14 clever ideas for useful and stylish bunk beds
Having kids share a room can be an interesting process - will they fight, will they share, will they keep each other up all night giggling? From a design perspective, the key issue is space. How do you fit two or more children into one room, and make sure there's enough space both for sleep and storage? Many people turn to bunk beds as the solution to this problem: a sleeping option which makes the most of the full height of a room. If you don't need to make space for two beds, the bottom bunk can be used as a desk and study area, or for younger children it makes a perfect den.
Once you have figured out the best place to put your bunk beds (along the longest wall is normally a good idea), you can have a think about how you want (or need) it to look and function. There are several off-the-peg options out there - high-street shops like IKEA and Heal's have plenty of great options, all of which could be painted or embellished if you are looking for something more personal. The other option is to install some bespoke joinery, which though certainly the more costly choice, gives you the option of designing it to suit your needs. Ask yourself: do you need drawers? Will curtains be a welcome was to introduce some privacy or will they be a hazard and ultimately ripped down? Will it be painted or will the children grow out of their chosen colour before the paint is dry?
For inspiration, we have compiled a gallery of some of our favourite bunk beds. These bunk beds either make the most of genuinely tiny spaces, add storage, or provide cool ways to inject a little style into a kid's room. From storage that doubles up as stairs to bespoke built-in beds, scroll down for our favourite bunk solutions. (Just work out who gets top bunk to avoid any arguments!)
Bunk bed ideas
© Rachael Smith Photography Ltd1/14Tasked with combining two 18th-century cottages to create a coherent property, architect Kathryn Manning devised a contemporary extension to join them, while designer Anna Haines introduced a harmonious mix of colours, set off by antique and bespoke furniture. A joyful children's bedroom features curtains in Robert Kime’s ‘Susani Yellow’ linen and walls in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Hay’, which combined give this compact space a bright and uplifting feel.
Paul Massey2/14Taking on a listed Victorian house, with Nineties decoration and owners who love hotel chic, is not an easy commission. But Sigmar’s Ebba Thott relished the challenge to create refined modern interiors to suit the family’s lifestyle in their south London home. In the children's dormitory, a swing, theatre and bunk beds were designed by Sigmar and infuse the space with a sense of theatre. Wool poufs by Myfelt on a rug from Wayfair pick up on Louis Poulsen’s ‘PH 5’ pendant lamps. The ‘Sleepy Moon’ light and ‘Bear Wall Sticker’ are from Hartendief.
Christopher Horwood3/14Decorator Victoria von Westenholz, working with her longtime friend Xenia Buckhurst, has infused the interiors of the cottage where Xenia lives with warmth and a welcoming atmosphere. This snug children's bedroom is covered in Molly Mahon wallpaper, neatly paired with an ‘Ingrid 3’ blind from Madeaux. A sweet rug from Nursery Window grounds the room.
Dean Hearne4/14“I have three girls, and when they became teenagers, I felt the need to be bold in manoeuvring them out of childhood wistfulness. And, of course, as more and more friends came to stay, it made sense to add more and more beds. There are four in this room. Even though some of the people who sleep in them are now in their 20s, they are popular and come in very handy,' says Melinda Stevens, the creative director of Gloobles and founder of Salt Lick Creative, who looked to her old friend Sarah Vanrenen for a colourful reinterpretation of her Wiltshire farmhouse.
Simon Brown5/14In Alexandra Tolstoy's Chelsea house, bunk beds have been designed to provide space for three children this bedroom. The room is full of charming things to engage young imaginations, but free of the whimsy and bad design that so often characterises nursery furniture.
6/14In the bunk room of a London project by Anna Haines, the bespoke beds are painted in ‘Lichen’ from Farrow & Ball. The blankets are Caravane’s ‘Chiara Throw’, wall lights are Rose Uniacke. The walls are papered in Cathy Nordstrom’s ‘Barbro Wallpaper’ in ‘Spruce’.
7/14Transforming this tiny attic room into a children's room for two required some ingenuity. Enter Kate Earle of Todhunter Earle who designed these overlapping bunk beds as a clever space-saving solution.
Paul Massey8/14In a waterside house designed by Turner Pockock, bespoke Bunk beds emerge from ‘Feuilles de Luxe’ wallpaper from The Loft & Us. The ‘Monkey’ rug is by Jane Bristowe for Amy Kent.
Paul Massey9/14Elsewhere in the same house, The Rug Company’s jolly ‘Frog’ rug by Barber & Osgerby brightens a bunk room for visiting cousins.
10/14In the youngest child's bedroom of this project by Salvesen Graham, the woodwork is painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Hague Blue’. The bed makes good use of the longest wall in the room, while not obstructing the large window which fills the space with light.
Elsa Young11/14In this small Mayfair flat, space has been maximised with three beds for children in one room. With its built-in bunks, the room feels like a sailing boat cabin. Upholstered headboards and a Georgian mahogany chest add homely touches.
12/14Pine bunk beds at Soho Farmhouse with plenty of cushions make for a cosy and relaxed bedroom space. Bedding is neutral to prevent the space from becoming garish. This is a perfect decoration scheme for a kid's room at a vacation home.
Richard Powers13/14Four bunk beds line a wall of the kids' room in this stone house in Luberon. The paired back design of the house is made playful here with polka-dot walls (and matching bed linen), colourful soft toys and a tiger rug.
14/14When it comes to bunk beds for kids, three words: versatility, versatility, versatility. This stylish bed works as a traditional bunk, or easily separates into a loft bed with a twin bed underneath (or an 'I shaped' bunk bed) - perfect for awkward or small spaces.
