7 Popular Slide-Away Bed Designs And How To Choose The Right One For You

A comfortable bed is an essential piece of furniture. But what if you don’t have a lot of space in the room? That’s when a slide-away bed is a perfect solution because you can hide the bed when you are not using it. A slide-away bed is a bed that slides under a platform built into the floor or under another bed to save floor space in small rooms. We’ll discuss different slide-away bed designs in this article so you can survey the market and choose the right one for your needs.

Popular slide-away bed designs include traditional trundle beds, built-in trundle beds, slide-away platform beds in a bedroom, slide-away platform beds in a studio apartment, retractable ceiling beds, wall beds, and bunk beds with a slide-away bed.

A platform slide-away bed design like this one can save a lot of space and look great in a home office. Image Source: Homedit.com.

1. Traditional Trundle Bed

A traditional trundle bed, like this one, allows you to have two beds, but with only one taking up space in the room.  Although trundle beds can save a lot of space, using them means that you’ll still have one bed that won’t be hidden. If you want to know more about what a trundle bed is, check out our article. 

A traditional trundle bed is a regular bed with a hidden bed beneath it, called a trundle. There are two types of traditional trundle beds, a pull-out trundle bed or a pop-up trundle bed.  A pull-out trundle bed allows the hidden bed to be pulled out and pushed back under the main bed. In this case, the main bed is higher than the trundle bed. A pop-up trundle bed allows the hidden bed to be placed at the same level as the main bed to add to its size. 

A traditional trundle slide-away bed like this one can be a great choice for saving space in a kids’ room. Image source: Amazon.com.

2. Built-In Trundle Bed

A trundle bed can be built into a cupboard, bookcase, or even a dresser. Built-in trundle beds work well in kids’ bedrooms because they allow you to make use of every part of the room. The design allows you to have two separate beds with a cupboard on one side of the room, so you can have the rest of the room for your kids to play in. 

A built-in trundle bed features a trundle bed built into a cabinet, a bookcase, or a cupboard. The built-in design of the trundle bed looks more modern than the traditional one and can make a room look neater.  

Built-in trundle beds are more space-saving than traditional trundle beds in kids’ bedrooms. Image source: decorpad.com.

3. Slide-Away Platform Bed In A Bedroom

Some bedrooms are too small to accommodate a bed and a cupboard or desk. In this case, a slide-away platform bed is the best space-saving choice. The bed can be pulled out when needed and be pushed back under the platform after that to be totally hidden. This design allows you to make the best use of your room’s floor space. 

A slide-away bed that is hidden under a platform creates a raised area that can be used for something else, like a desk. The extra platform is a nice design touch to make the bedroom look more modern while creating a functional work area. 

It is important to determine whether a platform slide-away bed will fit into the space that is available. Our article on slide-away bed measurements could be useful in helping you to check this.

A platform slide-away bed like this one can work very well in small bedrooms. Image source: digsdigs.com.

4. Slide-Away Platform Bed In A Studio Apartment

If you have a tiny studio apartment, every inch of the apartment’s space needs to be utilized. The raised area above a platform bed can be used to create a living room with a seating area. This allows you to have two living areas sharing the same space. 

A slide-away platform bed is the best slide-away bed design for a small studio apartment. This design features a platform raised up above ground level under which a slide-away bed is hidden. The bed can be pulled out when needed and can be pushed back under the platform when not in use. 

If you are interested in learning about beds that serve more than one purpose then read our article about how to make a trundle bed look like a couch. 

Platform slide-away beds can help save space in studio apartments. Image source: homedit.com.

5. Bunk Beds With A Slide-Away Bed

Although bunk beds with a slide-away bed design are hard to move, they are still a great choice for small bedrooms. 

If three beds are needed in a room big enough for one, install a bunk bed with a slide-away trundle. 

This bed design also looks good in modern bedrooms and is available in unique designs like this one. Some bunk beds even come with a slide to add more fun activities to a kids’ room. Read our article that compares trundle beds vs. bunk beds to learn more.

You can save more space in a kids’ room with a bunk bed like this one. Image source: Amazon.com.

6. Retractable Ceiling Bed 

The great thing about a retractable ceiling bed is that you don’t have to worry about moving the bed, all you have to do is lower it. It’s practical, space-saving, and easy to use. Although this design works well in small bedrooms, the mechanism used in lifting and lowering the bed is expensive and makes the bed unaffordable for some. This video showcases various types of retractable ceiling beds that can help you decide which ones suit your needs. 

Retractable ceiling beds are lifted close to the ceiling during the day and lowered when it’s time to go to bed. Depending on the bed and budget, a retractable bed can be lowered manually or electronically. A King size bed would need to be lowered and retracted electronically because of its size and weight. 

A ceiling bed works very well in studio apartments. Image source: homecrux.com.

7. Wall Beds 

Like retractable ceiling beds and platform beds, this design allows you to make use of all of the floor space in a room, unlike trundle beds which take up the space of one bed.

A wall bed features a bed that is hidden inside a cabinet, bookcase, or any other unit against a wall. The bed can be folded down when needed. During the day time, the bed is folded back into the unit, completely hidden.

The folding mechanism of a wall bed is easy to use and you don’t have to worry about the bed being too heavy. This type of bed is called a Murphy bed and our article detailing how a Murphy bed works, explains more about them. Wall beds like these allow you to keep the room well-organized and cozy, instead of overcrowding the room with too many items. 

A wall bed like this one can work very well in studio apartments and guest rooms.  Image source: Amazon.com.

Choosing The Right Slide-Away Bed For You

The reasons someone might consider purchasing a slide-away bed vary, but the most common reason for buying one is to save space. 

