tiny teen bedroom - what needs to go in?

[09ohuh4]

Currently in the process of buying a house with a tiny box room that will be DS' as have two DDs who will have to share the big one. DS is still in primary school but thinking for the future - what did your DS absolutely had to have in their box room growing up?

I actually think that sort is not bad. The drawers are 57cm deep whereas the bed is 90cm wide so there is still wasted space. But the term cabin bed is often used to mean one of the modular mid height ones where you can add a pull out desk, a small chest of drawers or 2 cube high unit underneath. This is the sort I think get outgrown, and that aren't as useful as they seem in a small room. A desk that rotates away under a bed can only do so if it's completely clear, and my children's desks never get like that 🤣 but I'm sure other teens are much tidier.

My friend's 21 year old still lives in a tiny box room. He has a slightly elevated bed with storage underneath, a wardrobe built over the stairs and the biggest TV he could get to fit on the wall with a shelf underneath for his games console.

Teenage boys need far less space than primary school aged kids.

My 21 year old 6ft 2 is back living at home just after we downsized and is in a teeny box room 5ft 7 across and luckily 210 cm long. He has a single wooden bed. There is just enough space for Ikea Malm drawers beside the bed which he keeps his clothes in ( he hates wardrobes and we couldnt fit one in anyway) the top acts as his nightstand for a books, water, hairbrush etc. He has a couple of big hooks on the back of the door and an " old person"/hospital style table on wheels that can be adjusted in height and elevation for reading/writing/ using his laptop on in bed and can be pushed against the wall when not in use. https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/health-and-beauty/mobility-aids/overbed-tables/c:29275/
He has under bed boxes and a drawer that don't hit the table legs. He has a shelf on the long wall to have an electric fan on and other bits and a high up shelf above the door for extra bits and books. He didn't want too many shelves as he felt he would feel crammed in. Although I think he could have shelves on the wall at the end of the bed. He has a wooden ventian blind. We are planning to make the door open out into the hall rather than in.

He has his gaming computer in the family lounge. He doesn't need or want a big desk.

What's your budget?
You can find small room designs online, I saw one recently where they had about 30cm on one side of the door as you walked in so they'd built a big storage unit on the wall, a bed built over a small short cupboard (bit like sunSkySea kalix bed) which opened into a wardrobe. Chest of drawers next to the bed and at the foot of the bed there was a desk area built into the bed which also acted as a step up to the bed - very good design for a time area but would need a carpenter

Budget is a bit free, the alternative would be move in a few years and that could cost 50k plus. So anything under 10k would be ok. Have been watching YouTube videos and some of the designs are amazing.

The one my sons had was from IKEA and had a wardrobe underneath. My eldest was 6 foot by 14 and he struggled to to sit up in bed.

get a wardrobe with sliding doors and replace the bedroom door with a bi-fold door - saves loads of space

https://www.diy.com/departments/6-panel-unglazed-white-woodgrain-effect-internal-bi-fold-door-set-h-1950mm-w-826mm/175386_BQ.prd?storeId=&&&gclid=CjwKCAjwzJmlBhBBEiwAEJyLu5N45u6EyJBiCA4YyH1Tvvyqcd4NVPqbgybSv-6jME5YJlZLOfxyrhoCYAQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

@AlecTrevelyan006 Great idea, thank you

I also would have a shorter bed, to fit the width of the room. I'd put it at the end. That should leave more than 2.2 metres if space for a desk and chest of drawers. Maybe even a bookcase.

We have this IKEA loft bed, with desk, wardrobe and shelves underneath. If fits a lot in a small space.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/smastad-loft-bed-white-white-with-desk-with-4-drawers-s99428866/

That's a good point above though - may be worth finding a decent carpenter who could build something bespoke for you and may have ideas on how to maximise the space.

There are also things called Study Beds which convert from a bed to a desk, but even that might be a bit limited for space in a small bedroom.

High bed with desk space underneath for school work, tv and games console (if he is a gamer and a comfy chair. We invested in the X Rocker bed as it's low profile and you can add LED lights to jazz it up.

That one from ikea the skant with just two drawers high looks ideal. Low enough a teen can just sit on it and not have to climb into bed, handy drawers for stuff. Keeps height down so room feels light and airy.

It really depends on your child and what they want/need. My daughter had a high sleeper bed with desk under it which was shorter and would fit across the width of the room. She didn't really use the desk to do work and find she was too close to the ceiling in bed so changed to a daybed at around 13/14 and did most of her work sitting on her bed or at the table downstairs.
My son then got the high sleeper and is now 13 and much taller than my daughter was at that age but loves his high sleeper as he spends most of his life at his desk in a gaming chair he got himself, using his computer/watching TV and only really good on his bed to sleep so isn't bothered by the lack of hight between the bed and ceiling. He has a chest of drawers under the high sleeper at the other end with the majority of his clothes in and there are shelves at the back of the high sleeper for books and things (my daughter couldn't use these as they would block her window) my son had the bigger room in theory but we have separated part off with a wardrobe and curtain to put the tumble dryer and use as storage so their rooms are similar sizes

Potential height if your teenager might be problematic in future. Are cabin beds long enough for someone over 6 foot?

That's why we got rid of DS's. He was over 6 foot (and the frame makes the beds less flexible as you can't hang your legs over the end). Also he couldn't sit up in bed as he was too big (this might not be an issue if you have rooms with higher ceilings. He also (although the cabin bed was adult sized) just found the steps awkward to get up and down with big feet.

We swapped it out for a small double which basically fills most of his room, so he's lost both physical and storage space, but it works much better for him.

DD is only 5 foot, but we swapped out hers because she was just finding it irksome to constantly go up and down the steps. Plus younger children tend to only spend their sleeping hours in bed, but teens like to use them for sitting on, looking at their phones, dumping their things on ...

A lower cabin bed such as the one OP linked to would solve this secondary problem (DD now has a normal single bed with built in drawers).

I don't know ow yet how tall DS is going to be but DH is 6.1 so probably over 6 feet when he grows to full height. I was concerning putting the bed across the room but if he gets over 6 then 190cm of space won't be enough, right

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/elvarli-wardrobe-combination-white-s69157475/

My DS has this to hang his clothes/store books/belongings.