You’ll love this woodworking plan on how to build your own loft bed, especially due to the bonus closet space included. Before building, if you can get lumber for free or at little cost, you’ll find it’ll save you quite a bit of money in the long run.

One great place to look is Craigslist. Especially if you live in or near a large city. They have a “free” section and often you’ll find things like this that are given away for free.

As for the plan itself, it includes the usual. It fills you in on all of the materials you need, then moves you on to how to design your own loft bed. Then you do some measuring and ultimately you put it all together.

Check out all of the steps which include diagrams and pictures. And if you’d like to download the PDF file on how to build a loft bed for small rooms and dorms, simply click on the link “Download this instructable” above. Once you’re done downloading it, you can print it off and use it at your leisure.

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This DIY offers you a nice in-depth understanding on how to make your own bean bag chair or sofa bed. It explains what materials to use, what size to choose from. You can choose to make anything from the standard bean bag chair to the block party bean bag sofa. Instructions also explain how to fill it and so forth.

The original bean bag that was made by Dan, the creator of this DIY project, was HUGE. So you’ll get to see pictures of that as well. You can check it out in the steps above.

This is a great project if you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative to basic seating as well as something to sleep on that’s relatively affordable and fairly comfortable.

If you would like to download the PDF file on how to make your own bean bag chair or sofa bed, click on the “Download this instructable” link above.

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A sofa by day, a bed by night. An end table by day, a bedside table by night. This is nothing new, but it’s not the idea that might send off a big ding in your head but just the quick concept that might serve as a reminder.

A futon with two tables on each side serve as the ideal solution for dorms, studio apartments and bedrooms. Why…?

Because by day the futon is a lovely sofa and by night it serves as a cozy bed. But it’s not just that idea that makes it a great solution. No. It’s specifically when you add the tables beside it that it becomes a nice dual-purpose set.

The tables which serve as end tables by day can serve as bedside tables by night.

And if you’ve read my discussion on Small Nightstand Tables, you also know that when you’re searching for nightstands (or bedside tables) that end tables also make great nightstands.

Not only that, but if you search for tables with drawers, they can be used to store your undergarments in them to eliminate the need for a dresser. Also there’s another bonus you may have not considered…

If you get a futon with storage drawers, the storage drawers will also eliminate the need for a dresser and allow you to store your undergarments in them.

When looking, the one thing you’ll just want to be careful of is the scale of the furniture. Make certain the that dimensions of the nighstand and the futon go well together by paying close attention to both if you order them separately. It will save you from later realizing that your nightstands swallow up your futon when they are placed on the end of it.

Tip. If you do find you made a faux pas with the tables, to resolve the scale issue, just place them elsewhere in the room rather than next to the futon. Often placing them at the end of a room will fix the problem.

Also be certain to pay attention to the paint stains of each if you want them to match or have a similar look and feel.

One last thing. Keep in mind that this setup is not only great for dorms and studios. Bedrooms are just as ideal.

If you’re bookish like me and you love to read but you don’t always want to limit yourself to the living room, then consider setting something like this up in your bedroom.

By day it will allow you to have a nice reading room or sitting room (i.e. den) and by night you’ve got the bedroom you’ve always longed for.

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Highlights of Antonia’s Room

The space is divided up into ten different spaces:

1. This is a picture of my entryway it’s a place where I can kick off my shoes, throw my purse on the antler wall-hook and get ready to “be home”. At the end of the short hall you see shelves that I have lined up off the wall for all my design magazines, large books, and DVDs. I rescued the three-legged chair from the side of the road and refurbished it; it’s a great classic piece with a new lease on life!

2. The next photo is of my dining area and the kitchen. Having a counter instead of a table really saves a lot of space and I can scoot the stools in so they stay out of the way. I have a window shade hanging down between the kitchen and the counter so I can separate the kitchen from the rest of the studio to hide a cooking mess in a flash.

3. This is a picture of the living area when it’s being a guest space. Although my home is small, I love it when friends and family stay over and I like them to have a nice place to sleep.

4. This photo is taken from the same place as the previous picture to show the guest space when it’s transformed back into the living room space. My couch is simple convertible, a must in a small apartment!

5. This is the living room space from another angle. My style is minimal and clean. The couch comes off the wall helping to define what my living space is and faces my only source of natural light in my studio, my balcony.

6. My balcony is one of my favorite areas, it’s such a nice place to hang out and my living area is set up as an extension of the balcony. It’s amazing how much plants can give a space a lush and fresh feel, I have them in almost every area of the house.

