bed podium photo
The podium bed is gaining popularity as a good solution for the interior. Many people prefer to make a podium bed with their own hands rather than buying or ordering from specialists. The podium helps to save space, allowing you to organize it more competently. In our article you will find projects of varying complexity. Some are quite accessible to beginners, while others require some experience in carpentry. Things are stored in drawers built into the podium without taking up the area of the room. The article offers drawings of a podium bed with dimensions , photographs of projects that you can do with your own hands. We have selected several options for a podium bed : with a pull-out bed and with a mattress on top of the platform, for a small room and for a bedroom. All you have to do is browse the galleries, select the project you are interested in and go to the source website for more detailed information.
No. 3. What disadvantages of the podium do you need to know about?
There are few disadvantages to podiums, but they still exist, and you need to know about them. Most of the disadvantages are consequences of an ill-conceived location of the pedestal or poor quality of its construction.
The owner of the podium may encounter the following disadvantages:
- The area of the room remains unchanged, but some difficulties may arise when rearranging and selecting furniture. The reason for this is the rise that has appeared;
- the podium can significantly complicate the life of old people;
- It’s worth calculating the height of the podium very carefully. If you want to place a roll-out bed inside, then you should take into account the height of the mechanism with rollers and guides, the thickness of the mattress, pillows and blankets. On average, the height of the podium in this case should be 70-80 cm. If the ceiling height in the apartment is 2.5 m, then this is not your option;
- a sleeping place located on a low podium is romantic and beautiful, but it will be difficult to lie down and get up. For an older person, this solution is definitely not suitable.
Use Cases
The podium can perform several functions at once. In addition to its aesthetic purpose, it will help divide the apartment into zones or hide wires and pipes.
Room zoning
Kitchen area. One option is to delimit a studio apartment or kitchen-living room into a kitchen area and a place to relax. The elevated area can accommodate a cooking workstation and a dining area. This will create the impression of two isolated rooms without overloading the space of the apartment.
Dining room (dining room). A small elevation in the dining area will create a cozy and private atmosphere in the room.
Sleeping area. The podium will highlight the sleeping area and can serve as additional storage space using drawers.
The work area in the apartment can be highlighted using a podium; it is recommended to place it near the window.
Gaming. In the play area for kids you can place a sports corner, a place for drawing or a soft corner with toys. Roll-out drawers can be built into the podium in which things and toys will be stored. In a teenager’s playroom, it is enough to place a table with a computer and a comfortable chair.
Podium bed
The platform for the bed replaces the frame; a mattress is placed on it and drawers can be recessed into the side parts, in which it is convenient to store a change of bed linen. A podium bed looks impressive in the interior of an apartment, and is more economical than a full bed. The base can be beautifully decorated creatively, for example, assembled from several bleached beams.
Storage space
The big advantage of installing a podium in an apartment is the opportunity to get additional storage space while saving space.
Depending on the height of the platform, the drawers can be retractable or hinged. A drawer can fit into a niche of almost any height; hinged drawers are more convenient to install at a high level.
The photo shows a bedroom with a multi-tiered podium, each of which has storage space.
Sofa podium
A stylish interior solution for decorating a living room in an apartment. The podium for the sofa is a raised platform on which the pillows are placed. The space inside the platform can also be put to good use.
Place to rest
The podium can become a real lounge area in the apartment. This can be a cozy place for reading, on which there are several pillows and a lamp with warm light, or it can become a full-fledged place for drinking tea in the form of a comfortable chair and an elegant coffee table.
Podium for flowers
The base for flowers creates the impression of a real winter garden in a city apartment. Multi-tiered podiums are suitable for low potted flowers. Full-length tall plants will look spectacular on a solid platform in a bright room.
The photo shows a modern living room in white. The base podium for flowers has straight, clear lines.
A way to hide communications
In modern life it is impossible to avoid a large number of wires in the apartment; a podium is an excellent and aesthetic option to hide them. The collapsible design allows you to easily access them if necessary.
