Tameka Norris

Space Saving Beds



Posted: Thursday, March 18, 2010

by Tameka Norris
Furniture for Small Spaces

Nowadays many of the newly built homes on the market seem to be built with smaller bedrooms than the older, traditional properties did. As storage in the bedroom is important, this can pose a bit of a problem because a comfortable bed also has to be fitted into this limited space. Manufacturers have now cleverly come up with new ideas to circumvent this problem: space saving beds. Although storage space within beds has long been tried and tested, this idea has never really fulfilled the requirements of the traditional hanging closet. So, although beds often still come complete with one or two integral drawers or under-bed storage solutions are still available, space saving beds really do seem to fill the category of space saving furniture that works well.

Apart from the traditional double or single beds made slightly smaller than average and which, I think, don't really save that much space, there are also the cabin beds and high sleepers on the market. Both of these designs allow for storage space underneath the bed but mostly these kinds of bed are the province of the younger sleeper - child or young teen. A cabin bed, also referred to as a mid sleeper, is raised about 80cm from the floor and is accessed via a short ladder. These beds usually come with integral storage underneath the bed, usually in the form of a hanging closet for child-sized clothes, two or three drawers and a shelved cupboard. Younger children are better suited to these mid sleepers for safety reasons and, certainly, the high sleepers offer less protection for the safety of a young child.

High sleepers can be 170cm or more from the ground, with room underneath the bed for practically a full bedroom suite. Many have wardrobe, drawers, computer desk and bookshelves built in as part of the package although others simply comprise of the bed alone. Moving on from the mid and high sleepers, and probably more of an option for the adult sleeper, the wall bed unit really is a good space saver. Another option is the Stowaway bed which, even for the 2ft 6inch width, is not a cheap option - although it is an effective one. Then, of course, there is the Constans bed. This is a proper bed that attaches securely to a solid wall and which, during the daytime, folds back against the wall and let down quickly and easily at night.

Of all the hidden bed designs currently on the market, this has to be my all-time favorite, both in terms of aesthetics and comfort. These beds are custom made, to order, so take some time to be delivered. However, they do come with a nice thick, fully sprung mattress which enables the sleeper to get a decent night's sleep and, during the day, they are literally hidden away against the wall - no deeper than the average radiator. This gives you plenty of floor space, enabling you to double up this room's use while the bed itself fully conforms to my idea of what space saving beds should be all about.

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