To ask for your amazing box room solutions?

[Islands81]

Poor dd2 drew the short straw and has the tiniest box room in the world. We’ve been here 5 years and I’m currently in the process of binning/donating pretty much all the stuff she had that she never plays with (12 bin bags and counting!).

She refuses to sleep in her high up bed anymore because she once saw a spider (she’s being assessed for ASD and gets a bed in her bonnet about stuff) , so at her request I’ve now bought her a day bed, which has drawers and a pull out trundle underneath. So the big bed is going which is going to create a storage nightmare.

She still has a fuck ton of stuff she claims she can’t part with which is in my room at the moment. Toys, organised into big storage boxes, books, games, the biggest hamster cage in the world, sparkly bags and all that shit. Currently her clothes are not in her room and I can’t see that changing. Where the feck am I going to put all this stuff?

I’ve included a pic so you can see my problem. Please don’t judge the mess (it’s a work in progress!) or the hideous pink walls (she chose them a few years ago and they’re going).

Please share any box room storage miracles that you have!

Sorry, desk on left hand wall nor right.

We have the same kind of issues with DD's room. The width of the room (along the window) is just marginally too short to buy a single bed and put it in but is wide enough for a single mattress. So... we got a joiner DH knows to build a bed... essentially a box with doors underneath so we can store stuff. He worked with the measurements of the room and it's perfect. The cost was similar to buying a ready made bed.

Ikea Stuva furniture is quite narrow and is modular so you can adapt it easily. This was the only way she could have a wardrobe, set of drawers and bedside table (of sorts). We have something a bit like this, but have a shorter wardrobe section and drawers underneath. www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/childrens-ikea-products/children-3-7/childrens-storage-system/fritids-stuva-wardrobe-white-white-spr-19275075/

We also made sure we didn't paint her room too brightly to increase the spacious feel of the room... let her pick the general colour but bought the paint a couple of shades lighter (on the same colour card).

Dd2 drew the short straw in our house she used to have a midi bed under her window but normal single won’t fit so we had to do a move around she’s got rolling drawers under her bed for her stuff the chest of drawers for pj:underwear, leggings etc and then we have a cupboard on landing next to her room that used to have water tank in. Since we have combo boiler we got rid of the water tank and converted that cupboard with shelves and rails into her wardrobe

Can’t see it but she has a small fold up desk and stool next to her bed too wjere she can do homework and then when she doesn’t need it folds up and lives under her bed. She can fit one friend in for sleepovers as long as they enjoy being snug on the blow up bed on the floor!

Also, depending where you have the bed, these shelves are handy for storing drinks / books / alarm clock etc. DD1 has one as a bedside table won't work in her room. Get a tester pot of paint you like to brighten it up.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/kitchen-organisers-shelves/bekväm-spice-rack-birch-art-40070185/

We had a carpenter build a bed that fitted above the top of the stairs and took a single mattress. It pulled out for cleaning. I'd I was to do it again in would have had drawers with wheels made too. The room looked twice the size. It was a very simple design (one set of legs were about three foot closer to the middle) and very sturdy.

Our box room is much smaller than that. It was originally a two bedroom house and the people before split the front bedroom into two smaller rooms. It's also quite a short room so no space for a wardrobe.

Removing the skirting board might fit a single in.

Don’t know if this’d help- but when I was little my mum stuck ( nailed?
Staples? I don’t know) a long strip of Velcro to my wall. Then sewed little squares of the opposite Velcro on all my cuddly toys. They then stuck to the wall! Looked cool and I enjoyed putting them away.

I actually think it will appear bigger without a cabin bed as you see the window more easily! My sons bedroom isn't particular small but we used the Iket storage from ikea and wall mounted so that it doesn't touch the floor space. The Iket can be brought in different configurations from one cube upwards. I would suggest a cull though! A few pics in case it helps!

You can make a bed using ikea kallax. Give it a Google

Wow loves those pics @eandh and @ilovewillow. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I’ve just had another measure of the room with a longer measuring tape, and it’s just over 6’3 (191cm to be precise). So am googling at the moment to see if I can find a better bed, as a standard size single should just about fit as long as the mattress was flush with the bed frame. Definitely need drawers underneath but want one not too high as it will be by the window and will also make the room look smaller i think.

That’s 191cm of usable space, not including skirting boards.

Pics now! Bloody phone!

Op, in case you want to keep your Hemnes, you could have your lower bed with storage and then lots more storage above. It's amazing how much room a small person has when I eventually sorted it. Hope it helps.

This is a really clever use of space. Mezzanine bed and then the floor space is freed up.

Actual storage ones.

We also fitted a very small but chunky radiator which really helps. Inspired by pp I'm going to replace the shelf with wall storage, some of it looks brilliant.

Thanks for all the amazing pics and suggestions. After a solid 2 hours on the interweb, my favourite bed so far is this extendable one from ikea:

www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/childrens-ikea-products/children-3-7/childrens-beds/minnen-ext-bed-frame-with-slatted-bed-base-white-spr-29123958/

It doesn’t come with storage but I could get some drawers separately, or use the plastic under bed storage boxes.

I always imagined that I'd build a bed over the stairs, with pull out drawers or cupboard space underneath so that you utilised that wasted space. The odd triangular space could be stuffed with soft toys.

Although I’ve just realised that it can only be changed to 3 different lengths, and she’d have to have it at 165cm, which will mean a gap of 26cm at the end of the bed 🤔

That looks gorgeous, OP. Ikea's also your place for that under bed storage- loads of options. Will they let you exchange your Hemnes bed? That would be ideal.

Problem is with any high bed, she refuses to sleep there because of her irrational spider phobia.

Is the new bed with trundle from IKEA OP? If so, they will allow you to return items up to 365 days after purchase, provided it's in an unused condition.

Place for softies, there?