design obsession: built-in bunk beds

my husband and i just bought a two bedroom home, as i have shared. someday we hope to have children.
four or five, the be exact.

four to five children + two bedroom home = #bedroomfail

we don't think for a moment that this is the home we intend to keep throughout the entirety of our child-rearing years. however, logistically speaking, we need a plan. i am an only child, so the concept of room sharing is a bit foreign to me--but it certainly sounds exciting. communal. bohemian, even! (not necessarily words used to describe me on a daily basis.)


enter built-in bunk beds. why do i like them?
because they maximize space.
because they offer a certain amount of privacy that can often be lost in other forms of communal living.
because they are sophisticated. fit for grown-ups. pretty darn chic.

i feel like they can really grow with a family and offer a great solution to limited bedrooms.
i've even heard of a family with three kids in a 5 bedroom house--ample space--but rather than splitting everyone up and giving each kid a bedroom, they created a sleeping room, a play room and a library, so that the kids would spend more time together. "revolutionary" i know, but it makes so much sense to me. i kind of love the philosophy behind that.

i digress. enjoy pictures of these fabulous built-in bunks!
...happy sophisticating...

i think this is just gorgeous. love the molding, love the color--the light, the built-in storage. so special!
Photo courtesy of Traditional Home.

i'm a sucker for all things nautical, and this is a sleeping set up fit for little sailors. love the nautical light fixtures.
By Steven Gambrel.

Photo courtesy of Southern Living.

Photo courtesy of Southern Accents.

not bunk beds per say, but i still love the concept of the built-in beds. love that under-the-bed storage too!
Photo courtesy of House Beautiful.

wow.
Photo courtesy of House Beautiful.

again, not bunk beds, but this has a very "built-in" effect. LOVE that the curtains can close and create a little hideaway. so charming.

this is like a whole built-in ROOM. talk about practical.
Featured on *DesignSponge.

the epitome.
Courtesy of Decorno.

don't love the decor, but i love how consolidating the sleeping area creates such incredible living space.
Photo courtesy of Coastal Living.

If it's good enough for Tory Burch, it's good enough for me.
Featured in Vogue.



wouldn't you love to steal away here with a book for the afternoon? love the library feel.


this is, in my opinion, the pièce de résistance. those are full size beds, folks. see? fit for grown-ups. unreal!