Elevated Bed, Elevated Mind

I live in a small two-bedroom home in San Francisco with my wife and two of our three kids, so space is at a premium. We’re always looking for ways to maximize our square footage and the kids bedrooms are not exempt. I spent a year or so staring at our middle son’s room and trying to figure out what to do with his bed. He slept on a mattress on the floor during the time. The somewhat obvious solution I came up with, was an elevated bed.

I shopped for beds to buy, but couldn’t find anything I liked that wasn’t a couple thousand dollars, and still not ideal. So, I started to research, measure and sketch.

I started to get an idea of what I wanted, so I did a few rounds of more detailed drawings and started to sort out the actual dimensions based on the space, ceiling height, joist positions, etc.

My wife’s biggest question was strength. Ultimately, the bed landed in a pretty good place, and can hold two adults full body weight. Angle iron and lag bolts hold it to the ceiling and walls. The Douglas Fir ladder provides ground support, and is anchored to the floor with aluminum pins so it doesn’t move.

The placement of the bed created a perfect space for a study and work space. There’s a lot of commotion around the house during homework time, so having a quiet spot to think is crucial for a developing mind. I decided to utilize the space beside the bed for a matching built-in desk that also used the walls as a support. I designed the desk with simple compartments for things like paper, wacom tablet, rulers, and drumsticks. To make the desk solid, I bought and used a biscuit joiner for the first time. Such a fun tool!