Six Ways to Utilize the Space Created by a Loft Bed

Loft beds are a great way to increase usable space in a home or dorm room and the simplest ones can be built from materials available at any hardware store. A loft bed is a bed that is built to be higher than a bed typically is. I would say that a bed has to be above four feet tall to be considered a loft bed. Anyway, a lot of usable space is gained by opting to have a loft bed. In this article, I am going to describe six things that can be done with the space that a loft bed creates.

Loft Bed Space Tip #1 - Book Storage

Bookshelves take up a lot of space in rooms. If you're a bibliophile like I am, the space created by a loft bed could be used to store your book collection. If you're building your own loft bed, you could even build bookshelves on the inside of the space created by the bed itself. These shelves could be screwed or otherwise attached to the bed to make them more stable. Several hundred books could be stored this way.

Loft Bed Space Tip #2 - Office Space

If your loft bed is tall enough, you can even create an office setup under your bed. This is what I did when I had a loft bed. Two desks were built under and attached to the loft bed. One desk was for a desktop computer and the other was made so that I would have space to write and do homework assignments. The two desks faced each other and were under opposite sides of the bed. This was a great setup and I even had room to have a spinning office chair under my loft bed. If you don't have space to work in your home, apartment, or dorm or would like to have an office in your room, a loft bed and office would be a good solution to this problem. However, if you work at home, this setup might make you feel claustrophobic. It's still worth consideration, provided that the loft bed is on the taller side.

Loft Bed Space Tip #3 - Clothing Storage

Having more clothes than one does closet space is a common problem. The space under a loft bed can be used to have an additional dresser, an extra shoe rack, or even space to hang clothing. This is a good use for space under a shorter loft bed.

Loft Bed Space Tip #4 - General Storage
Many people have giant tubs of personal belongings, and smaller apartments might not have a great amount of space to store these. The space under a loft bed could be used to store perhaps six or eight of these containers. If you're living in an apartment for only a short period of time and don't want to get rid of your belongings, a loft bed can help you to store the things you own and retain living space.

Loft Bed Space Tip #5 - Living Space

The space under a loft bed can be used to have several chairs, a sofa, or a futon. This is good way of creating extra living space in a room. Entertaining in a small, shared apartment can be difficult, but this can make having guests over easier, as well as creating additional sleeping space for them.

Loft Bed Space Tip #6 - Space for Pets

Pets often have things like beds, scratching posts, and toys. Rather than having these items strewn about an apartment, they could be located under a loft bed. This will save space and prevent conflict if you're sharing space with roommates. While your pets might not be able to sleep in bed with you, they can be as close as possible if they are under your loft bed. Just make sure that the bed is high enough to give them space.

These are not the only things you can do with space under a loft bed. You can mix and match the above ideas. For example, you could have a rack for clothing and a desk under your loft bed, or you could have a bookshelf and a pet bed. The possibilities are numerous. Do you have any suggestions for how the space under a loft bed could be used? Feel free to share your thoughts in the form of a comment. Thank you for reading!