DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

My younger sister has a tiny box room. It is roughly 175cm wide by 285cm, so extremely small. As a (nearly) 13 year old girl she has a lot of clothes, books, just general things so storage is a must. Our solution 3 years ago when she moved into the room was a high sleeper bed with her desk, shelves and drawers below, and her single built in wardrobe in opposite corner. However, now she feels she has outgrown the high bed, struggles to get in and out of it now she is 5 foot 3 and is desperate for a normal 'low' bed. However, this would dramatically reduce the floor space, meaning no room for desk or drawers or shelf. We are looking into getting an extendable bed (this one is best option so far) http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S49034094/ so that it will fit the width of the room, but we're worried she is already too tall to sleep comfortably the width of the room. Does anyone have any ideas or solutions? We've promised her a room makeover for her 13th which is in April. Thanks in advance.

Hi,
There are various options. I don't think you should consider a short bed - I'm 5 foot 1 and I like a normal adult bed.
Option 1: platform/ cabin bed. Sort of mid height. There is storage beneath the bed but it's no so high as to bump your head on the ceiling.
Option 2: Go for a low bed but put storage above the bed (which can either be accessed by climbing on the bed, using a stool or even a library ladder.

I know pictures explain better so the descriptions are more to give you search tools for the internet. If you click the link you can see several examples on my pinterest boards. http://uk.pinterest.com/search/my_pins/?q=bed

You can also use the above descriptions to search further. With pinterest, if you click on an image you should get taken through to the website where the picture was generated.

I hope this helps.
Philippa

Hi. We had the same issue with our son.

We did a lot of research and came across a company called Get Laid Beds. They make all their frames to order! The have some lovely designs, but the key part is their space savers,

These are designed for scenarios like this. The beds are made in such a way, a smaller foot print is made. This is done by the mattress sitting on top of the frame, rather than within. This means you still can use as standard single mattress, but save vital space in terms of footprint.

They also allow for storage underneath, as an added bonus :)

Have a similar issue. For £300 managed to get a double bed with four storage drawers underneath. Got it from a local supplier (in Chorlton Manchester, forgot their name). Even though the beds against the wall, I only store items is there that I rarely need, still leaves two good sized clothes draws easily accessable plus a tall thin wardrobe. It's just about enough, and I've got a fair bit of gear