Organizing a sleeping place for your daughter is not an easy task. Parents should take care of the safety of the bed and create the most comfortable conditions for rest. In this case, it is often necessary to take into account not only the wishes of the young princess, but also the cramped dimensions of the room. A universal solution would be a loft bed for a girl - the furniture is original and at the same time multifunctional. Modern models have an interesting design, and the design features will help you use the space of the room with maximum benefit.
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.
Other varieties
Design of an original teenager's room with an unusual color scheme and original-shaped furniture.
There is a variety of loft beds for the age category of users. Standard models are suitable for children of secondary school age and teenagers, having a standard height of about 2000 mm. There is a variety for small children from 2.5 years old - low loft beds up to 1.5 m, in which the base resembles a large chest of drawers with drawers, and the sleeping place is located on top. The tabletop is installed at a right angle in the form of a small rectangular table.
Low loft bed with pull-out table, drawers and shelves
Many products for young children are equipped with the attributes of a playground, having additional design elements. In addition to the standard extension or modular ladder, such modifications are equipped with slides and ropes. Such variations are large in size and are suitable for spacious rooms. If the apartment has limited living space, then you can choose a more compact modification of the loft bed with a play area under the top.
Low crib with slide and play area for baby
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.
What to consider depending on the age of the child
When choosing interior items, consider the following:
- Safety - all beds, cabinets, tables, shelves and decorative elements should not threaten the health of children. Before purchasing, you must carefully inspect all stairs, sides, and steps. They should be without sharp corners or roughness, only smooth, rounded lines. The height of the sides must be selected so that the child does not fall out of the bed during sleep. It is recommended to equip the stairs with railings;
- The stability of the structure - you must check the loft bed and all its components, cabinets, and table. Fasteners and connections must be reliable and durable. Otherwise, the child may be injured;
- To maintain the correct posture of the child while he sleeps, it is recommended to choose an orthopedic mattress model. This point is especially important, since the musculoskeletal system in children develops very actively;
- The height of the attic bed is selected depending on age;
- The material used to make the bed must be hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly. Interior items made from natural wood are considered the best. Also, furniture elements can be made of metal, plastic, MDF, chipboard.
A staircase located at a slight angle will be more convenient than a straight one. It is better to purchase a vertical model for older children.
In addition, the type and type of construction of the attic bed depends on the age of the child:
- Children aged 2-3 years - a bed that is placed at a height of approximately 1-1.2 m is suitable for them. These are the lowest models of all. Thus, it will be convenient for the child to go up and down the stairs. It is recommended to give preference to models with high sides and wide steps. All elements of the playing area must be equipped with durable fastenings;
- Children over 5-7 years old - choose a higher bed: 1.3-1.6 m. For a 7-year-old girl, you can set up a work area where she can study, read, draw;
- The highest model of an attic bed for a teenage girl is 1.8-2.0 m. In such models, more free space is freed up on the lower tier and you can arrange everything you need: cabinets, a transforming table, a sofa. Particular attention is paid to the strength of the structure and how much weight it can withstand.
It is possible to save space in the room, decorate the room, and correctly arrange everything necessary for the development and free time of the child if you purchase a bed set. The design allows you to organize a work and play area, as well as a storage system for clothes, books, and school supplies.
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.
Color solutions
A combination of bright orange color and light wood shade for children's furniture.
External differences between the options for loft beds with a desk lie in the use of different color schemes. Most factories produce cribs according to furniture production standards: using bright and rich colors for decorating facades and light shades of eco-veneer. Often in catalogs there are products for boys and girls. The most popular colors are pink, blue, light green, orange, yellow, lemon, lilac. You can also find options in neutral colors - walnut, alder, pine, oak, wenge. Light shades of wood remain preferred, as they go well with the bright colored inserts of the facades.
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.
Materials
There are special requirements for children's furniture. It should be bright, attractive, as safe and easy to use as possible. You should pay attention to the fittings. All moving elements must be smooth, easy to open or close, the products must be equipped with closers, locking devices, the design must be equipped with reliable hinges and fasteners, and safe handles. Surfaces are checked for smoothness, absence of chips and cracks, and protruding sharp elements. It is important that the entire loft bed structure is stable.
Design features of loft beds, combination with the interior
Whenever possible, the materials chosen are natural, environmentally friendly and do not emit toxic substances. Of course, they must be strong, durable, and resistant to aggressive influences.
Metal is rarely used to make children's beds, only as a frame or individual decorative elements (in the techno style for a teenage girl).
The most suitable material options:
- Natural solid wood. This is a harmless, hypoallergenic, attractive in appearance and pleasant to the touch material. It is cheaper to buy furniture made of pine, but scratches will quickly appear on it. Expensive oak or beech models are characterized by a long service life and excellent quality.
- MDF is a more affordable analogue of wood. This is a durable, wear-resistant material that looks very similar to natural wood. Contains only safe ingredients.
- Chipboard or fibreboard. The most budget option that will not last long. Such a bed can be purchased for a short time while the girl grows up. But low-quality products may contain harmful resins and emit toxic substances, so you should only contact reputable manufacturers. The surface of the slab must be laminated on both sides, the edge parts of the products are checked for leaks.
When purchasing children's furniture, be sure to ask the supplier for a quality certificate.
Photo of a children's loft bed
What should you especially pay attention to when choosing?
Like all bunk structures, loft beds have high safety requirements.
- It is mandatory to have a guard rail to prevent a child from falling from a height of almost two meters. This is especially important for children from 3 years of primary and secondary school age.
- Another important safety requirement is that all fixing elements - hinges, screws, bolts, nuts - do not protrude above the surface of the chipboard or are closed with special plastic plugs.
- The ends of the table top and sides must be covered with a special PVC edge to protect against damage to the skin.
A loft bed that meets safety requirements: with sides, correct fastenings and non-slip steps.
Trusted manufacturers meet these requirements, offering loft beds made to standards of hygiene and environmental safety. When choosing, it is better to additionally make sure that there are no toxic substances (formaldehyde) in paint coatings.
Innovative design with smart storage systems
Compact children's furniture with bed, wardrobe, shelves and turntable for a small room
Since the key purpose of creating a loft bed was to increase the functionality of the nursery, manufacturers are constantly working to improve this type of furniture for children. There are many types of loft beds - standard ones, with a sofa below, mini-lofts for preschoolers, with different types of stairs, with ropes and slides. Most developers focus on increasing functionality, creating innovative designs with smart storage systems for things - toys, clothes, textbooks.
Open and closed compartments, shelves, drawers are included in products in various ways: as a component of cabinets, pencil cases, shelving, modular stairs, upper drawers.
These were the main features of two-tier furniture complexes with a work area. Almost every manufacturer offers its own unique loft bed design. Which one to choose depends on the financial capabilities of the parents, the size of the nursery, the number of children in the family and personal preferences.