The photo shows a high-tech apartment with a sitting area near the window. The podium serves as a stand for equipment and hides communications and wires.
What is needed for the frame?
First you need to take care of purchasing timber (3x4 and 5x5cm). Plywood (1 cm and 2 cm) is also necessary for constructing an elevation with your own hands. Fasteners require various modifications.
Self-tapping screws and anchors are used for fastening; It’s a good idea to stock up on dowel nails. Corners for fastening (5 cm) should be purchased both regular and reinforced.
A beam is vertically attached to the wall of the room with anchors to construct a supporting wall. The following fact is taken into account: the step between the supports should be minimal, which allows the structure to become the most durable. The best gap is 40cm.
Then the beams are laid horizontally and connected by fastening them with self-tapping screws or nails. In this way the upper part is formed. The frame gains greater strength through the use of metal corners.
No. 4. Ideas for arranging a podium in an apartment
The podium suggests a lot of scenarios for its use. Some of them are aimed at diversifying the interior, others at the most efficient use of space.
Here are some ideas for organizing the podium space:
- podium bed - the most common solution. The sleeping area can be organized in a niche or in an open space - in any case, the podium will allow you to visually separate it from other areas in the apartment. The height of the bed podium is 20-50 cm; when calculating, also take into account the height of the mattress. When arranging a sleeping place on such an elevation, you can save on buying a full-fledged bed - you only need a good mattress. The space under the bed can be used for storage. If there is space left around the perimeter of the podium, it can be used as a bedside table;
- podium-chest. In the drawers on rollers, which are hidden under the podium, you can store a lot of things. For this purpose, you can also use the steps of the podium. If the hill has a decent height, then its base can be decorated with niches for storing books and souvenirs. LED lighting will serve as decoration. Podium storage can be supplemented with ordinary cabinets and shelves located around the perimeter of the pedestal;
- secret podium. The entire space under the podium can be occupied by a secret bed, which will, if necessary, be pulled out using guides and rollers. For studio apartments with an area of 20-25 sq.m., where arranging a full-fledged sleeping place seems like something out of science fiction, this is an excellent option. The main thing is to leave enough space to pull out the bed. Another inverse option is to make something like a cellar. If the podium is set up as a play area for children, then a recess can be made in the floor for storing toys. After active games, it will be enough to quickly put everything in a makeshift cellar, close the lid, and order;
- correction and zoning. A podium is necessary not only for long narrow rooms. In a hallway combined with a living room, for example, the height difference can be used to highlight an area where you need to take off your shoes.
The podium becomes indispensable in studio apartments and one-room apartments, especially if there are children in the family. In this case, the elevation can become a miniature children's room: on the upper tier there is everything that is needed for study and entertainment, the lower tier - a pull-out bed, steps - for storing things.
However, a podium is necessary not only for miniature spaces - in large living rooms and bedrooms it allows you to clearly highlight individual zones and make the room much more comfortable.
Decorating the podium space is often done in the same way as the rest of the room. If the task is to further highlight this area, then you can use a different floor or wall covering, but you should not forget about harmony and color combinations.
An interesting solution in the design of the podium is the use of LED lighting along the contour. In this case, you can get a real scene in an ordinary apartment.
No. 2. Where is the best place to place the podium?
A podium is a convenient and useful thing if the apartment owners have thought about its placement. Let us note right away that ready-made podiums are not sold in stores - they are assembled in an apartment or house, taking into account all the requirements put forward, so there is no need to adapt - everything is in our hands.
What is important to consider when choosing a location for the podium?
- If the podium is used to disguise communications, then its location is determined by the location of the pipes.
- If the hill plays the role of a bed, then it will be located where it is most appropriate to place the bed.
- It is not worth organizing a podium in the center of the room or in a walk-through place, as the risk of injury increases, and it will be inconvenient to constantly walk around the structure.
