Try using a floor planner tool (or just a fresh piece of paper) to draw the floor plan again. Please include the windows, doors and closet this time.

The two beds in the original description are for very small children. Captains beds, like in college dorms, are much more suited to older children. Regardless of how the beds start out at this age, they'll get rearranged as time goes on. It may be possible to put up a ceiling mounted curtain for some privacy.

Lofted beds need framing around the matress and space to make the bed between the mattress and said framing ... you're not going to find one that's 77" long or less, since a standard twin mattress is 75" long. If you want the beds end to end, you're pretty much looking at at least one being a Hollywood frame (and just stick drawers under it) or custom/built in.

If you want two beds like the one pictured, then the second one needs to go along the wall that currently has the changing table on it, or you can hve it where the crib is and rotate the existing bed 90°, so it runs under the other window.

What's the 7 year old's opinion on all of this?

For your daughter, would you consider a bed with curtains so that she can have her privacy from her brother?

Thank you for the feedback! I will make a more detailed drawing as soon as I am able.

As far as then sharing a room, that is just a product of the space we have available at the moment. I hope that we will be able to either add on to our house or move in 5 years or so, but unless there is a significant change in our salaries or the housing market this is what we will be working with! There is a small guest room downstairs that I use for study and often my mom sleeps in when she visits, which may ultimately turn into one kid’s room, but at this age neither would want to sleep downstairs alone and I need it for my work.

Right now they are happy to share (I’ve woken up a lot lately with the 7 year old having moved the ottoman so the 4 year old can get out and they are sleeping together in her bed). They have also pointed to a bunch of bunk beds that they like, but I can already envision the arguments now so I don’t want to risk it. The privacy thing is partly why I wanted a loft that allows room/access for a little nook underneath rather than just a bed on drawers because at least for a little while that can be a place they can go for privacy (although they will most likely play together).

Why can’t you do two beds on the wallpapered wall?

We went with bunk beds—no other good solution for our space (though you have a bit more square footage than we do). Putting two beds freestanding would have cost us too much playspace. Got them when kids were three and five—now both tweens. They make some L-shaped bunks that might work with your floor plan, too—low side under the window, and gives you some loft space under the higher bed.

And agreed, once you narrow the options you can have the older child help choose the final plan. Our kids each chosr their own bedding, wall decor, etc., too. (We lucked out in that the upper bunk kid chose an outer space theme and the lower bunk wanted an ocean so it all came together…but okay if it doesn’t, too!)

Until i read artemis post I was going to caution against even loft beds for a 4 year old, but if small kids can be safe with bunks, I could envision this lasting for 5 years

You could put the upper bunks off-limits for sleeping for now, but eventually I think this space for each child to establish territory and create a zone of privacy (curtains? pup tents?), including giving each the option of claiming an upper perch and lower perch. Looks possible eventually each child could have a desk at the ends of the lower bunks.

I should probably add--I wouldn't put a kid younger than six on a top bunk; my older one had (and six years later, still has) the top bunk. We had strict rules when they were younger that no one under six was on the top bunk and there could not be more than two kids on the top at once. Our kids are fortunately pretty decent rule followers (and specifically, the older one is a very good rule enforcer!) YMMV if yours are not, of course. Over the years the novelty of the bunks has worn off and it's been a long time since I can remember having to supervise/talk to any visiting kids about this. Giving the older one the upper bunk also allowed us to put some shelves up there to have a few things out of reach of the younger sibling. The bigger challenge over the years has actually been keeping the older one from being on the younger's bed since it's so accessible as a place to sit.

You could also explore a hybrid solution like this (keeping the desk out for now): https://www.wayfair.com/baby-kids/pdp/harriet-bee-franciscka-twin-over-twin-3-drawer-l-shaped-bunk-beds-with-built-in-desk-by-harriet-bee-w011039713.html We've considered options like that over the years but it doesn't work well with our small room that has three doors and two windows to contend with. We've also come to terms with the fact that only one desk fits in there--the other is in the dining room. (This has worked out, though, since it turns out both kids get more done solo.)

