Who remembers sleeping in bunk beds as a child, either in your own home or when visiting friends? Almost everyone will have fond memories of them. After all, there is something magical about climbing into that separate space, either on the bottom bunk or the coveted top bed. Don’t think that you cannot give your family the same experience – good quality cheap bunk beds are readily available today.
Bunk beds remain perennially popular with children, and can be utilised very effectively for adults too! Here are six reasons to consider installing them.
Save space
In small homes, a bunk bed makes brilliant use of vertical space. The footprint is that of a single bed but places one bed on top of the other. They are the answer to space constraints in small homes or homes that house large families. Worries about safety are allayed by intelligent designs that incorporate safety features such as rails and steps.
Don’t assume that bunk beds are just for kids! A sturdy bunk bed with a decent mattress is an excellent solution in a spare room, a holiday apartment, or dorms for students.
Create a private sanctuary
It might only be the size of a small single bed, but if it can be separated from the rest of the room, it becomes a crucial part of a child’s life – a separate space to call their own. The specific structure of bunk beds allows for a small area that is not part of a more public floor space where fights and disagreements often occur. Learning the crucial skill of sharing is made so much easier when at least a small area can be cordoned off for the child to retreat into when the need occurs.
Create a brilliant play area
The framework of a bunk bed can be utilised to make a fun play area. Ladders, ropes, tunnels and more can be built-in or added on to the basic construction. Children need the opportunity to climb and experiment to develop spatial skills and balance. In small apartments with little chance of exploration outside, a bunk bed can fit the bill in the absence of wider freedom.
Built-in storage space
Plan your bunk bed installation to use every spare inch. Storage space can easily be built-in in the form of shelves and cupboards. These can be placed above, between and underneath the beds, and built-in as part of the steps. In small homes, extra storage space is useful, and where there are many children to be accommodated, a child-specific cupboard or shelf can promote a sense of security.
Perfect for sleepovers
An essential stage in the development of social skills in your child is the introduction of the sleepover. Exciting for the child and usually stressful for the grown-ups, building a functional and safe space for the visiting child will make things run more smoothly. Installing bunk beds from an early stage of your child’s life will mean you are ready for the sleepover years.
Easy to separate later
And when the kids are older, a well-designed bunk bed can be dismantled and separated into two single beds. If you have the space, the beds can be placed in separate rooms as older children fly the nest. Otherwise, sturdily built wooden bunk beds can be transformed into couches for playrooms, daybeds for teenage bedrooms or benches for playhouses. They can even be moved into your young adult’s first apartment or repurposed as furniture in your own home.