- In a pencil case room, the podium is not placed along a long wall. It is better to organize the elevation near a short wall and thus divide the room into two squares. In rooms of the correct shape, the podium can be arranged in the corner, making it in the shape of a square, rectangle or semicircle.
- When looking for the optimal place for a podium in an apartment, pay attention to arches, niches and other architectural features that can become part of the pedestal or serve as its frame.
- The height of the podium, depending on its purpose, ranges from 15 to 50 cm, but it is necessary to take into account the height of the room. It is important that a person, standing on the podium, can straighten up to his full height.
Designers recommend not placing excessively massive pieces of furniture on the podium. Everything that stands at a height automatically attracts the attention of the person who enters - these are features of human perception. If large, heavy things are placed at a height, the apartment will look overloaded.
What do kitchen professionals make from?
The most common material for the kitchen is chipboard. It is used both in inexpensive kitchens and in more expensive options. Now an improved version of chipboard is popular in Europe: it is more durable and resistant to moisture. This effect is achieved by the fact that they contain more glue and paraffin, which makes this material so durable. The highest quality materials are produced by the Lamatry and Egger factories: you can be confident in the quality of the chipboard material they produce.
Chipboard is an inexpensive material that can be used to create a designer kitchen option
Laminated chipboard is not the only material from which a kitchen can be made.
- Plastic. Quite inexpensive material, suitable for the average budget.
- Artificial or natural stone. This option is suitable for people who are really willing to spend a large amount of money and want to make their kitchen truly chic. Artificial stone is cheaper than its natural alternative, and even surpasses natural material in quality. For Provence style or many classic design styles, this material will be an excellent option.
- Natural wood. This material is also suitable for expensive kitchens: it is coated with various mixtures and varnishes to make the material durable. Wood itself is a fragile material, it can easily be damaged and cracks may appear. To avoid this problem, various companies use their own methods to strengthen the tree.
Not only the quality of the kitchen, but also the atmosphere depends on the choice of material
It is important to approach this issue as seriously as possible and not make spontaneous decisions
How to finish the top and sides?
The base is sheathed with plywood or fiberboards. The sheets are attached to the beams using nails. Self-tapping screws are also used. It is imperative to provide gaps between all sheets (2, even 3 mm): exposure to moisture or high heat will affect the expansion of the material. If you plan to use a niche to arrange a retractable bed or drawers, the frame is also covered from the inside.
It is undesirable to tightly close the podium: the space in the apartment will be used irrationally.
Flooring – finishing. It is done very carefully, because it is what is visible to the eye and is part of the interior. To give a special atmosphere, the podium is equipped with lighting.
Having figured out how to make podiums with your own hands, you can start doing the work. The installation of the podium is not difficult to implement. A minimum of knowledge and skills, a great desire to turn your home into a piece of paradise, some tools, a minimum amount of materials - everything that a master needs for his work. And the result is comfort in the home and gratitude from loved ones.
No. 5. Types of podiums and material of manufacture
According to the constructive solution, podiums can be divided into:
- monolithic;
- frame.
Monolithic ones are made of concrete. The resulting structures are strong and reliable, but for an apartment building the weight of such a podium is prohibitively high. You can lighten the construction by using expanded clay concrete or foam blocks, but this is an option for private houses. To fill the podium, formwork of the required shape is used.
Frame podiums are the best solution for ordinary apartments. The frame is made of wooden beams or metal; plywood, chipboard or OSB are used for cladding. Sheet materials can be laid in two layers to increase the strength of the structure.
Design tips
It is not recommended to place heavy furniture on the podium, otherwise the room will look overloaded.
When equipping an elevation, it is worth considering the load that it will have to withstand:
- The children's corner and winter garden are equipped on a frame platform. Material - bars and thick plywood.
- The furniture podium is made of a durable frame with a distance between the bars of 30-40 cm.
- For a kitchen unit or bathroom, a monolithic concrete platform is installed that the floor will support.
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