Thanks for the suggestion of the L-shaped bunks. That is something I hadn’t thought of and will explore. I also have a call in to the manufacturer of the second bed to see if I can safely assemble without the step (can use a folding step stool if necessary and that would give them access underneath). Right now they are very much in the “fort” stage so I think having a hideout with lights and pillows would be very exciting for them for now, if I could make it work.

I also think I have to accept that I am not going to come up with a solution that will solve all the problems forever and just think about their needs for the next 5 years (and current preferences/personalities) and hope I have more options then!

Here is scale layout best I can determine by what you posted and photos. I have many questions and need accurate dimensions. But I think you can fit a combination lower style bunk with stair unit into this room nicely if I am close on dimensions. I will redo this once you can see this and correct or give me better information. This shows an upper bed 36 wide x 74” long. It shows a stair unit as opposed to ladder. Much easier to navigate and change bedding etc. The lower bunk slides under upper and thus navigates windows and leaves room for dresser and some play area. The units that have small desks could also work. See what you think and let’s get dimensions accurate.

Here is scale layout best I can determine by what you posted and photos. I have many questions and need accurate dimensions. But I think you can fit a combination lower style bunk with stair unit into this room nicely if I am close on dimensions.

How high from floor are bottom of windows?

i would place the beds foot to foot along the 13' wall.

at their current age privacy isnt really an issue but 12 and 9? oy1 . a 12 year old girl sharing a room with her brother is going to afford many challenges. by having this ability to divide the space it is a no brainer. yes you have a window but for this purpose i would say you have to somewhat ignore it. as they age doing a full length curtain betwene the two will afford more privacy

Hale Hano Hano a Kala · More Info

Crisp Architects · More Info

Thanks for these. Yes that was my original goal to do them both along the far wall but the dimensions are very tight, so I was struggling to find 2 beds that would fit.

I am attaching some more photos of the room, but I haven’t had the chance to grab the dimensions. I would like to keep that chair bc it pulls out into a bed and we use it a bit and will likely use it more for sleepovers etc. I plan to get rid of the dresser and replace it with a new one depending on what space allows with the new setup.

Meant to say also planning on getting rid of the ottoman.

this platform bed would fit. you have 6' of space between a regular twin side without any frame. this base would allow enough room for a curtain or if you choose to build a pony wall you could use 2 x 2's and drywall and still be okay

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/zipcode-design-hobgood-twin-storage-platform-bed-w008313392.html?piid=912560188

pull the tall bookcase out of there and angle the chair to the left of the window allowing room for the door to open and close. use the dormer for a low wall to wall bookcase. on the wall with the dresser a smaller chest style dresser will work with a lamp on it for bedside use. near the chair get a round side table that can be used between the chair and bed for a lamp and bedside use on that side.

i would actually get a trunk size upholstered ottoman for the center of the room that you can store stuff inside. the bed drawers will help with storage too but one of them on each bed will have to be used for long term seasonal storage because the dresser/table will be blocking them. thats okay though. with two kids sharing a small room some pairing down needs to happen.

My opposite sex sibling and I had to share a bedroom up until he was 12 and I 9. It was not optimal, but it was a roof over our heads. My parents set the room up with twin beds and two dressers. They placed a partition between the headboard of the beds to just past the foot of the beds and ran floor it to ceiling. At a minimum, I would suggest a curtain on a track floor to ceiling that can be arranged for privacy. They deserve some privacy.

We moved the next year and got separate bedrooms. So, the problem was solved.

While they get along now, those days are numbered. I'd go for the curtain or partition solution. Another solution would be a temporary wall with door. Remove it before you move.

If they were the same sex, I'd say make them share. But, being different sexes makes it difficult for them as they age.

Okay, here is a more complete set of dimensions:

I love that bed that artemis suggested, which looks like this:

Design Interior's find is also a winner that would allow for the end-to-end solution you were imagining, and then this more compact style could come later if need be. Depends how much clothes and other stuff they have.

