances are already pressing on the slab in the neighbors’ apartment, and the load is also created by the residents themselves. Therefore, it is much safer to use other types of sleeping arrangements.
They check the height to the ceiling, based on the height of those living in the apartment. The distance under the frame must be such that the person below can move safely. At least 70 cm is left from the mattress to the upper ceiling. In low rooms, a wardrobe or desk is placed under the bed.
You should also pay attention to lighting. It should be soft so that it does not blind your eyes. The most convenient devices are those with a directional light source.
When using drop-down beds, the following rules apply:
- the optimal distance from floor to ceiling is 2.25–3.25 m;
- there should be no obstacles on the way of movement;
- insufficiently strong walls are strengthened;
- the permissible difference in floor level between the legs is about 4 cm, to the lifting column - 6 cm.
The installation location is selected based on the configuration of the room. So, in square rooms it is most convenient to place such an object in the corner. In a narrow and oblong space, use the area between the opposing long walls. In a loft, such furniture is even installed in the center.
Sometimes a hanging bed looks too massive. Then auxiliary lighting is placed above it, which visually adds space. Lamps or a diode strip from below create a levitation effect.
With suspended and suspended ceilings made of plasterboard, there is empty space between the finishing and the base. For models that rest on this structural part of the room, fastening is carried out through decorative cladding to the rough ceiling.
With play area
An extremely common option, in which there is either a wall bars below, if we are talking about a boy, or some kind of play complex. Some models can be specially stylized as a jungle, with a rope at the bottom.
When choosing such models, make sure that they are durable and do not react at all to physical contact. Don’t be lazy and try this bed in a store to make sure it’s reliable.
Some models have a doll house at the bottom and additional shelves for toys. You can also build a hut for your child below, which will be met with incredible delight. There are so many options for gaming complexes that describing them would be difficult. We are confident that you will be able to choose the option that suits you.
Things to remember
Since these products do not have standard solutions, you should approach the choice especially carefully. We have prepared for you a list of several points that you should definitely pay attention to when purchasing.
Be sure to choose models with high sides. Make sure the sides are securely connected to the bed frame. Do not be ashamed to shake the display sample back and forth with a little force. The child will certainly do this. You should not have even a hint of the unreliability of the design.
Look at what furniture fittings were used. Are there any places on it where a child could get caught and get hurt? Some manufacturers can save money and use Chinese unreliable components as a basis.
We are generally silent about the fact that the structure for fastening parts should not contain any plastic. Conscientious manufacturers of such furniture make everything, even assembly, as safe as possible.
All parts must be sanded. Sharp corners are not allowed in the bed design.
Note!
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The manufacturer must have information about what the furniture is made of. No words like “take our word for it.” All necessary certificates must be present that the furniture is safe for children.
For safety reasons, a child’s bed should not be higher than one meter and sixty centimeters. Often, under the guise of a child's room, the seller may try to sell you a teenage one, whose height reaches one meter and eighty centimeters.
But these standards are established for a reason and you definitely shouldn’t neglect them. An adult bed, by the way, can be up to two meters high.
Since many of these beds are made to order, take one to grow. The product does not belong to the “cheap” category, so this will allow you to save a lot.
