While bunk beds aren’t the only way to maximize space and allow multiple children to share a bedroom comfortably, they’re definitely a go-to bed style for that purpose. Like minivans, bunk beds have become an almost cliché part of life for multi-child families. Some people wholeheartedly embrace them and choose the ones with all the bells and whistles. Others, motivated by a combination of frugality and embarrassed resignation, choose bare-bones models.
The good news is that just like shopping for your next minivan, shopping for bunk beds comes with plenty of options. Whether you’ve dreaded the potential need for these standard stacked beds or have anticipated the time to transition your kids to bunk beds, here at The Bedroom Source, we’re pleased to offer you a wide selection of bunk bed styles and options and to help you figure out which one is just right for your needs.
Overview of Climbing Styles
A major distinguishing characteristic among bunk beds is the manner in which a child can climb up and down to the top bunk.
Along with not allowing children younger than 6 years of age to sleep on the top bunk, you can take different kinds of precautions to keep your little ones as safe as possible.
While ladder style bunk beds are most popular, we also offer many staircase style bunk beds, as well as bunk beds with slides for a smooth and fun-filled decline.
Our award-winning Maxtrix® System bunk beds also offer the additional possibility of angled ladders with safety rails.
Size and Space Considerations
Safety may be your first concern, but the space you have available in your children’s bedroom also comes into play when determining how your child will access the top bunk. To give you an example of the differences in the space required depending on climbing style, we’ll look at the numbers given by Maxtrix. For a straight ladder, you’ll need to add 4 inches to the depth of the side of the bed (which means a total depth of 46 inches for a Maxtrix twin size or 61 inches for full). By contrast, you’ll add 24 inches to the depth of the side of the bed for an angled ladder with handrail (for a total depth of 66 inches for a Maxtrix twin bed or 81 inches for full.)
Instead of adding to the depth, side stairs add 20 inches to the width of the bed (translating into 100 inches wide instead of merely 80). If you choose a staircase style with a slide, you’ll add to both the width and the depth, since the slide adds 54 inches to the depth (for a total of 96 inches from the wall for twin size or 111 inches for full). Of course, the additional space needed for some of those options may reduce the amount of space you’ll actually save by stacking beds on top of one another.
We’ll check out some other variations on the bunk bed theme in Part 2.
The Bedroom Source
Located near the Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island, NY, the Bedroom Source is your source for the best collection of children’s and teen bedroom furniture. From flexibly configurable Maxtrix furniture to fashionable Berg collections, The Bedroom Source offers high end furniture and professional design assistance to create the bedroom of your child’s dreams.
Contact the friendly staff at The Bedroom Source. We’re a local family owned mom & pop store. When you shop with us, you’re dealing directly with the owners. We professionally assemble everything we sell. We deliver to Long Island, the 5 Boroughs of New York City, Rockland, southern Connecticut, and northern New Jersey.
I had never seen a bunk bed with stairs instead of a ladder! I remember as a child I had a hard time with the ladder and often fell off. If I get my kids a bunk bed it’ll have a staircase!