Podium beds

A podium bed is most often a mattress that is located on a hill. Such a bed allows you to create more space in the room and organize the arrangement of furniture in the interior with maximum convenience. The podium bed allows you to save your budget on additional furniture: you don't need bedside tables, tables and even wardrobes with it.

The advantage of such a bed is that it can not be fully pulled out of the podium, using it as a small sofa or a place to relax during the day. The compartment for linen and pillows is a built-in drawer (or a couple of drawers) with hinged lids. Upstairs you can arrange a workplace: a computer desk and several hanging shelves for books.

Pull-out bed on wheels - on the podium itself there is a working corner, shelves with books or a small wardrobe, and the bed will be a roll-out bed built-in on the side. In such a bed, silent rubber wheels are important, which do not scratch the floor. Cheaper plastic casters, with repeated movement of the bed, will very soon create marks on the floor, which will be virtually impossible to remove. In addition, plastic wheels often break, so for a softer contact with the floor and quiet movement of the bed, wheels made of high quality rubber are best suited.

The bed, located on the podium itself, can look different, depending on the preferences of the owner and the available interior solutions. There are different types of designs:

• Bed on a high podium. A high monolithic podium is made of wood poured with concrete, and the surface of the elevation is pre-leveled with a screed. The coating is applied either the same as in the room as a whole, or it may look different: differ in color, in the quality of the material, in order to somehow highlight the sleeping place in the surrounding space.

• Frame podiums are characterized by lightness and uncomplicated assembly technology, it is much easier to make and install them yourself. The frame base is made of wood or metal, or the two materials are combined with each other. Inside it, you can place pull-out or folding drawers for linen and other things. Any frame base stuffed in the form of boxes will be a salvation for a person who has a lot of things, but does not want to acquire a large amount of furniture in the form of large-sized dressers or wardrobes: everything can be conveniently and compactly accommodated in built-in drawers.

• Also, among the varieties of podium structures, the traditional one is sometimes distinguished (most often, it is just a wooden frame sheathed with carpet, linoleum or chipboard) and improved (just all types of more complex frame structures with fillings in the form of compartments refer specifically to it).

• For families with small children living in hostels or communal apartments, a small podium with a roll-out bed is ideal. Parents can comfortably sit upstairs, and children are happy to fall asleep on a roll-out bed, which in the daytime can simply be rolled under the podium, thereby freeing up space for games. The presence in the podium, in addition to the bed, of a large 1 m long drawer helps to maintain order in the room, because at least some of the children's toys and small things can be put into the box.

If a podium bed is designed by the window, the best option is a podium with drawers at the bottom. This arrangement saves space and adds natural light as the berth rises higher. It is better to remove the battery from the window, and instead to build a special convector into the floor. Thus, the bedroom is divided into two parts, which look great when kept in the same color and style. As a decoration, you can use environmentally friendly materials from natural wood, or laminate. To visually increase the space, you can decorate the walls with mirrored panels or stick photo wallpapers with a beautiful landscape on them.

If the room has a niche or alcove, this is an ideal place to install a classic podium, because there is no need to design a pull-out bed. It can be simply installed in a niche, additionally equipped with modest necessary interior items, depending on the wishes of the owner. The standard dimensions of the alcove are 2.40 x 2.50 m, which allows you to place in it a double bed with drawers at the bottom.

There are many ways to place a podium on a balcony or loggia, despite the limited space. If the width of the balcony allows, you can put a place to rest there on a classic podium. The disadvantage in the form of a cold floor can be compensated for by integrating the popular underfloor heating system into the podium. An excellent two-in-one method is to place structures in the form of several wide and durable wooden boxes along the entire length of the loggia, in which homework will be stored. In warm weather, or if the balcony is properly insulated, put a mattress on top of the boxes - and the sleeping place is ready.

There is a great opportunity not only to build a large podium, but also to install an additional heating system in the room, installing it inside the structure, which will serve both technically and functionally at the same time.

When arranging a children's room, first of all, zoning the room should be carried out: the child should always have a place to sleep, for games and for doing school homework. For the equipment of a children's room, both retractable and classic options can be equally well suited. The pull-out bed is good because there is more space in the room, moreover, when using this option, it is very easy to place the necessary areas in the nursery: the sleeping place itself is pulled out, and at the top of the podium there is a study area in the form of a table, a chair and several bookshelves. During the daytime, the bed can be easily removed inside the podium, and the child has an ideal space for play.

