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10 Inventive Bunks, Cabin Style
Take advantage of every corner to create a cozy place for guests to sleep
I design interiors and specialize in the rustic and rugged, but you'll usually find a crystal chandelier somewhere in the mix. Before moving back to Minnesota, I lived in some beautiful cities; Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, and Shanghai, absorbing the best of design along the way. For some inspiring design ideas (or at least just to look at cool photos), I hope you'll visit my site www.BeDeDesign.com.
I design interiors and specialize in the rustic and rugged, but you'll... More »
One of the best parts of having a cabin is that you get to take a few design risks, create creative spaces that you may be too cautious to incorporate into a more traditional home. When most people think of a cabin, there's a lake, some sand, a few trees around it. Maybe an outhouse or a fish-cleaning shack. A rusty pontoon. So really, anything goes when it comes to the design, because even the ugly cabins are cute. Or maybe that's just me.
Many of these adventurous cabin design choices end up being downright smart, especially when you're trying to make the most of what is often a tiny space. Sleeping quarters are key in a cabin. If you can get everyone onto some sort of a bed when a day on the lake is done, you are golden.
I worked for a builder here in Minnesota that had a way of tucking little sleeping cars into homes. Often these little beds are worked into a knee wall, making a great use of space and instantly upping the appeal and coziness of a room. When they run along the wall of a hallway, even better. They just add to the quirkiness and surprise every cabin should have.
Many of these adventurous cabin design choices end up being downright smart, especially when you're trying to make the most of what is often a tiny space. Sleeping quarters are key in a cabin. If you can get everyone onto some sort of a bed when a day on the lake is done, you are golden.
I worked for a builder here in Minnesota that had a way of tucking little sleeping cars into homes. Often these little beds are worked into a knee wall, making a great use of space and instantly upping the appeal and coziness of a room. When they run along the wall of a hallway, even better. They just add to the quirkiness and surprise every cabin should have.
1. Try tailored and tucked-in bunks. Without losing the getaway-home element, this room has a much more tailored look than most bunk rooms. The bedding is simple and tucked in tightly. The tone on tone of whites gives the room a clean and serene feel. Curtains are neatly stacked with a dense fabric.
To get this look with a lighter fabric, have the curtains lined with a heavier solid material to complement the pattern you are working with. Better yet, give your guest bunkers a treat by lining the curtains with blackout fabric.
To get this look with a lighter fabric, have the curtains lined with a heavier solid material to complement the pattern you are working with. Better yet, give your guest bunkers a treat by lining the curtains with blackout fabric.
2. Mix it up. Mismatched bedding can transform the feeling of a bunk room. When beds are snuggled into a small hallway or attic, finding not a single matching sheet, blanket or pillow brings you back to childhood, when the cabin was heaven for old linens, dishes and furniture that weren’t being used at home.
To create this look, resist the urge to buy sets. See a pillow you like? Just grab it and continue your hunt. Visit antiques stores and look for old wool blankets and quilts. One trip to the dry cleaner and they’re ready for bed.
To create this look, resist the urge to buy sets. See a pillow you like? Just grab it and continue your hunt. Visit antiques stores and look for old wool blankets and quilts. One trip to the dry cleaner and they’re ready for bed.
| 3. Use every inch. A built-in bookshelf inside a built-in bed adds dimension. The twin bed tucked behind the queen is a great way to capture every last bit of space. Even though there is only a small dividing wall between the two beds, the staggered heights give each side their own personality and privacy. |
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| 4. Take advantage of corners. This arrangement is able to sleep eight children, leaving plenty of floor space for playing. Allowing the perpendicular uppers and lowers to run together will give you some extra length and make the room feel a little more slumber partyish. |
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| 5. Add a surprise. Oftentimes a basement bedroom, a hallway or an area over the garage is the perfect spot to build in more room for beds. It's a great use of space, but usually it doesn't have the big lake view. So here’s your chance to bring in an unexpected material. See the corrugated metal around the sink area? And the old trough sink? The large timbers used for the beds, combined with the wide plank floor and the reclaimed material, make this space sort of a barn-lodge hybrid. And it works. |
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6. Use the walls. If you’ve got drawer storage under the beds (a must) and you don’t need the extra sleeping space you get with bunk beds, you can treat yourself to some open shelving to display your most fabulous toys and stuffed animals ... and birdhouses.
The platform bed makes for easy sheet changing and adds to the primitive cottage look. Another idea in a setup like this would be to run the ladder on wheels and a track, making the upper shelving even more accessible.
The platform bed makes for easy sheet changing and adds to the primitive cottage look. Another idea in a setup like this would be to run the ladder on wheels and a track, making the upper shelving even more accessible.
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| 7. Make mini apartments. This setup has mini apartments, balconies and all. And there is no ladder to navigate, so the upper level is accessible to most ages. Blending the bunks into the room by using one paint color, along with keeping the bedding neutral and the accessories to a minimum, gives this room its modern crispness. |
| 8. Build a cocoon. Truly a perch and the perfect use of a knee wall. Create even more of a cocoon by building your window bed on a pedestal and tucking a book nook in at the head of the bed. |
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9. Create a loft. Defining separate areas on the main floor of this small cottage was achieved by creating differing ceiling heights. The kitchen was just made a little cozier with the flat ceiling ... then voilà! Sleeping quarters.
10. Recognize unused space. Poke around for a little cranny. If you are finishing an attic, take a look at the spot where the slope of the roof pitches down far enough to touch the top of your head. That’s where you were thinking of framing the wall, right? Well, could you tuck a bed in there? Think of all the extra floor space you would earn.
Tell us: Have some cozy bunks of your own? Please share a photo below.
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So Your Style Is: Rustic
Tell us: Have some cozy bunks of your own? Please share a photo below.
Browse photos of cabins
More:
So Your Style Is: Rustic
by Sethbennphoto
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Ideabook updated on May 8, 2012.
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And don't miss these bunks in the Breakers Beach House -interiors by Viscusi Elson Design and architecture by Noel Cross+Architects
marcie
http://custm.co/hz/42
The room in #5 is great, love the idea of the big sink!
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