Types of Bunk Beds
Bunk beds are great additions to any home and are used most often in guest rooms or children's rooms. One of the best advantages to bunk beds is the ability to create more space in a room because you are going vertical with your bedding arrangements as opposed to side by side or using larger beds. This is a great space saving technique that can be very useful especially in a smaller room where there is not much room to walk, play or add other furniture. If a child shares a room with another sibling, this allows them both some privacy as well as plenty of space for toys and other items.
When looking for bunk beds, there are many different kinds. All of them are useful but not all of them will be particularly suited to your tastes and needs. So, it is important to know what types of bunk beds are available on the market and what their differences are. This way when shopping for bunk beds you will know exactly what you want and can tell the difference when looking online or shopping at furniture stores.
Traditional bunk beds are simply two beds made into one by building them one on top of the other using a solid frame. Two mattresses are used, one on the top and one on the bottom. People can sleep in either the top bunk or bottom. This is an ideal situation for children's rooms where two children share the same room or for guest rooms. In cottages, this is a particular popular type of bed for guests when you have the potential for having a lot of company and need to sleep several people but do not have a lot of available space.
Stackable bunk beds are very similar to traditional bunk beds. In fact, there is only one real difference. The difference is that the top bunk, instead of being a fixed part of the bed as a whole, is a separate piece altogether. If needed, you can detach the top bunk and remove it so you now have two completely separate beds. This type of situation is also ideal for children sharing a room. As they get older, they may not care as much about playing room and will want, instead, a "real" bed. You do not have to go out and buy all new bedroom furniture. Instead, all you need to do is lift the top bunk from the bottom and arrange the two beds as you so desire.
Loft beds are similarly formed as the traditional bunk beds and stackable bunk beds except that it is only the top portion of the bed. The bed is lifted from the ground so everything underneath it is usable space. This makes a great place to play and store items. It is also a popular option to have a desk and bookshelves under the bunk beds so that it can be used for homework or art work. All of this will be accomplished in a very short section of the room, virtually doubling the available space. The remainder of the room can be used for other things.
"L" shaped bunk beds are a loft bed combined with an additional bed. Typically the bed is a twin size and sits perpendicular and slightly beneath the loft bed. These types of bunk beds take up a little more room because one of the beds is coming out into the room farther but it still saves a lot of space. With "L" shaped beds you also have the flexibility of positioning the other bed wherever you would like it. It is easily moveable and can be used in a variety of positions and even tucked under the loft to save more space.
Full and twin combination bunk beds consist of the top bunk being a twin and the bottom being a full sized bed. This is a great set up for an older sibling sharing a room with a younger one. The older one gets the larger bed while the younger gets the top bunk. This is also a very popular combination for use with a futon and twin bed. When not completely out and used as bunk beds, the futon folds up into a couch for additional seating room.
