Monday 22 January 2018

Mia's new Stuva loft bed from Ikea





You may be interested in my updated review of the Stuva loft bed - The Stuva loft bed from Ikea, an updated review.



Recently we were talking about how we should get Harry a desk for his room, so over Christmas we took a trip to Ikea with the plan to measure up some desks and see what we could find.

When Mia heard about our plans, she of course made it known that she also would like a desk for her room. Unfortunately her room is quite a bit smaller, and there just isn't the space. But when we visited Ikea, the Stuva loft bed caught our eye, and we decided that it would be perfect for her space. I had a similar bed when I was younger and I loved it, and as we predicted when we showed her the picture in the catalogue her little eyes lit up and she was so excited.

We spent a happy couple of hours on the Ikea website working out the combination that we wanted and making sure that we had added all the bits and pieces. You can build the bed in several different configurations. We decided to have the desk sticking out at an angle with the wardrobe doors opening underneath as there wasn't much space to the right for the doors to open outwards, but you can also have the doors on the other side and the desk directly underneath the bed, which takes up less floor space.

Ikea Stuva loft bed in girl's bedroom

Putting the Stuva together was a big job, and it took us a whole day to assemble. You definitely need two (fairly strong!) adults as you have to lift the top part up and over onto the shelf unit, and although it's designed for small rooms you do need quite a bit of floor space for the assembly. There's also no way that it's going to fit out of her bedroom door, let alone down the stairs, so it's not a piece of furniture to buy if you are planning on moving house in the near future!

I've condensed the build down into just six minutes in the video below, I edited out lots of shots of us looking puzzled as we examined the instructions, and faffing about trying to work out which way the pieces need to go!


As soon as we were finished Mia was desperate to get organising. I love how she's arranged her shelves with her favourite things on display, and it was also a good opportunity for a bit of a clear out.

Ikea Stuva loft bed review

We also purchased a pink Stickat bed pocket which hangs over the side and can store her water bottle and book. We also bought some Slakting inserts which are perfectly designed to fit into the drawers. There are also lots of other pieces of furniture in the Stuva range which would co-ordinate really well. We also had just enough space to the side to add a Trofast unit with plastic doors which is perfect for storing all her teddies.

Stuva loft bed from Ikea assembly

The bed is really cosy and comfortable, if a bit of a pain to climb up to when I want to change the sheets or kiss her good night. I'm afraid that I've not been making the bed each morning as I usually do - you can't see that it's not made from the floor anyway! We have a wireless light switch so that she can turn the lights on and off from her bed, but we might look into putting her up a small shelf as well.

Bed in an Ikea Stuva loft bed

She has had no problems climbing up and down. I must admit that I find it a bit awkward myself as the ladder is so steep, but it certainly feels stable and I'm not worried that it's going to fall apart on me, so it would do for adults to sleep in too. The desk is lovely and she's been enjoying sitting down and doing her colouring or reading. The wardrobe is a good size too, she already has a generous wardrobe for her clothes so it's perfect to store her princess dresses and other dressing up bits.

Ikea Stuva loft bed for a child review

It was definitely the best solution for her space and will hopefully grow with her and last for a good few years yet. I'd definitely recommend if you are looking for furniture for a smaller bedroom.

Click here for an updated review - The Stuva loft bed from Ikea, an updated review.

28 comments:

  1. This looks a fantastic bed...I have been thinking about something like this for my youngest. Her bedroom is tiny and she has been asking for a desk.

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  2. What a great bed and fantastic use of space! My son has bunk beds and LOVES being up high.

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  3. Hi, I have a question I am hoping you can answer... we are looking into this bed for our girls who share a space, but I can’t find the dimensions from the floor to the top of the mattress. Trying to determine how much head space there would be. Hope you can help!

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    1. Hello! The space under the bed is about 141cm, I hope that helps!

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  4. This looks amazing! I was just wondering the height of your ceilings as this is a thought for me but I’m worried about the ceiling space!

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    1. Our ceiling height is nearly 250cm. There is plenty of room above the bed, and I can sit up in it comfortably (I am quite short though)

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  5. Hallo. I am a little bit concerned about tje mattress ikea proposed which is afoam mattress.i am considering buying a spring mattress but maybe that would be too heavy. What kind of mattress are u using and are u happy with it?

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    1. We use a foam mattress from Ikea which is probably the one that you mention. It's very comfortable (I've slept on it a few times). You do need to be careful not to choose a mattress which is too high as that can make the bed unsafe.

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  6. I am thinking about this option and I know you have been asked this a lot in the comments but I am looking at this for my daughter and she is quite tall and I would hope to have this bed for a while and I was wandering if you knew the distance from the mattress to the ceiling? It is just we have ceilings that are 140cm and I am not sure if there would be enough room for her to sit up in the bed.

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    1. Hello! The height of the bed from the floor to the top of the mattress is about 165cm (the actual sides of the bed come up higher than this). Our ceilings are 250cm, so quite high, and so there is plenty of room above the bed in our house. I can easily sit upright in the bed (although admittedly I'm not that tall, I'm about 162cm tall). I hope that helps, let me know if I can give you any more information!

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  7. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with this, it really helped me make up my mind on getting one for my daughter's Birthday! Time-lapse of build was really great too - at least I know to set aside a whole day now ;)

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  8. Hi...If i put the closet door the other side...Can the bottom space fit a full size bed? Thank you

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    1. Hi there, no you aren't going to be able to fit a full size bed underneath because the wardrobe still takes up quite a bit of space under the bed and there is a solid piece of wood on the other side. You could fit one at an angle, sticking out, if you didn't install the desk underneath.

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    2. Thank you. Appreciate your quick response. I was thinking of buying it. Good to know I can put a full size bed sticking out.

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    3. You are welcome. Please do check your measurements with the official Ikea description though to be sure, as I'm not affiliated in any way with Ikea and I can't guarantee that you'll be able to fit it!

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  9. Hi! Can I ask what size is the mattress? Is it a child's mattress or a normal single? Thanks!

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  10. hello would you be able to tell me the height of the desk please

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    1. The height under the desk is 70cm, I hope that helps!

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  11. Hello Jennifer, thank you for this. Very useful. I bought it for my son and he is very happy with his new loft bed/desk. It is indeed a big job assembling it. I did it alone and it took me around 11-12 hours in total over the weekend.

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    1. I'm glad that it was helpful and that your son is happy with the bed!

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  12. Hi Jenni, by any chance do you have the assembly instructions? Ikea seems to have discontinued this loft bed. I got a second hand one and I’m really struggling to put it together.And can the ladder be put on either side? Thank you

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    1. Hi Barb, I'm sorry I don't still have the instructions however it looks as though they are available on the Ikea website here https://www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/stuva-loft-bed-frame-desk-and-storage__AA-2044772-4_pub.pdf and there is also a video here which might help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5BMXttGHi0

      There are various different ways to put the bed together but unfortunately I don't think it is possible to put the ladder on the left officially. However if you have a look online there are instructions on how to do it with a bit of modification.

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  13. Hi, I’m hoping you may be able to tell me how much swing space I need for the doors if they are assembled on the outside? Trying to work out if the length of the bed plus the length of the open closet doors will fit in our space. Thank you!

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    1. The doors open out to about 31cm (although you'd want a bit more space than that next to the wall to access the wardrobe easily)

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