I am going to be honest from the start I LOVE Ikea. I was very happy when they finally opened a store in Michigan and have been a loyal customer ever since. I would shop there every week except my husband says we can’t afford it. I still haven’t convinced him we could skip a few meals a week to allow me to go there more frequently. So I have resigned myself to going every couple of months and with a set budget. Some people do not understand why he doesn’t allow me to go without a budget. The reason is because we went to look for a curio cabinet and left with a whole dining room set and bedroom furniture for the kids.

I was a little apprehensive about buying a bed from Ikea because it meant we had to put it together. When I say “we” put it together I mean my husband and my sister’s boyfriend. So honestly it would be “they” but I like to think I was involved. The bed we purchased was the Tromso Bunk Bed Frame. The one we bought was silver and it featured a double bed on bottom and a twin on top. This was perfect because our children were sharing a room at the time because my mother-in-law was living with us. The ladder was on the left side of the bed but I see the one Ikea currently sells has it on the right.

The bed assembly was a little tricky at first as Ikea directions are just pictures and no words. Since men don’t like to look at directions anyway this didn’t impede them very much. In less than an hour the bed was put together and was structurally sound. The kids gave it a try and even the adults did to make sure no one was going to go crashing to the floor in the middle of night. The bed does have slats instead of a solid board to support the mattress but they are close enough that comfort is not lost. We had no problem using standard issue mattresses on both the top and the bottom bunks. My only complaint was the ladder only fastened to the bed at the top and not to the bottom. Instead it relied on the weight of the person climbing the ladder to push it down. I have seen that the bed currently available from Ikea has resolved that problem and the ladder is secure on both the top and the bottom.

When my children ended up getting their own rooms we once again sought out Ikea for a bed for my daughter. This time she picked the Kura Reversible Bed. This bed was a little more time intensive to put together but that was because of the amount of pieces involved. The fun thing about this bed is that it can be used in two different ways. It can be used a junior loft/bunk bed or as a low bed with an open top. They also sell a bed tent which helps create a fun hideaway. Bedtime becomes an adventure not a chore. We added a third option and put a twin size mattress on the floor in the loft space when my daughter requested somewhere for her friends to sleep. The mattress fit easily and when on one was over it stored all her stuffed animals and gave her a cook place to make a fort.

The Kura Reversible Bed also offers reversible slats so you can have a blue/pine or a white/pine bed. These slats are easily cleaned with a damp cloth and withstand even the toughest messes kids make. The bed is very solid and held upwards of 130 lbs and 4 kids. This bed also uses the slat system instead of a solid board but just like the Tromso bed it provided excellent support of the mattress. Which leads me to the one drawback. You will need to purchase a special mattress which is no more than 5 1/8″ thick. The reason for the thinner mattress is to prevent a child from falling off of the bed because the mattress was even with the sides of the bed. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the mattress as it was my first experience with anything other than a normal mattress or a futon mattress.

Both beds get an A+ rating in my book and would highly recommend each of them. Ikea has won me over in the bed department and is now my First choice when shopping for beds.

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Hi I’m Gwendolyn and I have been a stay at home mom since 2009. I have been with my husband, James, for 10 years and we are proud parents of Jayme (8) and Nicholas (13). We are also parents to 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 hamsters, and a snake. My father-in-law lives with us so it is always non-stop at our house. I had the honor of becoming a step-parent when I got married and have a great relationship with my step-son. I always used coupons and shopped for bargains but was forced to step up my game when my husband was disabled in 2005. I get an incredible rush from saving money and finding great deals. My life is a constant journey and I look forward to sharing it with you all.