When you’re a kid, everything is an adventure - even sleeping.
A bed doesn’t have to be just a bed. It can be a racing car, a spaceship, or a princess fairy castle, and that’s just a regular bed. It gets even better when you think about bunks.
The space-saving stacked beds are perfect for kids who are close in age as well as forward-thinking parents who know an extra bed will come in useful when their child’s little mates come for a sleepover.
There’s usually a jostle for top bunk - let’s be honest, it is the premium spot - but age often wins out. Still, with the right design even the bottom bunk can be a thing of great beauty.
While there are standard designs, there’s far more freedom in the world of children’s bedroom furniture, enough even to make adults a little jealous. Designs can be inspired by nursery room drawings, things seen in animations and Pixar productions or ideas from much-loved children’s storybooks. While the overall look is important, it doesn’t come at the cost of function: many designs incorporate storage and play elements too, making the bulky piece of furniture work hard for every inch of floorspace it eats up.
If you’re looking for a fun bed that will make bedtime routines that much easier, we’ve drawn up a list of the best below. From safari huts and treehouse designs (complete with a slide!) to beds inspired by London's iconic buses, see the best bunk beds for kids below.
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Mathy By Bols Tree House Bunk Bed with Side Slide - 3 Sizes
Dimensions: 341 x 139 x 221cm
If there was a way for us to slide out of our homes every day, we would take it. Allow kids to enjoy such freedoms with Mathy by Bols’ bed which includes both a ladder for climbing and a slide for dismounting, promising years of fun. The exciting look is made from a mid of sturdy pine and MDF with 26 colours to choose from, from brights to pastels. It’s a handmade piece, so expect up to six weeks for delivery from Belgium.
Available in single, small double and double sizes.
Buy now £3525.00, Nubie Kids
Bed Kingdom Flair Jungle House Wooden Bunk Bed
Dimensions: 197 x 98 x 223.5cm
Fed-up children whining about wanting a treehouse? Forget faffing around in the garden and build it in their bedroom instead! This super fun design gives plenty of treehouse feels with the top bunk covered with high sides and a peaked room, giving the feel of a hideout. The bottom bunk, low to the ground, remains exposed and is therefore more suited to kids who don’t quite like the idea of kipping in total darkness.
Buy now £379.99, Bed Kingdom
Dunelm Eclipse Bunk Bed
Dimensions: 150 x 98 x 240cm
The staggered design of this bunk bed means you can add a desk behind the headboard of the lower berth, giving it multifunctionality as a homework space. There are also shelves to store a few choice essentials and under-bed cubbies to keep clothing, toys and spare bedding. A wide-stepped ladder with handles and rounded corners is helpful from a safety aspect.
Buy now £669.00, Dunelm
M&S Hastings Bunk Bed
Dimensions: 160 x 196 x 107cm
Sleek and simple, M&S’s pinewood bunk bed is perfect for making the most of sleeping space when siblings share a room. The built-in ladder is solid while guardrails on the top bunk mean little snoozers won’t roll off in the middle of the night. It comes in white but can easily be painted to match your interiors, if you prefer.
Sold with a 10-year guarantee.
Buy now £399.00, M&S
Dunelm Adventure Bunk Bed
Dimensions: 228 x 100 x 197cm
If you’ve got high ceilings, make the best use of the space with this impressive design that comes with a central ladder and half roof which is just begging to be decorated with twinkling fairy lights. The guard rails on the top bunk offer safety and peace of mind, while the lower bunk sits just off the floor. You may be sacrificing under-bed storage space, but it does mean more room for your little one to stretch out in. Available in grey and white.
Buy now £599.00, Dunelm
Mack + Milo Statler Single Standard Bunk Bed
Dimensions: 136 x 108.5 x 208.5cm
Beep beep! Surf’s up in this VW-styled bunk bed, which turns sleep into a day at the seaside. It’s the attention to detail that brings this look to life, from the painted-on doors and licence plate to the surfboard that acts like a ladder to the side. There’s even a steering wheel for little ones to play with when they’re not snoozing! Never mind hanging ten; this bunk is about catching 40 winks instead.
Buy now £519.99, Wayfair
Kayan 3FT Treehouse Bunk bed
Dimensions: 209 x 206 x 97.8cm
Kids will love playing house in this treehouse-style bunk bed which comes complete with a small roof and side windows to peek out of. The basic design is perfect for building on - think sweet miniature window boxes, curtains and toy birds added to elevate the feeling of fantasy. Structurally, the piece is made from solid pine, including the safety rail and the ladder to the foot of the beds. It’s finished with gloss paint, so keeping it clean means running over it with a damp microfibre cloth every now and again.
Buy now £288.99, Amazon
KAYAN 3FT Tree House Bed
Dimensions: 198 x 94 x 221cm
Turn your kids' beds into a giant dollhouse that they won’t want to get out of with this fun bed. Taking the shape of a house, there’s a half canopy with plenty of space to thread fairy lights or bunting as well as solid guard rails and a central ladder to help the top occupant clamber up and down.
Buy now £229.99, Amazon
Julian Bowen Bond Street Double Decker Bus Bunk Bed Frame
Dimensions: 136 x 108 x 200cm
Made from metal and wood, this beautiful design is perfect for children aged 6+ who love riding around in London’s iconic Routemaster buses. The painted frame is packed with wonderful details that will make every sleep feel like an adventure. The high sides bordering each bunk offer parents peace of mind from a safety element too.
Buy now £1005.00, John Lewis
Daals Newton White Solid Wood Kid's Treehouse Bunk Bed
Dimensions: 200 x 98 x 182m
Kids will enter a wonderful dreamland thanks to his cute house-themed bed which turns guardrails into clouds, giving them far more appeal. Slatted bases offer excellent support to most styles of mattresses, while the ladder can be attached to either the left or right-hand side to best suit your room’s layout.
Buy now £333.99, Daals
Verdict
We're sorry, but how can you beat a bunk bed with a slide? It's a no-brainer: Mathy by Bols for the win! That said, not everyone has the deep pockets to splurge £3.5k on one piece of furniture.
Bed Kingdom encourages fun and storytelling with its Jungle House bed that marries design and safety elements to create a bed that will be the envy of the playground and all for a snip of the cost.
