Wardrobe bed

A transforming bed, a wardrobe bed, a folding bed are all interesting design decisions on how to make a sleeping place invisible in the daytime. Realizing such an idea makes sense in cases where you need to save square meters or have an extra bed in case guests are accommodated for the night.

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What is a retractable bed?

If we consider it from the point of view of the appearance of the bed, then the bed, which is cleaned into the wall is no different from the usual. It can be single, double, one and a half or children. The bed also has an orthopedic mattress and sleep comfortably on it. That is, when unfolded, you will not distinguish such a design from a stationary bed.

Important! Its main feature is that with one movement of the hand it turns into a cupboard, chest of drawers or a wall with shelves. This is due to the lifting mechanism in the form of springs or gas lifts.

Bed design in the wall:

• The design of such a transforming bed is a solid frame with slats on which an orthopedic mattress is placed.
• The fake facade of the cabinet is located on the reverse side, but it plays a purely decorative function, the weight of sleeping people does not put pressure on it.
• Hidden hoisting mechanisms are also located inside. It can be springs (considered to be a more durable and durable option) or gas lifts (gas shock absorbers), which are selected according to the weight of the structure and the weight of people.
• The bed and the cabinet are connected by hinges, and the structure itself is attached to the wall with anchor bolts.
• A longitudinal beam limiter is also fixed on the wall. She can “camouflage” under the decorative element. The beam prevents the mattress from moving when the bed is in the folded position. The mattress and bed are fixed with hard straps before tilting the bed to the wall.
• Usually a wardrobe bed is equipped with legs. They can hide in niches, can play the role of shelves, can take the form of a curved metal pipe.
• A wardrobe bed can also be supplemented with lighting.

Important! There are instances that are controlled using the remote control.

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Where are wardrobe beds used?

Why are these transforming beds so popular, despite their considerable cost?

Quite a lot of people live in secondary housing, where the areas of the rooms are small, and each square meter is worth its weight in gold. Folding beds partially solve this problem:

• A double bed occupies about 2.5 square meters of the room. If it is stationary, then in the bedroom because of the furniture you will have a narrow passage-labyrinth between the furniture.
• In the nursery - a similar problem: the child needs to sleep somewhere, but during the day there is not enough space for active games.
• And sometimes we in the apartment just do not have enough extra bed for guests, which will be used from time to time.

If in the morning you leaned back to the wall, a rather large area is freed up, which can be used for various purposes.

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Types of transforming beds

Transforming furniture can be any: sofas, tables, cabinets. But since the article is devoted to a retractable bed, we will consider the types of this furniture only.Beds of this kind can be divided into several types:

• By type of folding beds can:
  • lean back to the wall (horizontally or vertically);
  • rise to the ceiling (such models are very rare);
  • move on wheels in niches or under other furniture.
• By the number of berths the bed can be:
  • single adult bed;
  • single bedroom;
  • one and a half;
  • double;
  • designs with 2 bunk beds are also possible.
• By the complexity of the transformation itself:
  • The sleeping place can simply lean back against the wall, and its bottom is a cabinet door that fits the design into the headset. It can be a large mirror, as well as a false wall with a shelf (it is also the bed leg).
  • There are options (more expensive for the price) when the back of the bed turns into a full-fledged desk or sofa.

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How to choose a bed in the wall?

Most often in furniture stores there are wardrobe-beds. Consider the main selection criteria for such products.

Design

In order for your folding bed to fit into the interior, it is advisable to purchase the whole set of furniture at once, so that later the wardrobe-bed looks harmoniously surrounded by “neighbors”. It is more difficult when you are trying to fit a new bed into an existing set, because you need to choose everything in height, depth, color of the facades.

Operating principle

If you plan to install a one and a half or double bed in the living room or bedroom, it is better that the mechanism reclines vertically (the berth is in contact with the wall by the headboard). After raising the bed, its bottom will be a regular or mirrored cabinet door. Or it may look like a panel with shelves (but this option is preferable when you do not lay out the bed daily, since it is inconvenient to constantly arrange and remove things from the shelves).

Important! The shelves themselves play the role of legs in this design. Sometimes the bed hides behind sliding shelves with books that travel along the entire headset along the guides.

If the wardrobe-bed is planned to be single (for the nursery, teenager’s room, office, and so on), then it would be more practical to install a horizontal lifting mechanism (the berth is in contact with the wall on the side). Above it you can place hanging cabinets or shelves for books.

Important! When folded, the bed makes room for the child’s active games, gives space for study, work and other necessities.

To be sure that the mechanism is durable and reliable, that your bed will not fold itself onto your head and slam shut with a sleeping person - buy furniture only from trusted and reliable manufacturers who give a guarantee and are responsible for their products.

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Can I make a retractable bed with my own hands?