I updated scale layout with dimensions I had. This shows head to head beds mentioned earlier.

Your sketch just popped up. Let me see if that changes things. Bbl

OK- Moneypenny. Here is scale drawing. Each square equals one Sq ft. I put beds foot to foot because it will put more separation between kids (feet’s). Etc. You can put small night stand by head of son’s bed and small scale swivel chair with small drink table. A 32” wide by 12-16” deep drawer unit can fit in niche. A 12” deep shelf or dresser can go by daughter’s head and if low enough could act as place for book or small lamp. Of course, any unit needs to be attached to wall to prevent kids from pulling unit over onto themselves. Also if you choose this layout select beds where drawer units below mattress can open from either side.

The beds in this Revision are 38” wide x 74” long.

Rather than chair you might do something like this. Kids LOVE these. Just have to get heavy duty hook and hit stud for secure use. Then swig it out of way for closet door to open widely. 😊. Can you tell we have 4 kids!

two options for you. the first i mentioed above

flo's idea of the swing chair is always a hit. i have to say we just used the chair she shared in a project and i really wouldnt recommend it. the front tilts down after use. i would use something more like this if you have the ceiling height

the central hanging mechanism vs the 4 does away with that shifting.

this is another option placing a chair swing in the dormer . twin beds on each side of the room. you would have room for trunks or lidded becnhes at the end of each bed for stirage, although i didnt show it here. one long dresser or two chests and i placed ceiling to floor drapery dividers for privacy. roman shades on the windows. adjustable arm sconces above each bed for reading lights.

hard to screen shot a good angle on the 3d version but hopefully this gives you a view with the wall cut away

I agree DIS, but the chair was for “concept” and not sure of ceiling height etc. Some great choices so probably will depend on budget and perceived needs.

Thank you for all the great ideas/suggestions!! These have all been really helpful and had me pulling out my tape measure to help me better envision the different ideas in the space.

I am exploring the idea of the L-shaped bunks, and I liked the specific example provided on the thread. Even though they are asking for bunks now, I can already imagine the arguments (“Why do I have to sleep on the bottom every night? Why does he have a desk in his space? My legs are tired I don’t want to climb the stairs….”) so that is making me a bit tentative. I’ll have to think it through more.

I am leaning towards end to end lofts on the far wall, as I have found that the option I initially posted above can be assembled without the step, which would allow them to have secret forts underneath. That said, I really liked the two beds on different sides with the curtain divider so that has made me re-think on that. Unfortunately I could not keep the chair with the pullout bed in that scenario, so I will need to think a bit about priorities. It may be that I end up with the end to end lofts, but as they grow to have different views about privacy than they do now, I could shift the beds to the two sides and by then perhaps having the extra pull out bed is unnecessary.

we had a similar situation to yours- but both girls. They had to share when young. When the oldest hit Jr. High, she started balking about sharing. But luckily we were at a point where we could add on to the house (which also meant we didn't have to share a bath with tweens!)

Their room was quite small- we used the Kura beds from Ikea set up as loft beds so they each had a small private nook underneath. It's not really tall enough for a dresser, but we fit cubby books shelves under them and a bean bag chair.

I actually hung curtains on a pressure shower rod on them so they could close the space off. It looks like Ikea also makes pre-made tents for that purpose.

The stairs are side mounted like you are looking for. One side is open and one side is closed off. It is 78.5" long, so you'd probably have to put it on two separate walls (which is what we did).

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/kura-reversible-bed-white-pine-80253814/

I had a whole Pinterest board of Kura hacks! Lol. People were very creative with those and they looked quite fun/easy to personalize. Right now it is unavailable in any ikea that is driving distance for me and not available to be shipped!

if it is any help , as the mother of 3 i can tell you that my kids rarely wanted to sleep in their rooms during a sleep over. they much preffered all piling in where the tv was with sleeping bags or blankets. also when they individually had a friend over to spend the night they wanted to be as far away from their siblings as possible. if you are keeping the chair for sleeping purposes you might want to weigh if it will be used like you thin it will be and if that use will continue as they age. it is large for the room and i would not let it sway your decisions overall on which layout you decide on. choose something you have some leway with so that over time you can rearrange as needed. Best of luck on the room!

