When you are considering the huge decision to live tiny, you will discover that there are some related challenges that need to be addressed ahead of time. While you’re thinking about it, visualize living in your small space with all your belongings around you cleverly camouflaged using some of the Tiny House Advisor’s creative storage hints, along with your family and maybe a pet and then answer this question…

HOW CAN I POSSIBLY FIT A BED INTO MY TINY SPACE??!!

Whether your bed will be on the main floor or if it will be in a loft, it’s only logical that the smaller your bed is, the more space you will have in your tiny house. A larger bed may pose problems if you have to walk around your bed to make it. Which brings me to our point, SIZE.

In this sitution, size absolutely matters! My most useful suggestion is – go try out different sized beds to see how comfortable you are in them. And don’t forget to take your sleep partner with you on this excursion. My husband and I are very comfortable in our double bed, which, coincidentally is the size we had when we were first married. You can go to a mattress store to see the different ones available. Also, most hotel rooms either have a single king or 2 queens or doubles. Splurge on a date night and call it a learning experience.

The size of a bed in a loft may not make a big difference, since you will NOT be walking around it to make it. However, even up there, if you can use a smaller size, you will have more room to store things along the sides. Another consideration for those of you who have a loft is the thickness of the mattress you choose. The thicker the mattress, the less head room. And believe me, this area should be a major consideration if you are designing your tiny house with a loft.

As a general guideline, King mattresses measure 76″ wide, Queens are 60″ wide and Double beds are usually 54″. Many people think that Twin beds, measuring 36″ wide, are the perfect size for children. However, grown men sleep on 24 to 28 inch-wide beds in submarines, military ships and private yachts. So logically, if you’ll have kids living in your tiny home, you will want to look into having smaller mattresses custom made to accommodate them.

When we were putting our tiny home together, I found a set of nice large drawers. I had a local artisan build a frame around them and then we put a sturdy piece of plywood on top, with our mattress on top of that, pushed up against the wall. The bottom itself is too heavy to move, but the mattress will slide and all you have to do is pull it away from the wall just a few inches so you can make it up and slide it back. I actually love the bed being on the main floor. I can use it as a work surface for crafts, projects, folding laundry and for sorting paperwork.