Why Choose a Loft Bed? Save Space Without Sacrificing Comfort

In a bedroom, the bed is often the piece of furniture that takes up the most space. Yet for much of the day, that surface sits unused. The loft bed offers a particularly smart answer to this problem: instead of spreading furniture across the floor, it makes use of the height available in the room. The sleeping area moves up a level and frees up a new living space underneath. Desk, storage, armchair, bookcase, reading nook, play area or a little cocoon: a few square meters suddenly serve a double purpose. That is what makes the loft bed so much more than a simple kids' bed. Chosen well, it can see a person through different stages of life, from childhood to the teenage years and into the first years of adulthood.

Why is saving space becoming so important in our bedrooms?

We would love to be able to compare the average bedroom size across France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal. In practice, national statistical institutes don't all measure bedrooms the same way, and there is currently no harmonized European data that would allow an honest ranking of their average size. Still, the available data tells a very clear story: space is a precious resource, especially in European cities. In 2024, 73% of city dwellers in the European Union lived in an apartment. Spain, notably, is among the European countries where apartment living is especially common.

The picture is even more telling when you look at young people: in 2024, 26.5% of Europeans ages 15 to 29 lived in a home considered overcrowded, compared with about 17% of the overall population. Even in countries with more spacious homes on average, the space available varies enormously between city centers, suburbs and rural areas. In Switzerland, for example, the average space available is 46.6 m² per person, but it reaches 51.6 m² in rural municipalities. So the real question isn't simply: "How big is a bedroom in Europe?" It's more like: "How can we make smart use of the square meters we have?" And that is exactly where the loft bed gets interesting.

A regular bed uses the floor. A loft bed uses the height.

A regular bed uses the floor. A loft bed uses the height. A single bed measuring 90 x 190 cm already takes up about 1.7 m² of floor space. In a 9 or 10 m² bedroom, that's a lot. Add a desk, a wardrobe, some storage and a chair, and moving around quickly becomes difficult.

The idea behind the loft bed is to completely change this layout. Instead of putting the bed and the desk side by side, you stack them: the bed above the desk. You don't make the room bigger. You give it almost a second level.

What can you put under a loft bed?

This is probably the most interesting part. The space under the bed doesn't need to have a set purpose. It can change with the age, tastes and needs of whoever uses it. For a child, it can become a play area, with cushions, storage boxes and their favorite toys. A few years later, the same spot can become a desk for homework.

In the teenage years, you can set up an armchair, shelves, a computer or a space dedicated to music, drawing or video games. Then, in a first apartment or a dorm room, the desk can become a real workspace. It's a little territory inside the bedroom. And unlike a piece of furniture with a fixed function, this space can be reinvented again and again.

The little cocoon under the loft bed

The loft bed also has a quality that is harder to measure in square meters. It naturally creates a space within a space. The area under the bed has a lower ceiling and feels more intimate than the rest of the room. With a rug, a few cushions, a small lamp and a bookcase, it can easily become a reading nook or a comfy retreat. For a child, it might be a fort.

For a teenager, a music or gaming corner. For a college student, a desk. So the furniture doesn't necessarily dictate how the space is used. It creates a structure that each person can then make their own.

At what age can you sleep in a loft bed?

Safety is essential here. Loft beds and the top bunks of bunk beds are not suitable for children under 6, notably because of the risk of falls. This warning is one of the notices called for by the European standard covering high beds and bunk beds. You also need to follow the mattress dimensions recommended by the manufacturer, especially the maximum thickness, so that the guardrails keep the protective height they were designed to have. A loft bed is therefore not a bed for toddlers. But from age 6, it has a surprisingly long life ahead of it.

A bed that can grow with your child into the teenage years

People sometimes associate the loft bed with a young child's room. Yet it is actually one of the pieces of furniture that can adapt most easily as a child grows. At 6 or 7, the space underneath can hold toys. At 10, it becomes a place to read and do homework. At 14, the desk holds a computer. At 18, the same loft bed can be a particularly practical solution in a dorm room.

The decor changes. The function of the space below evolves. But the architectural idea still holds: make height do the work so you keep more free floor space. That is why a good loft bed doesn't necessarily need to look too childish. A more timeless design helps it move through the years much more easily.