The option with built-in beds is very convenient if the family has two children. Sleeping places in the form of vertical roll-out beds are symmetrically located to the left and right of the podium, the steps are in the middle, and a kind of room with a working area is equipped at the top. During the day, the beds are removed inside, and thus there is enough space for two in the room.

Also, a good way to set up a nursery is to put a bed there on a high podium with many drawers where the child can put anything: from toys to school supplies. The room will be provided with order and sufficient space for games. If the choice stopped at creating a high podium, you can also mount a small built-in table with a retractable mechanism there, which will be both practical and very convenient.

The podiums can be made of cast concrete or a wooden frame lined with sheet material. In the first case, concrete is poured into a pre-installed frame, which repeats the shape of the future podium. After the concrete has hardened, its surface is leveled with a screed, then the floor covering is laid. It can be tiles, parquet, laminate, carpet, linoleum, etc.

The concrete podium is very durable and reliable, it does not lose moisture, does not rot and withstands heavy loads.

A podium based on a wooden (metal frame) is very light, practically does not load the floors and is suitable for apartments in urban high-rise buildings. The front platform of the podium is made of flexible plywood, metal profiles, MDF panels, PVC skirting boards. Podium decoration can be done using various materials: carpet, laminate, parquet, linoleum, cork, ceramic tiles.

Before choosing bed accessories, you need to decide what style of bedding the family prefers. These can be solid colors or patterned bedding. Solid color bedspreads can be elegant, simple, and can give a bedroom a trendy hotel style. Pastel shades can contribute to a relaxing and serene environment that is great for bedroom interiors.

The right fabric of bedding and other accessories can complement the bedroom style. Glitter fabrics are a more popular choice than plain cotton or other matte fabrics. Glitter fabrics can brighten up a dark bedroom and create a more glamorous vibe. Accents and accessories can be added to the bed to make the room more beautiful than it is. A pillow with a bright, original accent, chosen for the bedding set, will create more comfort in the room than the softest and most beautiful bedspread.

According to user reviews, most people prefer to create a podium bed on their own, without ordering it in furniture stores. This type of furniture is especially popular among residents of small apartments. Also, many people use a podium bed for a children's room, creating an additional space for playing with children. Children's beds are pulled out at the moment when they become necessary, and in their free time they are retracted. The round four-poster bed is also popular with parents. This option is chosen in the girls' room.

Some users note that the podium bed serves as a bunk bed for them, only on the second floor there are computer desks and children's wardrobes. Many people have not only a sleeping place on the podium, but also a whole sofa, thus, the room becomes visually much larger.

If a one-room apartment is small, the optimal dimensions of the podium for it will be approximately as follows: length 310 cm, width 170 cm, and height 50 cm. the "pressure" of the ceiling was not psychologically felt.

Not only professionals in the field of furniture assembly can design a podium bed with their own hands. For example, a simple traditional podium on a frame of wooden beams is easy to manufacture, even for a person who is not a pro in this business. A frame podium of an improved design with filling in the form of boxes or a roll-out bed is much more difficult to make: first of all, you will need to draw a drawing in which the dimensions of the future product and its elements will be thought out in detail and with maximum clarity.

General recommendations for self-production of any podium:

1. You should immediately think about the strength and reliability of the frame so that it can withstand the weight of the human body and pieces of furniture. The frame beam should be dry, not wet, in order to avoid "shrinkage" and the appearance of a squeak.
2. When drawing up a drawing, consider the thickness of the sheathing (for example, plywood) and finishing (most often laminate is used as it).
3. It is also necessary to take into account the gap between the mattress of the future bed and the podium, if the berth is roll-out.

Here's how you can build the simplest, yet strongest and most reliable frame podium with drawers in an ordinary apartment. Materials for work and accessories that will be needed:

• plywood sheet 20 mm thick;
• plywood sheet 10 mm thick;
• bars 50x5 mm;
• bars 30x40 mm;
• fasteners - dowels (nails), anchors, self-tapping screws, corners for fasteners 50 and 40 mm. Count the number of corners, focusing on what size the podium will be.

