If you have claustrophobia, then the appeal is likely completely lost on you (sorry!). But for the rest of us, there is something so inherently cozy about being in a bed enclosed on at least three sides. Some of that, obviously, has to do with your protections from drafts, but also it's about creating that space within a space and the privacy that comes with it.
I've chosen ten great examples of alcove beds ranging from a little niche for the headboard, to a full-fledged bed pod and everything in between. Whether modern or fiercely traditional, there is an inspiration for everyone!
Let me know what you think — would you like an alcove bed, too?
Images: Shelterness; Interior Design Story; On Home Design; Space Flavor; LoveInspireCreate; Architect Design; Lauren Elise Crafted; Modern Bedrooms; NY Magazine; Milan, MN
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Like you, as a kid, I really, *really* wanted that. Partly because I loved to read in bed. Nowadays, the idea makes me a bit claustrophobic in general, altho several of those pictures could possibly make me reconsider.
OTOH, I still want a windowseat. There was one in Fine Homebuilding that I still lust after. There were two seats that faced each other, like a tiny little inglenook around a window. Just wonderful.
I would have loved an alcove bed as a kid too.. but I think I would still enjoy one! There is just an innate cosiness in being semi-enclosed. Maybe I will include one when I'm eventually designing my own house.
Oh I want one!!!!
Whyyy haven't I ever heard of this before? I love this post. My favorite bed is the one from Lauren Elsie Crafted because they have two copies of HP & the Order of the Phoenix on the shelf.
I love the seventh photo in. It would be really great if living in a very small space to just shut the doors on your bed. It looks like a cabinet - how genius!
i LOVE these! esp the one on the bottom with the shutter doors. you can close em up and be off in your own private little world!
I especially like photos #5 and #10.
As a child I used to go into my closet at night & read in secret by flashlight. I would have loved to sleep in there- it was so cozy & I felt so secure. The idea still appeals to me today.
When my son had a studio apt. he took the doors off his clothes closet & moved his bed in there. He had a small coat closet and used that for his few hanging clothes- used bins of shelves to store other stuff. It seemed to work fine for him- and I have to admit I was a bit envious of the arrangment.
It looks like something from a fairy tale :-) I would love to have an alcove bed!
My childhood bed and my bed now have both been enclosed by mosquito netting. I might not have the alcove for my bed, but I will create a nook out of netting if I must! I love it.
When I was a kid I had a canopy bed that and I would hang blankets on top bars to create "fort" or aclove. I loved it. I would read or play with my barbies..either way I was in my own little world. Love the idea of an aclove bed. #8 is a little too furturistic for me though..who would want to sleep in an egg? But #5 is dreamy! and #10 reminds me of Little Princess for some reason..and that's a good thing. :)
Nothing says "romance" like cuddling in an egg on the beach.
Ha. Just rearranged my apartment the other day so I have this going on. It is really cozy.
That last one reminds me of David the Gnome so much! I wanted to live in a tree and ride a fox when I was a kid ;)
I saw this one in my mother's BH&G yearsss ago. Still love it:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZBy1sqMF98U/THZp_uv7e5I/AAAAAAAADX4/xw96AcBD0UM/s1600/p_12761237BHG.jpg
These also rock:
http://www.betterimprovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/28.jpg
I have a bed alcove. I love it. The main perk is I can draw the curtains and no light gets in.
Great - the dog can't possibly fall off the bed! But where do I put my eyeglasses when I take them off? And my book? And my water glass? and the tissues (I have allergies?) And my journal and pen? And how do two people get in & out of bed without crawling over each other and pulling the covers off in the process? So, no, I don't want one, beautiful and cozy and romantic as they look.
I love, love sleeping in an alcove, but after 6 years of it, and now 2 more years of (even worse) a loft bed, I want to be able to make the bed in the morning!
I'm in love with the idea of doing something like #7 for my son, but then the practical issues come to mind... how easy is it to change sheets, turn the mattress, etc. Maybe I'll stick to admiring the photos.
The third one is looks very nice.
The third one looks very nice. :)
I love this, too - cozy and inviting...but how do you manage the fitted sheet? I'm okay with leaving the covers rumpled, but I'm a once a week linen changer, so I think I'd go crazy trying to find a corner. Or would end up with massive shoulders from hefting the mattress.
I crave cozy nooks!
I love cozy spaces!! Thanks for using one of my images!
xxChrista
I, too, especially love the photo of the bed within a cabinet -especially for space limited places. My father, however, said it looked like a <I>coffin</I>.
Anyone know where to get mattresses or pallets smaller than single bed size but still able to sleep a 5'1" woman comfortably?
I slide my matress half off the bed which allows me to get the far corner fitted sheet on.
Number 5 is wonderful, both for the rich colours and details, and also for the fact that it allows people to get into bed from either side. As appealing as some alcove bed settings are, they're impractical for those of us who are too old or creaky to manage getting past our spouse to get into bed!
4 & 7 steal my heart.