7. This photo is of my bedroom area. I’ve divided it off from the rest of my studio with sheer curtains. They give me some privacy when I close them but aren’t so heavy that it makes the room feel crowded and small.

8. In the same area of my bed, is my closet. I love it; I’ve found ways to put every inch to use! Its also great because the closet doors are mirrored, so they reflect light and the darkest corner and make the space where my bed is look twice as big.

9. Right by my bed, is my piano. I have a keyboard to save space (a baby grand would take up a quarter of the space and its almost be worth it!) and so i can plug in headphones and play whenever I want and not bug the neighbors.

10. Right next to the piano is my library/nick-knack shelf. Not only is it a great storage for my books, it also holds my vintage camera (all found at thrift stores) old photos, projects from my school, and my computer. It also divides the bedroom area from the piano area. I rescued the chair from a thrift store, it’s the perfect height for my keyboard and the perfect height for my computer all I have to do is swivel and tap away!

I hope you enjoyed the photo tour of my small studio space!

Note: Wow, Antonia. I did enjoy the tour. You are certainly utilizing your design skills. Who wants a big place when they can have your studio apartment? Talk about a small piece of heaven. I’d trade in my two-bedroom for your studio apartment anyday. You are definitely gifted. Thank you for supporting the site by sending in the gorgeous photos of your studio apartment!

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This is the studio apartment I moved to after my husband left me a few months ago. I call it the Fonzie Room because it’s on top of a garage attached to a house like the Fonz lived in on Happy Days above Mr. & Mrs. C’s home.

Highlights of Karen’s Room

My husband and I had a nice 4 bedroom home, so it was a real challenge to feel comfortable in the confines of the Fonzie Room. I had a lot of things and wanted to keep as much as I could without paying for storage on top of the apartment expense.

With a little creativity, I was able to reuse a lot of things I already had and made it work beautifully. The dark blue window accents, for example, were shower curtains I had sewn for our old house. We had 2 full living rooms before and I was able to incorporate most of that furniture with my bedroom in a way that is both functional and appealing to the eye. Strategic use of mirrors helps a lot with feeling like your space is larger. A trip to the fabric store allowed me to match all of my throw pillows for under $20 and really softens the room. I try to keep core items in neutral colors so I can easily modify the theme with small inexpensive touches like pillow fabric and small blankets.

I don’t have a kitchen so I used my bakers rack as a kitchen outfitted with a toaster, microwave etc. I finished the kitchen (top of the stairs wall) with a small refrigerator and coffee pot… that’s all I need. There’s room for a small desk at the top of the stairs opposite the main area where my computers can sit under a window with a nice view. I really can’t complain. There’s a lot to be thankful for.

I love my small space and while I may be going through some rough personal times, it’s nice that I can enjoy a cup of tea and feel relaxed in the comfort of my Fonzie Room

Note: Wow, Karen your room is impressive. If only I could decorate as fabulously as you do. I did a bang-up job. Kudos, for such excellent work!

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Highlights of Jennifer’s Room

• In kitchen pic #1, this is the first thing you see to your right when you walk into my apartment. This is pretty much all the kitchen space I have because the other wall is a small washroom and closet. As you can see I store all my cooking utensils and knives out on the counter so that they’re handy and don’t take up much needed drawer space. I also bought an over the sink shelf so I could store my sugar, tea, and coffee in canisters and save a little more room elsewhere. Having the paper towels under the cabinets also helps save a little counter space. The canisters, knife block, and burner covers were all super thrifty Goodwill finds and the “tile” hanging on the wall above the stove is actually a trivet (also found at a Goodwill) that I painted to match the other tiles below it!

• Kitchen pic #2 gives you a shot of the fridge.

• Kitchen pic #3 is the other side of my kitchen. The double doors are a small washroom and the single door is a closet. Since I don’t have a washer/dryer I get to use them both for storage and I don’t need both doors to get into the washroom. I got this table from my boyfriend because he didn’t have a place for it and it fits just perfectly! I love that it folds down and the stools can go underneath because there’s no way I could fit a regular table and chairs in the limited space. I also utilized the empty closet doors by hanging up a bulletin board and calendar for reminders!

• Kitchen pic #4 gives you another view of the table.

• In washroom pic #1, you can see the washroom with both doors open. Not having a washer/dryer does have its advantages because obviously I NEED the extra storage space! The dresser was another thrifty find (free by our dumpster!) if you can believe it! It fits just perfectly and still leaves enough room for laundry baskets and recycling bins!

