These are cute!

My daughter will be getting an IKEA Stora loft bed for her birthday next month. It's one of the only options we found to accommodate a full-sized bed, and from what I understand, can be easily cut down to a lower height. It won't be too high and will still offer play space underneath, which was the whole point of lofting the bed. Some of these, like the second one, don't really do anything for the space issue, though I suppose you could fit containers of some sort under there.

My dad built me one for Christmas, December, 2009, and I posted a blog about it: http://www.robbyjohnson.com/2010/01/carpenters-son.html. I am glad to know it has an official name - low loft bed. You asked for feedback from people who have/had a bed like this, and I will say their form definitely provides additional options for storage but, in a twin size, they're maybe a bit scary. I'm glad you alluded to guard rails ... they're not just for kids (said me, at 38, when I nearly rolled off in my sleep). In fact, I actually bought a house in 2011 that has a proper loft inside, and over the past 2 weeks I have reduced the legs, added locking casters, and refinished the frame. I found an online slipcover company that makes fitted sheets out of upholstery fabric, purchased one in chenille for $39, and have an amazing "day bed" that moves around easily, as my loft space also contains my pilates studio. Maybe the substance/design of my bed is to fault, but making/dressing a low loft bed was a real headache. Against a wall it was a challenge to reach the backside for tucking sheets/blankets, etc. Off the wall it was much easier, but also became a monument in the room. And not in a good way.

My 3 year old has the Ikea KURA bed, flipped so it's lofted. It's perfect! Especially since his room is not quite 9x11, so space is at a premium. Underneath, I put a star lamp and small forward facing bookshelf on the wall, his bean bag monster and one of his map play rugs on the floor. He can sit under the bed and read in his private nook (all his noisy books live under there) or play cars on the rug. Having more floor space means more room for wooden train tracks and elaborate setups, we often have the trains running under the bed and back out again, and he plays in his room for hours.

As a bonus, because it's slightly more difficult to get in and out of bed, the "getting out of bed every 5 minutes when it's time to go to sleep" trick has just about disappeared. He can do it on his own easily, it's just that the extra effort makes pointless trips more of a pain. Plus, his bed is now only for sleeping, not playing, which also helps his bedtime routine.

The sheets can be a pain to change, but they're still much easier than crib sheets. The bed is low enough that I can still reach him no matter where he scoots to (and I'm only 5'4"). The only thing I don't like about it is I can't cuddle with him while reading stories. The bed isn't made to hold more than 100 or so pounds. We've had to move our nightly bedtime reading to the couch.

I'm sure that once he hits 6 or 7, the space underneath will feel too small, but that's okay. I bought the bed on Craigslist for $80, so 3-4 years of use is worth it!

Oh, another thing I like about the Kura is that the guard rail is solid and wraps around the whole bed. That Room & Board loft is gorgeous, but I have a wild sleeper who often ends up upside down at the foot of the bed in a corner by morning. He would fall right off that thing. And the fact that it's solid with no gaps means it's MUCH harder to accidentally drop something and have to get out of bed to retrieve it. The Kura is not the nicest looking bed, but for a preschooler? It works.

I would love a post on high, but not quite this high, adult beds. The trend for awhile has been very low beds, but to me, nothing feels as luxurious as crawling up into a welcoming bed. Is it just me, or is it almost impossible to find an adult bed with maybe 2-3' of clearance, so the bed itself is roughly around waist height?

Take a look at www.CollegeBedLofts.com. They have wood loft bed that are customized to any height. You can get as much headroom above and below as you need and they come in twin, full and queen sizes.

Hi, I've been sleeping in a queen loft bed for a good few months. It's made of solid wood and is very durable, reliable. I sleep with my partner a few nights a week so it's tested, tried and true! I am getting rid of it, alas, because it doesn't save as much room as I had hoped. I didn't know there was such a thing as low loft beds and wouldn't mind exchanging the current one for one of those. Thanks to JJV for the website above. If anyone is interested in my loft bed, feel free to respond.

msvickji, where'd you get your bed?

We built a loft bed ourselves, after we couldn't find exactly what we wanted anywhere else. We LOOOOOVE it, and it only took a couple days and $50 in lumber... http://diyloftbed.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/we-made-a-loft-bed/