The scheme of work is as follows:

• At the beginning, make a rough outline of the future design, take a pencil and draw a contour with it. Measure the diagonals with a tape measure to take into account possible errors in the corners. If the size of the error exceeds 5 mm, adjust the length of the podium on the fly before aligning the diagonals.
• For the purpose of moisture insulation, lay a plastic wrap on the floor. Cover the place of the future podium with a cork backing and 10 mm plywood. Fasten plywood to the floor with dowels. Leave the technical gap at the joints at about 3 mm.
• Measure and cut the frame beam 50x50 mm according to the dimensions indicated in the drawings. In order to get a preliminary overall picture of the podium, the logs can be placed on the supports. If the timber is not completely dry, all supports must be laid with a cork substrate so that the tree does not creak afterwards after drying.

• After that, you can start assembling and fixing the frame of the future podium. Lags are attached to the side walls with anchors, and only then the main part of the frame is assembled. Plywood with a thickness of 20 mm is laid and attached to the frame, while a small technological gap is left between its sheets. Manufacturing boxes according to the dimensions indicated in the drawings - it all depends on technology and capabilities. If the height of the boxes is small, you can simply connect the two blocks using corners and attach them to a piece of plywood 10 mm thick.

For more information on how to build a do-it-yourself podium bed, see the video below.

The plywood is closed with a fine finish in the form of a laminate. Now, finally, you can put a large orthopedic mattress on top, and the podium bed with drawers below is completely ready for use.

The idea of ​​a podium with two vertical roll-out beds will really appeal to large families with two or more children, because in this case there are no problems with the organization of educational, play and sleeping places. In addition, if guests with children appear in the house, the upper part of the podium can be easily turned into a third berth, which can accommodate up to two people, and when the beds roll in, both guests and small owners of the house get enough free space to play ...

A simple frame podium with an orthopedic mattress at the top is the ideal "budget option" for those who need a large double bed, but still want to save space and money. Since such a podium is very simple to manufacture, anyone can assemble it with the help of available materials, and the structure can be strengthened with additional crossbars and strong metal corners.

A sturdy frame podium with a roll-out bed is ideal for those who, while living in a one-room apartment, want to save the surrounding space as much as possible and not to purchase additional pieces of furniture for storing bedding and things. The roll-out bed in the daytime can be partially pulled out, using it as a comfortable sofa, and the solid construction of beams and metal allows you to place any workplace at the top, and will not bend under the weight of furniture and the human body.

The monumental monolithic podium, filled with concrete, is good for people with a lot of weight, both literally and figuratively. If you build it at home, such a bed will not sag and will not break under the weight of a large person's weight. It will last a long time and this will help save money. Also, this design looks great in the interiors of large houses, especially if the podium has a non-standard circle or semicircle shape. Finishing made of leather or leatherette, in this case, is the most preferable, as it especially emphasizes the solidity and stability of the structure.

The installation of a podium in a loggia connected to the room will perfectly fit into the living space of creative people who are especially fond of the Japanese style. If you remove the window-sill block, insulate the former loggia and build a podium adjacent to the window, the effect of an oriental note in the interior will be amazing. The additional heating system can be hidden under the same podium, and the room can be decorated with wallpaper with an oriental pattern. To complete the picture, you can place several handmade colored rugs, pillows and red lamps in the room.

For a small and narrow bedroom, the best option would be a podium bed, which has wide drawers and a couple of steps. The bed is installed at the top of the podium (classic version), which provides cozy natural light for it during the daytime, and at the top you can leave room for a bedside lamp, a floor lamp and several shelves for books.

In a one-room apartment, the type of podium structure will directly depend on the size of the room. With a large area for a berth, you can take a part of the room, which is usually fenced off by a tall cabinet or a rack with built-in drawers and shelves. The sleeping place is arranged using an ordinary wide mattress in the upper part, and at the bottom you can arrange a compact workplace in the form of a table with drawers. Thus, the podium becomes multifunctional, and a person can do different things while in the same place.

In "Khrushchev", it is also quite possible to build a simple podium structure, taking into account the peculiarities of the layout of such an apartment. The small area and low ceilings are not an obstacle for those wishing to equip a compact and comfortable sleeping place, but all this must be taken into account when planning the size.