Choose a trundle bed or bunk bed with a trundle for a children’s room. For a guest room, choose a pop-up trundle bed, wall bed, platform bed, or retractable ceiling bed. For a studio apartment, go with a wall bed or platform bed. For a home office, a platform bed is an excellent choice. And if sharing a room in an apartment, trundle beds are the best option.

Slide-Away Beds in Kids’ Rooms

If you want a space-saving bed design for your child’s room, a trundle bed is the best choice. A traditional trundle bed offers two independent beds while also freeing up more of the room’s floor space. This design works really well in kids’ rooms. 

If you have three children sharing a room then a trundle bed that is incorporated into a bunk bed like this would be ideal because it can take up the vertical space in the room as well as slide-out into a trundle bed. It is important to exercise care when sleeping in a bunk bed as this article from the Journal of American College Health explains. 

A bunk bed with a trundle like this one from Amazon can save a lot of space in a kids’ room. Image Source: Amazon.com.

Slide-Away Beds in a Guest Room 

When choosing a slide-away bed for a guest room, it is important to make sure it’s at least full-size. You might have a couple visiting and a twin-size bed won’t be big enough. If you want a trundle, this pop-up trundle bed that becomes a full-size bed is a great option. 

Another great style of space-saving slide-away bed in guest rooms is this wall bed. This design is available in many sizes, and you can even order a DIY kit like this one. A platform slide-away bed also works well in guest rooms as it saves space and allows you to create two independent areas in one room. You could also consider getting a retractable ceiling bed because it allows the bed to be stored out of your way.

A retractable ceiling bed is a great option in a guest room. Image Source: Spaceman.com.

Space Saving Bed In A Studio Apartment

For a studio apartment, you need to choose a bed style that makes efficient use of the available space while also looking stylish. Hidden beds work best in studio apartments, so trundle beds are not an option. Wall beds and platform beds in studio apartments are the better choice. 

With a wall bed, the apartment will feel spacious and uncluttered. Similarly, platform beds allow you to have the area above the bed totally free to use for a desk or living room. These two bed designs will provide a sleek and seamless way to hide your bed. Our article about whether a Murphy bed can fit into a closet covers the closet dimensions that are required for a Murphy bed to fit into it. 

Space Saving For A Home Office

More and more people are setting up home offices nowadays. When the apartment is not big enough, you can use a bedroom as an office with a platform slide-away bed. This slide-away bed design keeps the bed hidden and the area above the bed can be used for an office. 

Space Saving Beds For Shared Apartments 

In shared apartments, a bedroom is often shared by two or more people. Trundle beds are a great choice because they allow you to have more than one bed in a room while saving a lot of space. A trundle bed like this offers more privacy than a bed being shared by two people. It allows sleepers to have a separate bed of their own. Bunk beds with a trundle bed would also work if a room is shared by more than two people. 

You might also find interest in these 10 slide-away bed decorating ideas as well as these 7 slide-away bed ideas and how to style them. Be sure to take a look at our related article for more information.

Picking The Right Slide-Away Bed For Your Needs

Purpose Of The Slide-Away Bed	Best Slide-Away Bed Design	Why?	Example From Amazon
Kids’ Room	Trundle Slide-Away Bed	A trundle bed can save space in a child’s bedroom while providing two beds.	StorkCraft Marco Island Captain’s Bed with Trundle
Guest Room	Wall Bed Platform bed	A wall bed and a platform bed work very well in a guest room as they allow you to keep the bed hidden until it’s used for sleeping	Bestar, Nebula Collection, Queen Murphy Bed
Studio Apartments	Platform Bed Wall Bed	A platform and a wall bed in a studio apartment allow you to use the space in the apartment during the day and have a bed only when needed.	Stellar Home Wall Bed
Home Office	Platform Bed Wall Bed	Platform beds and wall beds are great if you want to add them to a home office. They can be totally hidden and keep the whole space available for your use.	Invento Vertical Wall Bed, European King Size
Shared Apartments	Bunk beds with a trundle bed	Bunk beds with a trundle bed are the best choice for shared apartments as they allow you to have three beds occupying the space of only one.	Giantex Bunk Bed with Trundle, Full Over Full Bunk Beds with Ladder

Once you choose a slide-away bed for your home, you should make sure the proper slide-away bed hardware is included. Be sure to take a look at our related article to figure out exactly what you need. 

Key Takeaways

Versatile Design Options

The variety in slide-away bed designs ranging from traditional trundle beds, built-in trundle beds, platform beds in bedrooms or studio apartments, retractable ceiling beds, wall beds, to bunk beds with a slide-away bed, demonstrates a broad spectrum of choices catering to different space and style needs.

Space Optimization

Slide-away beds embody the essence of space optimization by providing comfortable sleeping solutions while reclaiming floor space when not in use. This is particularly beneficial in compact living areas like studio apartments, small bedrooms, or multi-functional rooms such as a home office.

Matching Designs with Room Types

The article elucidates how certain slide-away bed designs align better with specific room types – for instance, trundle beds for kids’ rooms, wall or platform beds for guest rooms and studio apartments, and platform beds for home offices. This targeted approach helps in maximizing the utility and aesthetics of the room.

Consideration of Privacy and Capacity

In shared living scenarios, slide-away beds like trundle beds or bunk beds with a trundle provide a sense of privacy and increased sleeping capacity, thus proving to be practical solutions in shared bedrooms or apartments.

Investment in Quality Hardware

Emphasizing the importance of quality slide-away bed hardware ensures the durability and functionality of the bed, which is crucial for enjoying the benefits of space-saving and comfort over a long term.

Informative Guidance for Selection

The detailed breakdown of various slide-away bed designs, accompanied by suggestions based on room type and examples, serves as a comprehensive guide aiding individuals in making informed decisions while choosing the right slide-away bed for their living spaces.