What's next? The loft bed also comes in 140 x 190 cm

The loft bed doesn't stop at the single bed, by the way. There are also double loft beds in 140 x 190 cm. The idea gets especially interesting for an older teenager, a college student or a young adult: enjoy the comfort of a real double bed while keeping most of the space underneath available. In a studio or a small room, the difference can be spectacular. A double bed of 140 x 190 cm takes up about 2.7 m² of sleeping surface. Raised up high, that space can be put to use on the lower level for a desk, a lounge corner or storage. The loft bed then becomes less "furniture for kids" and more a true space-planning solution.

Loft bed with a desk: why does this combination work so well?

Beds and desks have an interesting trait: they're rarely used at the same time. At night, you use the bed. During the day, you use the desk. Stacking them vertically makes perfect sense.

This is the idea behind SENHO's DINO and ROZE loft beds, which pair a single bed up high with a desk area below. The desk can also be removed if needs change. So a loft bed isn't doomed to be a "loft bed with a desk" forever. The space underneath can be reinvented.

DINO: the practical, adaptable loft bed with a desk

The SENHO DINO combines a single bed up high with a desk underneath. The goal is simple: bring two essential functions of a bedroom together in a single footprint on the floor. The bed takes the upper level, while the lower part becomes a real workspace. The desk can then be taken out if the layout of the room changes. DINO can follow the shift from a child's room to a teenager's room without locking in the same setup for good.

ROZE: a loft bed with an original fabric finish

The SENHO ROZE follows this same approach of a simple loft bed with a removable desk, but adds a far more unusual feature: guardrails with a fabric finish. The loft bed is traditionally a very architectural piece of furniture, dominated by wood or metal. Introducing fabric changes its look and gives it a visually softer finish. ROZE keeps the functional logic of a raised bed while putting more thought into how comfortable the sleeping area feels. As with DINO, the desk can be removed so the space underneath can change along with its user.

MONTANA: moving up to the double loft bed in 140 x 190 cm

With MONTANA, the idea changes scale. It's no longer a single bed, but a true 140 x 190 cm loft bed. This size makes it possible to think of the loft bed as something that lasts much longer in life: a teenager, a college student, a young adult or simply anyone who wants to make the most of a room with enough ceiling height. The large space under the bed can be set up however you like: desk, sofa, storage, bookcase, TV corner, creative space. The room keeps much of its usable floor space despite the presence of a double bed. Another practical advantage: MONTANA's staircase is reversible, which makes it easier to adapt the bed to different room layouts.

DOCKLAND: the double loft bed with a fabric finish

DOCKLAND also takes the concept to a true double bed of 140 x 190 cm. Like MONTANA, its staircase is reversible, making it easier to fit into different bedrooms. But DOCKLAND has a personality of its own: its guardrails also have a fabric finish. This mix of functional structure, a large bed up high and fabric details gives the loft bed a less strictly technical look and brings it closer to a real piece of bedroom furniture. It's also a way of showing that the loft bed is no longer necessarily reserved for the world of kids' furniture.

DINO, ROZE, MONTANA or DOCKLAND: which loft bed should you choose?

The choice depends first of all on the age of the user, the bed width you want and how you plan to use the space under the bed. DINO is especially well suited to anyone looking for a simple loft bed with a real built-in but removable desk. ROZE takes the same single bed with a removable desk and adds the originality of guardrails with a fabric finish. MONTANA lets you move up to a 140 x 190 cm double bed and offers a large, customizable space underneath, with a reversible staircase. DOCKLAND also pairs a 140 x 190 cm double bed with a reversible staircase, with the distinctive touch of guardrails in a fabric finish. Four different beds, but one idea: use the height to give the floor back to the room.

Which SENHO loft bed should you choose?

Still torn between the different models? To go further, we've put together a complete guide to the loft beds in the SENHO collection: "Which SENHO Loft Bed Should You Choose? MONTANA, DOCKLAND, DINO, ROZE and BROS Compared." There you'll find a detailed comparison of their dimensions, sleeping setups, features and special details, so you can pick the model that best fits your room and your needs. DINO and ROZE favor the single bed with a desk, while MONTANA and DOCKLAND offer a true double bed of 140 x 190 cm. The comparison also covers BROS, our bunk bed, for anyone who wants to make the most of the space with two beds.

👉 See our comparison: "Which SENHO Loft Bed Should You Choose? MONTANA, DOCKLAND, DINO, ROZE and BROS Compared"