Let’s Bunk Together
About a year ago, I was interviewed by Erika Owen for her Architectural Digest article 18 Best Bunk Beds for Kids That Even Adult Guests Can Appreciate (a special shout out to my husband’s cousin DaVonne Onassis Bacchus who connected us).
I spoke about affordability, material choices, ceiling height and weight limits that everyone shopping for a bunk bed should consider. I commented on a bunch of bunk beds, but my favorite remains the Perch bunk by Oeuf NYC - the perfect minimalist base for a quirky and colorful children’s decor and toys.
An ode to minimalism - the Perch bunk bed by Oeuf NYC
To my own surprise, we did not end up purchasing the Perch bunk bed. Why, you might ask, since it’s my favorite? Spatial limitations. Our two younger sons are sharing a bedroom and there’s only one logical spot for a bunk bed.
We couldn’t really accommodate a ladder that sticks out to the front (pictured above) because we wanted a trundle bed too (for sleepovers) and the front ladder wouldn’t allow for that. Truth be told, I didn’t want a ladder. From my own personal experience of sleeping at the top bunk for over a decade, it’s super awkward to use, especially when the child that sleeps at the top is sleepy or sick (think nighttime bathroom visits). It’s even more awkward for the grownup who’s trying to balance on the ladder while wrestling with the mattress, attempting the change the bed sheets.
We could, however, accommodate a staircase. See, the bed is sort of tucked in a nook that’s about 18” wider than the length of the bed. Now what would we do with such a silly, narrow yet deep, and totally unusable nook? Why not activate it with a staircase? It not only fit, but it also seemed so much safer & more comfortable to use. Check out the floorplan below to make sense out of what I’m trying to describe.
It took a lot of research to find the right bed that had the perfect size and disposition. Our nook is 100” wide (baseboard to baseboard) so we needed the bed to be about 99” long (ideally) and we found it! We went with a twin-over-twin bunk bed with a staircase and trundle by Max & Lily which fit into our nook like a glove and the kids are loving it! I’ll be posting some pictures soon - stay tuned.
