NYC apartments can be eccentric; full of strange angles, teeny tiny surface area, sometime unusually high ceiling, with big windows or little skylights. When I first heard the phrase “think vertical”, I have thought about bookcases, dividers, folded tables, cabinets, floating racks, wall lamps, magnetic spice containers, wine bottle hangers and even two storied closets. Only recently it occurred to me that I have missed the elephant in the room – the bed! The full bed (queen if you are lucky) takes the maximum amount of horizontal area in a teeny tiny studio apartment!
I was never a murphy-bed lover. After working at minimum two jobs (one pays your bills, the other is simply for fun), when I enter my apartment, there is nothing more welcoming than the sight of a cozy, comfortable bed with personalized pillows and a sexy painting hanging over the headboard. A murphy bed never does that unless you leave it unfolded, in which case the purpose of murphy-bed is lost. In addition, my apartment is my “sanctum sanctorum” and apart from my occasional dates, I don’t generally entertain a large group of people. In addition, if you are renting, not many owners would allow you to fix a murphy-bed on the wall. So, what are my other options?
Loft bed! Yes, if you have high ceilings, you can choose to raise the largest furniture you own and then utilize the space underneath for a table, couch, or both, a small walk-in closet, a reading nook, or even a dorm refrigerator or microwave. However, there are couple of challenges that you need to overcome before being comfy in your lofty bed.
How to get down from the loft bed in the middle of the night with sleepy head and avoid breaking your neck by falling down the tiny staircase? The answer is- create your own custom staircase by the wall with storage boxes underneath. The cover of those storage boxes can be painted canvas (if you are into fine art like me) hanged with little hooks and nails. Also, keep a glass of water on the little wall rack by the bed.
How to not bump your head in the bedframe while using the area underneath? I think the answer is – practice makes the man (or the woman) perfect! First sit down and then slide in your couch. Try to find very low day beds which can serve multiple purposes. With couple of decorative side and back throw pillows, this will serve as a couch or day bed and can be used as a guest bed when required. Put the day bed longitudinally with the length of the loft bed, so that a part of the day bed sticks out. That will make the practice of sitting first and sliding in second- easier.
How to cope with panic attacks in the middle of the night waking up and seeing the ceiling so close to your nose (if you are claustrophobic)? Immediately, turn your head sideways and have the bird’s eye view of your beautifully decorated studio apartment. Breathe, then slowly come down the custom staircase. Relax. The sky is not falling down yet!
Science, art and lifestyle 