When designing a child’s room, it can be hard to know where to begin. Even after you measure the room, it’s easy to doubt what will fit, or rather what will fit best. We’ve come up with a few important—often overlooked—elements to consider.
The right furniture depends on all the dimensions of the room—not just length and width. If you’re considering a bunk or loft bed, pay attention to how much vertical space you have available. Your ceiling should be high enough to provide 33 to 36 inches of space between it and the top of a lofted mattress. Rooms with lower ceilings should be fitted with lower bunks and lofts, like our Lolo and Cabin Bunk Beds, which are 64 inches high—8 inches shorter than a typical bunk or loft bed.
After you’ve determined whether your ceiling is the appropriate height for a full-height loft or bunkbed, it’s critical to consider how light passes into the room. A poorly placed bed can obstruct windows, creating a dim room. We design our custom kids beds with cutouts that allow light to pass through in the right places, so that neither bed nor window interferes with overall design.
A narrow room necessitates narrow furniture: if you’re not sure if you can fit a full-sized bed into the room, chances are you can’t. It seems simple, but you need to be able to comfortably walk through any room—kids’ or otherwise. New York City is full of narrow spaces; furnishing these rooms requires careful consideration. Sometimes, the solution is a custom, narrow twin bed, which works well for kids’ and guest rooms. Our custom narrow beds are 7 inches narrower than an ordinary twin, which can mean the difference between moving about the room naturally and squeezing through.
Old buildings are full of odd nooks, pieces of wall that jut in or out, high, decorative base molding and all manner of other small yet significant obstacles. Accurate measurements mean everything when dealing with tight spaces. A single inch can be the difference between finding a bed or shelf that fits and finding yourself with furniture that doesn’t work. Be sure that your calculations account for a room’s oddities, indentations and decorative edges and try to use every nook you can.
If you’re considering new furniture, email us for a consultation. Our custom designs are expertly measured and crafted to complement your space, needs, and design aesthetic. We’ll find the right height, spacing and solutions to any unique challenges we encounter, so your child gets the perfect room—right down to the inch.