Alcove Beds

                      Via The Enchanted Home. Design by Nicky Haslam

Wintertime here forces me to spend a lot of time inside, and every year I think it will be the perfect opportunity to organize and prioritize before warm weather draws me back outside again. But with the dark mornings and long nights the impulse to hibernate constantly threatens to trump all of my good intentions. A few mornings ago, I woke up to blowing snow, a stiff north wind and frigid temperatures that refused to budge all day. My instant reaction was to sink deeper into the covers & ignore the blustery start to the day for the warmth of my cozy bed.

    Karen Jenson's Trestuen Gallery & Studio   Norwegian Cupboard Beds

Have you ever noticed how children gravitate to snug nooks and crannies for playing? Give my two a big blanket and some chairs to support it, & they will play happily for the longest time. Last weekend I attended a 7-year-old little girl's birthday party that was fabulously done and lots of fun, but even with all that there was to amuse, imagine where the giggling little party-goers ended up after the cake was eaten and the presents were opened: under a table covered by a big tablecloth just the right length for making it "tented", happily inspecting all of the party loot.

Design by Charles Faudree. An alcove bed in a young girl's room. 

Somehow that love of shelter doesn't seem to entirely end with childhood. Don't these alcove beds look like the perfect places to sleep, read & lounge--- and ignore the calls of duty while the wind and snow blow furiously outside? If you're claustrophobic the appeal of an alcove bed may be a bit lost on you, I admit. But if not, I can hardly think of a more inviting, fun and cozy place to snooze.

Design by Heather Smith, Circa Interiors. An alcove bed in her son's bedroom.

                                        Pinterest

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Jefferson's bedroom at Monticello, Charlottesville, VA

Thomas Jefferson designed alcove beds for the rooms at Monticello after returning from France where he admired French alcove beds for their space-saving qualities. In this photo, above, the alcove bed in Jefferson's bedroom is open on both sides for easy access to his library, viewed beyond the bed.

                    Veranda
The quintessential bunk room, at a vacation cottage or beach house, is the perfect place for alcove beds. Draperies on each bed conveniently add privacy.

Many traditional alcove beds are enclosed by wooden panels with a narrow opening or door in the center. But an alcove bed can also be created where there is just space enough for the length of a bed plus a shelf or small table by adding draperies from the ceiling  to the floor.

Alcove bed in a boy's room. Design by Alessandra Branca

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Attic bedrooms offer plenty of nooks for alcove beds with charming effect.

Campagne Decoration

Things to consider when having an alcove bed designed & installed are a good light source, an air conditioning/heating vent to keep the space from becoming stuffy and unpleasant, a shelf or two for placing objects if the design of the bed does not allow for easy access to a night stand or table outside of the alcove. For more information on designing and building alcove beds into an existing or new home, see Fine Homebuilding, link below and Ehow HERE

Fine Homebuilding Alcove Beds

Warm and cozy wishes!

Keri