| Sometimes you have a bedroom without a lot of | | | | and don't offer any more storage space than a |
| space and it's usually the bed that takes up most | | | | regular bed with room underneath the frame. |
| of it. Especially for rooms that are designed to be | | | | However, a few enterprising businesses and |
| more than just sleeping areas (kids' rooms, for | | | | individuals have created hanging beds on a pulley |
| example), this can mean that there's not a lot of | | | | system, allowing the bed to be swung to the |
| room for the rest of the things - desk, chair and | | | | ceiling and out of the way. This requires a fairly |
| other paraphernalia - that the room needs to | | | | high ceiling relative to the room's occupant to be |
| contain. Here are some ideas on beds that | | | | truly useful and care must be taken that the |
| maximize your space and allow the room's space | | | | pulley bed, equipment and structure it is affixed to |
| to be used to its full potential. | | | | are able to take the weight of both bed and |
| The Shelf Headboard: | | | | occupant(s). |
| Possibly the simplest thing you can do to combine | | | | Bedup: |
| sleeping arrangements with space-saving, the | | | | This French concoction puts the bed on tracks |
| headboard that doubles as a shelf can hold books, | | | | and gives it some fold-down legs so that you can |
| tissues, lights and anything else imperative for | | | | raise and lower it like a hanging bed on pulleys, |
| bedtime. Most beds can handle an appropriately | | | | only it's anchored to the wall. This makes the bed |
| sized shelf-headboard, making it an economical | | | | less movable and gives it some solid support from |
| option for people who already have a good bed. | | | | the legs as well as the tracks it runs on |
| Bunk beds: | | | | Futons: |
| The original space-saving solution, the bunk bed! | | | | What we think of as a futon and what the |
| These beds are generally geared towards children | | | | Japanese, the creators of this style of bed, think |
| who have to share a room or a child who has a | | | | of as a futon are two completely different |
| lot of sleepovers. Bunk beds are also an option | | | | animals. The Japanese futon refers only to a |
| for guest bedrooms and for storage of toys and | | | | mattress that is often folded up and put away |
| equipment on the top bunk. For children, they can | | | | during the day, allowing for use of the bedspace. |
| also function as an economical canopy bed with | | | | The Western "futon" tends to refer to the |
| the addition of curtain rods. Take note that it is | | | | mattress and the frame it is placed upon, which |
| strongly recommended that children under the | | | | can be laid out like a bed or folded up like a couch. |
| age of 6 not be given the top bunk. | | | | Either way, these are very good beds to use for |
| Mezzanine/Loft beds: | | | | a small space. However, one should take care in |
| At first, these appear to be bunk beds, but they | | | | the type of futon they choose; many futon |
| generally lack a second sleeping arrangement on | | | | mattresses are cheap copies of traditional |
| the bottom, leaving space for a chair, desk, or | | | | mattresses and are not supportive of the back. |
| anything else that a person might desire | | | | Sofa beds: |
| underneath. Some come with elaborate setups | | | | The first cousin of the futon, the sofa bed mimics |
| that include shelves, steps and matching furniture. | | | | an ordinary sofa, but turns into a different |
| Others are just the bed and a ladder. These are | | | | creature entirely when night falls. A mattress |
| ideal for college dorm rooms and smaller rooms | | | | appears out of hiding and folds out to create an |
| that need to house an active child. The same | | | | ample bed, the width of the original sofa seating |
| caveat that applies to the top of bunk beds | | | | space. If it's space saving you're after, this is |
| applies to lofts - no kids under 6. | | | | definitely one to consider. |
| Murphy beds: | | | | Trundle beds: |
| A Murphy bed will flip up against a wall when it is | | | | Another time honored tradition, the trundle bed is |
| not in use. This enables the floorspace that it | | | | a bed-within-a-bed. One bed is put together the |
| would otherwise occupy to serve for other | | | | normal way, but its frame is just a giant drawer, |
| purposes. Murphy beds have come a long way | | | | holding another bed. Perfect for small spaces and |
| from the cartoon cliches that folded up on hapless | | | | frequent sleepovers. Most trundle beds have the |
| characters. Many of them today have | | | | mattresses at different heights, but some have |
| exceptionally comfortable mattresses and are | | | | pop-out mechanisms that put the trundle |
| easy to take down and put away. Modifications to | | | | mattress at the same height as the main bed. |
| the Murphy style allow for a desk or other useful | | | | You can do a lot with a smaller living space if you |
| feature to "pop out" when the bed is put away. | | | | find the right furniture. Check out some of these |
| Hanging beds: | | | | options if saving space is important to you. |
| Some of these beds just hang from the ceiling | | | | |