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Loft Style: Float the Bed
Surround Your Bed with Space for a Glamorous, Open Look and Feel
About 20 years ago some friends were giving us a tour of their new home. When we got to the master bedroom, their bed was smack in the middle of the room, angled to take advantage of their view. I was absolutely enthralled with how glamorous that felt and have wanted to float my bed ever since.
I finally got my chance when we moved to our home in Oregon 6 years ago. In my own bedroom, if our bed is back against the wall we have a view of the forest, but if we have the bed in the center of the room we can see the river below too. So, we went for it. We say that we did it for the view, but there is something extra luxurious about having that space all around the bed that is hard to describe until you try it.
If you live in a wide open loft, or if you are blessed with a particularly large bedroom, then floating your bed away from the walls is an option for you — or maybe even a necessity!
If you decide to try this, your headboard, side tables and lighting all require some special consideration. Check out how these designers made it possible to just float right off into dreamland.
I finally got my chance when we moved to our home in Oregon 6 years ago. In my own bedroom, if our bed is back against the wall we have a view of the forest, but if we have the bed in the center of the room we can see the river below too. So, we went for it. We say that we did it for the view, but there is something extra luxurious about having that space all around the bed that is hard to describe until you try it.
If you live in a wide open loft, or if you are blessed with a particularly large bedroom, then floating your bed away from the walls is an option for you — or maybe even a necessity!
If you decide to try this, your headboard, side tables and lighting all require some special consideration. Check out how these designers made it possible to just float right off into dreamland.
These people have a front row view of the city. Can you imagine how that view must look at night with the city lights?
Speaking of light: Lamp cords trailing across the floor won't do, so you need to plan your lighting well. In this room two suspension lights hang from the ceiling. Weights at the bottom keep the fixtures perpendicular to the cable instead of dangling straight down. It's a nice detail that provides visual interest behind the bed.
Speaking of light: Lamp cords trailing across the floor won't do, so you need to plan your lighting well. In this room two suspension lights hang from the ceiling. Weights at the bottom keep the fixtures perpendicular to the cable instead of dangling straight down. It's a nice detail that provides visual interest behind the bed.
If you want table lamps, then floor-mounted electrical outlets are your friends. The cord can disappear under the bed. In this case, it helps that the bed has space underneath so you can get at that plug if you need to.
No side tables are even needed here. The headboard has a nice, wide top to hold the lamp and any bedside items.
Most tables sold as "nightstands" are made to go against the wall and don't look nice from all sides. This is a nice opportunity to get creative with your bedside table! This one is just the right height to slide over the edge of the table. The tiny table lamp won't fall over when moving the table out of the way and the cord disappears under the bed, presumably to a floor-mounted outlet.
I know this bed is not floating, but I'm including it here because the bedside tables are such a nice oval shape. Much of the time, when you float the bed, it has its back to the entry of the room. I like rounded backs to furniture when it has its back to you. That's why I think these side tables would make a great choice next to a floating bed.
At first glance, the bed in this photo looks like it is back against the wall, but they have built a low partial-wall/headboard to match the other partial wall behind it. It serves as the headboard and also provides a place for wall sconces to be mounted for lighting.
If the floating bed feels just a little too, well, "floaty" for you, here's an idea: The combination of a substantial headboard/cabinet and side tables that match this platform bed create just enough of a framed feeling all around this bed so that it feels more like it is in its own niche, rather than just loose in the middle of the room.
Here a custom cabinet does triple duty. On the side we can see, it is a bookcase. Although we can't see the other side, notice how the ends are closed on this side. I bet that on the side toward the bed there are shelves or drawers for use as the bedside table. Also, judging from the light switches on the end, my guess is that there are lights on the other side too. Super functional!
Modern rooms aren't the only style that can benefit from floating the bed. In this room, with all of the windows and angles, it looks like it would have been hard to place the bed without floating it. The traditional canopy bed gives this the feeling of being an island in the room.
Rock-a-bye-baby! This bed gives a whole new meaning to the floating-the-bed concept. A bed like this needs space so it can sway a little without banging into anything. I haven't ever slept in a bed like this, but I love swings, so I think I'd love this too!
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Tip: If you don't have a lamp next to your bed, you might want to check into having a remote control so you can turn off the room lights without getting out of bed.