The option of self-production of such a bed is possible. But it is recommended to undertake this matter only if you already have experience in a similar field and you are confident in your professionalism. A folding bed is not a stool, flaws in the design can cost someone from the household health.

Procedure:

1. You must consider the following first:
   • where the wardrobe bed will be located;
   • what size it will be in length and width;
   • will there be enough space between the cabinets;
   • whether the bed will touch other furniture in the room unfolded and other important nuances of placement.
2. Based on existing furniture and free space in the room, decide how the bed will be folded - vertically or horizontally.

Important! If we are talking about a children's bed, then it makes sense to make a horizontal model - the child can easily reach the handle.

3. Carefully inspect the placement of the future bed. The floor and walls should be flat. Any curvature will lead to a skew of the structure and mechanisms. The wall itself must be brick or concrete.

Important! If you begin to bridge a folding bed to a drywall partition, which sometimes divide a large room into two small ones, then everything will collapse. Bed mattress and frame with mechanisms have considerable weight.

4. Count and buy the necessary materials:
   • Particleboard for the walls of the cabinet, box of the bed and the bottom of the door of the “dummy” cabinet (it is advisable to order cutting and edging at the factory);
   • springs or gas lifts (select according to the weight of your product);
   • self-tapping screws;
   • metal corners;
   • anchor bolts;
   • swivel loops;
   • also stock up on carpentry tools and power tools.

Important! Pay special attention to springs (gas lifts), since the process of turning the bed into “invisibility” depends on them. Too weak a spring will force you to exert a lot of effort to lift the structure, and too strong a spring will cause the bed to rise above the floor.

5. Install the closet first. The front frame is created from ordinary boards (chipboard is not very durable for this purpose). Strengthen the joints of the boards with metal corners and self-tapping screws at the end (constantly monitor the perpendicularity of the sides). Then fasten it all to the wall with anchor bolts.
6. Next, form the bed itself. Make a box of planks. On one side, fix a sheet of fiberboard or plywood on it (“cabinet door”), and on the other, a crate made of thick plywood or wooden blocks. These will be the so-called lamellas, on which the mattress will rest, and which will take on the weight of the body. Do not forget to fasten the straps that will hold the mattress in place when folding the bed.

Important! You should not bother with a mirror. Although it expands the visual space of the room, it has a lot of weight. The mirror will not hold onto the glue happily for a long time - sooner or later it will fall off or crack, and making a solid frame under it is a very difficult and difficult process.

7. On the wall, it is now necessary to nail a wooden beam, which will play the role of a limiter for the mattress, so that it does not sink inside. You can give it some decorativeness so that it does not look rude.
8. Now you can connect the gas lifts to the pins. This is done when the bed is raised almost to the end (not reaching 10-15 cm).
9. Screw the handles by which you will lower and raise the bed.
10. Check the operation of the structure.

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Built-in bed in the interior

Such a transforming bed will fit perfectly into any interior, if you choose the style and colors of the rest of the furniture when choosing it. It is advisable to select it at the stage of furnishing the room.

Here are some guidelines for creating the perfect interior:

• If you want to make the room bigger and brighter - hide the bed behind a large mirror. You can apply a graceful drawing to it with sandblasting or stylish photo printing.
• The bed, which retracts into the wall, fits perfectly into the headset, which contains a wardrobe, a computer desk, shelves for books and small things. And the cabinet door opens up many possibilities for design solutions.
• The glossy façade will look good in high-tech style, while the calm and muted matte colors will look good in the style of Minimalism or Classic.
• Mirrors and carvings will be appropriate in an aristocratic style.
• If you clean a sleeping place for a day, then it may turn out that the room will look empty. Then a perfect solution would be to purchase a 3-in-1 wardrobe bed, which from a bed turns into a cozy sofa or a full-fledged desk.
• In the nursery it will be more convenient to install one or two single beds, which recline horizontally. It will be convenient for children to clean them, and above them you can place shelves with books and toys or sections for bedding. Doors and bed themselves make beautiful and bright colors.

Important! As an option, import factories offer bunk beds for children's rooms, which can be laid out simultaneously or separately.

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Wall-mounted bed manufacturers

In order for the quality of the transforming bed to please you for many years, it is worth considering the models proposed by trusted European manufacturers:

• The company Hartmann Kunststofftechnik (Germany) offers interesting models, of which there is no doubt.

Important! Beds that can be transformed into a table, sofa, etc. are more expensive.

• You will find various offers in a wide network of Ikea (Sweden).
• Interesting design and engineering solutions are presented in the products of the Italian companies Colombo and Boticelli.
• Domestic manufacturers offer lifting beds of excellent quality (“Sonata”, “Transmeb”).

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Stock footage

Retractable beds are an optimal solution not only for small apartments, but also for country cottages and hostels. When the bed is folded - you get a large amount of useful space, emotional comfort and the ability to move freely around the room.