Help! How to DIY a king size loft bed?

ikea king size loft bed
STORA

Small room, huge mattress. I need to hack a king size loft bed!

I’ve been wracking my brains to come up with a solution for this but I’m just not coming up with anything! 

My room is very small and I’ve recently been given a king size mattress for free. Which is great, but that would literally take up about 70% of my room.

So I was thinking of getting a loft bed/high sleeper with space for a desk underneath – like a bunk bed without the bottom bed.

However, the biggest IKEA loft bed is only a double bed size, and a king size loft bed frame is very hard to find. All the ones that I have found are very expensive!

I was hoping there was a way that the lovely STORÅ frame could be hacked. It only needs to be 10cm wider to accommodate a king size mattress (STORÅ has a max mattress width of 140cm; my mattress is 150cm). 

STORA king size loft bed

STORÅ loft bed | IKEA.com

Alternatively, it may be easier to get a regular king size frame, something like the TARVA, and hack it so that it is much taller.

TARVA king size loft bed

TARVA king size bed frame | IKEA.com

Not entirely sure how I would go about that. I have seen other examples online whether people have used sideways bookcases or chests of drawers and stacked their bed frames on top but I’m unsure of how load bearing those are.

What do you think? Any advice for me? Thanks so much for reading!

~ by Helena

***

Hi Helena

A free mattress. It’s a good problem.

I think it’s doable with either the STORÅ or TARVA. Here are my thoughts.

Option 1: Increase the width of the STORÅ by 10cm

To increase the width of the STORÅ by 10cm, this would be how I’d do it.

ikea stora

I’ll replace the 4 horizontal beams (circled above) at the head and end of the bed, with wood beams cut to the size of your mattress.

And then screw them on to the posts. If you can’t replicate the cam lock holes, don’t worry about it. Just use a suitable length and number of screws to join the posts and vertical beams together.

IKEA STORA instructions

Related: STORÅ loft bed with loft office

Then, assemble it as IKEA intended. The side rails (above, marked in orange) can still be attached to the posts without any modifications.

The bed slats, however, will no longer fit. You will need to get a king size slatted bed base to go on top. You will also need to center the middle beam to the new width in order to support the slats.

Take a look at the assembly manual to have a better idea of what you will need to redo, such as new holes, etc.

Option 2: Raise the TARVA king size bed frame

Raise it up with new legs

IKEA DALSELV DIY king size loft bed

This hack was done on the DALSELV bed frame, which is pretty similar to the TARVA. It was raised 160-170 cm above ground to create a loft space underneath. It’s not most elegantly executed, but basically, you’ll need to create new posts for the TARVA legs to rest on. See the rest of the hack here.

Add storage beneath

Other ways of propping up the bed frame are, as you mentioned, shelving units.

Ada used kitchen cabinets for this loft bed. Good thing is, it provides a lot of storage too.

kitchen cabinets kids room

This was created for a kid’s room, but it’s possible for adults too. A lower platform bed, also using kitchen cabinets. But I’ll say this is not an easy one to hack.

And I found one on Pinterest using a shelving unit similar to the KALLAX.

To ensure that the units can hold up the weight of a king size bed frame plus a mattress and people in bed, double up the KALLAX, like how it’s done here at the bed end. Doubling the KALLAX will also add to the stability.

Secure the units to each other with straight metal brackets at the top and bottom (and if you’re paranoid like me, do the middle too) of the units. I would also strongly recommend securing the units to the wall.

Cut the legs off the TARVA and hoist it up to the top of the structure. Use angle brackets and fasten the bed frame to the the KALLAX units.

And voilà! King size loft bed.

Lastly, a reminder to place heavy things at the bottom of the KALLAX and not at the top shelf, to balance the weight out.

That’s it from me. I hope you’ve got some ideas for your project.

Let us know how it goes.

Happy hacking,

Jules