If you are serious about the L shaped 'bunk' bed. My 9 & 6 year old grandsons have one. Plan on a traditional dresser too--those drawers do not store much.

I would do the 3rd option from Design Interior South and use the original platform beds you selected. Then the dresser would be under the beds. You could leave out the bookcases for them to have forts under the bed. When they get older than add the bookcase or another dresser back in that space for more storage. I know part of the window on the one side would be cover some. I don't know if that would bother you.

It looks like the same company makes a matching trundle bed. You could do the platform bed where the crib is now and replace your current twin bed with the twin trundle bed. That would eliminate the need for the chair.

No matter what, I’d put a heavy velvet curtain up across the nook, a sconce on the wall, and big pillows on the floor so they have the illusion of escaping from each other into a tiny slice of privacy. I think room sharing is great. And, it is also good for a kid to have somewhere to hide from everyone and everything.

I'm going to be voice of caution about any sort of raised bed, bunk bed or loft with children. These arrangements are accident prone. Lots of kids fall out of these or have some sort of misadventure involving them. Beds low to the floor are much less dangerous. I wouldn't put my kids in a bunk bed. It's that simple. I like Design Interior South's plan. Less dangerous.

Argh! This is so tough. I was settled on the two end to end on the far wall, but now I am reconsidering, and doing them on the opposing walls. It would be less “open” and would mean I couldn’t have a separate dresser. But it would open more options of lofts with more built in storage.

It’s so tough because the type of bed I would go for if end to end isn’t the same I would get if on opposing walls because of greater access to drawers/underneath if not on that wall and I wouldn’t be so limited in length.

This is a tough decision.

Skip the lofts. I had forgot how hard it is to make up bunkbeds until I got them for my grandkids. ( I had the for my kids when they were small.) They are awful. Keep the beds on the floor.

a loft in both configirations will cover the windows. that is visually not ideal. i would avoid covering the windows with a loft. i can attess to bunks being dangerous. my husband rolled right out of one in his sleep, yes even with the guard rail, and broke his collar bone. oddly enough at age 59 he started having shoulder issues. he figured it was from all of his years of being a swimmer age 4- college. he saw a doctor who sent him to an orthopedist who sent him to a specialist that deals with the professional hockey team here where i live and amzingly this doctor says the issues he is having is from the break he sistained to his collarbone when he was under 10!

i know you think you will get a lot of use from the area under the loft but i have had tons of experience with people who get rid of them because they arent practical and the space isnt used like they thought it would be by their kids.

as far as dresser you can do two 34-36" chests side by side if you want them to each have their own for the layout with the dresser under the window. if you do the foot to foot layout you can place a 36" chest used as a bedside landing near each bed if you lose the chair. you can also use a ceiling to floor drapery panel to divide the beds. i added an upholstered storage ottoman for extra storage in the space. btw these renderings are to scale based on the last set of measuremtns you provided. again best of luck1

Okay, thank you for all the valuable input. I have gone back and forth numerous times, and am obsessing over this probably more than is necessary, but I think that I landed on doing the two lofts end to end under the window. These lifts are not that high—comparatively—and actually only go about 3 inches above the ledge of the window. So with the curtains and the beds being a tad away from the wall, I don’t think it will be super noticeable.

I plan to keep the chair (for now) and the tall bookshelf. I’m getting rid of everything else and plan to get a tall-ish dresser (~30”x45”) to put on the wall with the entry door and a small desk in the little alcove. Now to plan all the millions of other details!!

Thank you everyone again for your feedback!

Sounds great. I would think twice about a desk in the niche. The space and height is valuable real estate. I assume you are aware that Ikea and others have the devices to attach bookcases to walls to prevent accidents right?