• In washroom pic #2, you can see the top of the washroom. I use it mainly for game storage, as you can see. Also on the left hand side, you can just barely see my fold out ironing board, which saves so much space and is very convenient!

• In washroom pic #3, you can see that I bought an over the door shelf for the other door, which is used to house all my cleaning supplies. It’s very handy and makes finding everything a breeze!

• In living area pic #1, this is what you see once you get past the kitchen. Having everything in one room has been a challenge, but multifunctional pieces solve that dilemma. I purchased the loveseat at an estate sale for seating for guests. It had a very retro pattern, but a simple slipcover gave it more the look I wanted. The end table was another thrifty find that does double duty as a nightstand. The two tables in the middle of the room can be pulled around for extra table space or seating. My day bed works perfectly as an oversized loveseat when people come over…

• …but in living area pic #2, you can see that it also performs double duty as a bed in a jiffy!

• Living area pic #3 is the far wall of my apartment when you walk in and it is my workspace. The door to the left also leads to the bathroom. Since I only have a laptop computer, I tuck it away in the keyboard tray of my desk, leaving room to display some of my favorite things on top. The mirror was also a dumpster rescue that a simple coat of spray paint and a window decal did wonders for!

• Living area pic #4 is the wall across from my bed. This wardrobe was a steal at a closeout store and was originally intended to store clothing…

• …but as you can see in living area pic #5, I use it to keep all my media components in order!

• Living area pic #6 is by far my favorite. I dedicated this entire wall to my favorite thing in the world…literature! My papasan chair rounds out the seating area and also provides a cozy place to read!

• Bathroom pic #1 is basically just a shot of my toilet and shower. My jewelry box sits on the toilet tank and a plant stand on the other side holds a few little trinkets.

• Bathroom pic #2 is a shot of both of my bathroom walls. Not a lot of room, so I just hung some towels, a mirror, and some artwork. The “art piece” in the middle is just a dollar store frame with some of my own nature photos in it.

• Bathroom pic #3 is where you walk into the bathroom. I absolutely hate walking out the door in the morning not knowing what my outfit actually looks like together, so I bought an over the door full length mirror to solve that problem. It also makes the bathroom look bigger!

• Bathroom pic #4 is a shot of the sink. That was all the cabinet space I had when I moved in, so I bought the little white cabinet next to it for extra storage. A few pretty baskets also help hide things away.

• In bathroom pic #5, you can see my linen storage on the wall opposite the sink. I keep some washcloths out in a bowl for easy access when someone spends the night.

• I hope you have enjoyed the tour of my apartment!

• Note: Thank you so much, Jennifer, I enjoyed your tour a lot. You have a lovely small place and I appreciate you putting so much work into your entry. You did an excellent job all around!
  

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I’ve compared it with my previous studio apartment and it was 400 square feet and hers was said to be quite a bit smaller than mine. Here’s what she had to say about she decorated her small place…

Before I redecorated my studio apartment it was very bland. White, gray, and black. So, I used a lot of color to add a vibrant sort of feeling to my home. So the major drive at first was to add a little color. I didn’t originally start out with any ideas. I found a set of pillows that I really loved and from there I built on the idea.

I really like blue and orange. But I like to mix it up with a little red, orange and yellow as well. So that all colors bounce off of each other.

• She uses craft paper and designs her own window film. Like her, you may want to do the same thing. You can purchase window film but if you’re creative, maybe you’d like the idea of designing your own too. Window film can relieve the need for window treatments and open up space while still letting in a substantial amount of light.

• Her computer cart doubles as a TV stand. Her laptop sits in front and her TV is situated right behind it.

• Her plastic 3-drawer storage cart doubles as a printer stand.

• She uses a space saving clamp lamp on her desk. If you don’t have space to sit a lamp on a desk, you can definitely get the best of both worlds by getting one that clamps on it instead.

• She uses a mannequin to liven up her small space. She accessorizes her mannequin with vibrant colors. Her mannequin came came headless. However, my sister found a head that fit her perfectly. As well, the wig, clothing and other accessories came directly from my sister’s creative mind. There’s nothing stopping you from doing the same thing.

• My sister uses a cardboard dresser chest as a nightstand and lamp stand. She re-decorated it according to her taste and style. You could follow in her footsteps and do the same in your small home.

  View Photo Gallery of Her Studio Apartment

  

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