Help with my teen’s bed/storage/desk?

[Durdledore]

Good morning everyone. My son is year 10, obviously going into year 11 very soon, and has a small room. I want to get a desk in there so I’m thinking the obvious option is to raise the bed to a high sleeper and put a desk underneath.

Problem is this will mean the ladder will use up space where he currently has a 3-drawer chest and he’ll lose the under-bed storage he currently has.

I’ve looked at expensive cabin bed things online but they all seem more suited to the size and storage needs of an 8 year old rather than a 15-20 year old.

Am I missing something?

I’ve tried thinking outside the box and setting him up a study area downstairs but with 2 other children, it won’t be ideal for concentrating. Or there’s the library… 🤔

Any ideas for desk-clothes-bed?

I would avoid a cabin bed for that age- getting up there adult size is tricky!
I would look into slimline desks like the ikea micke. Or a dropleaf or folding desk that could be put maybe behind the door?
Alternatively maybe an over the bed desk or laptop tray?
We are choosing from these options for my 11 year old at the minute with the world's smallest room. It's tricky!

Can you do a drawing of the room layout showing where the bed and chest drawers are now, plus window, door etc? I was thinking of simply replacing the chest of drawers with a desk, then having a slightly higher bed with drawers underneath, but not so high that a ladder would be needed.

Something like this. https://www.happybeds.co.uk/captains-white-wooden-storage-bed-frame-3ft-single?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItfOC2reFhwMVF5FQBh0qZAMoEAQYBCABEgKtXfD_BwE

Yeah - great ideas! You’re right to mention adult-sized as I should have said in my OP that he’s already taller than I am.

Ah now that’s another great idea, thanks!

Here’s my rough sketch of the room

The high sleeper we have is only suitable up to a certain weight limit as well so something to bear in mind. He could well be nice and slim now but as he gets older that may change. We are just changing my 13 year olds high sleeper as he's at the weight limit!

Midsleeper with a pull out desk? You can still have under bed storage that way.

Billy goes next to the door, chest moves along, desk next to bed?

Hm not thought of that either. Ok, I’ll have a look at that option. Thanks!

My 14 year old has a cabin bed (not that useful) and 13 year old has a loft bed (very useful). You can get loft beds with a straight ladder.

Neither seems to be outgrowing either size or maturity-wise any time soon although they are larger than a single. Could you fit a small double - something like this:

www.wayfair.co.uk/children-nursery/pdp/just-kids-esma-high-sleeper-solid-pine-loft-bunk-bed-jkid2027.html?piid=20696002

Makes the room so much bigger & its very cosy up there. They're more like a top bunk though which some kids might not like.

Do you have room next to the door to fit a Kallax desk, which is only 39cm deep, with drawer and cupboard inserts?

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/kallax-desk-white-30582445/

a couple of small shelves above it:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/burhult-sibbhult-wall-shelf-white-white-s89325963/

and a Skadis notice board

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/skadis-pegboard-white-50320805/

Is there space for the bookshelf under the window? Can you replace the chest of drawers with a narrow pax wardrobe with drawers & hanging space? Put that in the corner then there is plenty of desk space.

I’ll measure up - another great idea!

Th bookshelf is a tall narrow Billy bookshelf from IKEA so won’t fit under the window unfortunately. But I could sell it and buy a shorter one that could go where you’re saying, thanks.

I've just built this for my son. It's nordli drawers from IKEA that have been clad. The middle set of drawers is on wheels and pulls out to access storage underneath. His desk is on the other side of the room, but could go where his keyboard is. Shelves on the walls keeps more floor space which makes the room feel bigger. It's made a massive difference.

@lightningstrikes that's stunning. Your lucky son.

OP my 15 year old has just moved from a cabin bed to a normal bed and he is SO much more comfortable. He can now lounge on his bed in the day, or work on it, neither of which he did before. I would not put a high sleeper in if you can possibly help it.

Can you move his Billy out somewhere else to make space for a small foldaway desk? Even just a tiny one like they use in exam halls. I went to a very posh boarding school and this was what we had in our cubicles in Y11. Never did me any harm etc. Ideal? No. But not a disaster either. You could also look at getting a lap desk or table on wheels that sits over the end of the bed.

That looks great! When you say ‘clad’, what do you mean? And how have you done the bed - is it literally a mattress on top of a set of drawers with a free-standing headboard? Trying to work out how to replicate it.

Yeah I think the Billy might be confusing things at the moment and needs to be changed. I know what you mean about a smaller desk, that’s where I’m heading as a result of this thread.

By clad I mean that I've cut pieces of wood to cover the drawers and screwed them on. It was a fiddly project, but not complicated.

The bed is simply on a platform I screwed in over the drawer and some kallax. It's a double, so more space. I reused the slats from his previous bed. If doing a single just need to build a simple support. There's lots of ideas online, I used images from Pinterest. The headboard is screwed into the wall.

Kallax support...

Oh my gosh, @lightningstrikes, you’re amazing! I don’t have your imagination nor skills. Will you do my son’s room for me? 😂

Thank you for explaining - I get it now. And am very impressed!

We have this one from ikea in my 15 year olds box room. Its great for him and the storage drawers are massive so we could get rid of the freestanding ones and replaced it with a small desk

SLÄKT bed frame w storage+slatted bedbase, white, 90x200 cm - IKEA

I promise I have no particular skills! I do have a drill and a saw, but honestly the bed is doable by anyone really. It's literally planks of wood screwed in over other furniture with a mattress thrown on top. X

Fuck that @lightningstrikes, you absolutely DO have a particular skill set that is special. It just feels 🤷‍♀️ and easy to you because it comes so naturally to you. Kudos to you. Xx

@lightningstrikes the wardrobe is genius. With the lining and cladding it works so well. Did you use scaffold boards for the cladding?

Top notch design, love it.