Households where two younger girls share a bedroom together have unique opportunities for creative bedroom design. Girls tend to be more taken than young boys with canopied beds, as they fit in very well with the princess theme so popular among this demographic. If you have two daughters who have a tightly packed bedroom and who also idolize the imaginary royalty, you can merge together those space needs and personal ambitions by building a canopied bunk bed set.

In order to build the bunks of the proper size, you’ll need to work with the appropriate measurements for the mattresses that will eventually be used on the beds. This will help you determine the size of the structure’s base, which will serve as the foundation for your entire project. For younger girls, twin size beds will usually be most suitable. Beds of these sizes measure at exactly 39 inches by 75 inches, so the structure’s base should extend slightly larger on all sides from those measurements.

You’ll next have to choose the type of wood you want to use. Since you’re going for a princess theme, you should go with a lighter wood that’s still easier to manipulate. Southern yellow pine is an excellent choice, because it’s much sturdier than its white pine counterpart (wood that’s too soft isn’t usable for large structures) and the wood will look beautiful either polished or painted. Obtain the necessary quantity of pine you’ll be using, and then measure out planks for the base to fit the 39 inches by 75 inches measurement for the twin beds. The structure’s base should be thick and flat, though the bottom for the top bunk doesn’t need to be as thick.

You’ll also need to prepare the support beams you’ll be using to stack one bed frame on top of the other. The beams should be evenly space apart at the corners of the base, and should be substantial enough that they’ll support not only the full weight of the top bunk, but also the weight of the child on said bunk. Though measurements may vary, you’ll want to maintain solid beams as much as possible, as the beams will be more durable with fewer cuts and re-attachments along the way. When you’ve propped up the beams, you can use support crossings between the beams on opposite sides to reinforce the structural integrity of the bunk set. Then you’ll simply have to nail in the top bunk piece.

Now that you have the bunk beds at the ready, you can move on to the fun part. Building the princess canopy for the bunks will require some creativity, as the canopy won’t be able to sit up as high over the bed as with a normal full or queen size bed that isn’t stacked. You’ll need to extend the beams from the top bunk as close to the ceiling as possible, leaving just enough room for the upholstery to fit above. You’ll need to acquire long, flowing pieces of drapery in princess-friendly colors (pinks, light blues, and pastel colors will work best), and attach them to poles hanging between the four evenly spaced beams. Be sure the drapes hang long enough so that the material reaches just above the carpet or floor, but short enough that the canopy remains tight when all pieces are hanging properly..

One problem you may encounter with bunk bed canopies is that movement of the drapes at the top or bottom will affect the material at the other bunk. To prevent this, you can use a series of hooks to provide leverage, so that when the bottom drapes are opened, the top ones remain closed. Just be sure to remove any sharp edges that can tear the canopy material before installing the hooks on the frame, as you don’t want to have to replace the material after doing all of this hard work.

Though you’ll have to make some creative and practical decisions along the way during construction, this canopied bed structure should impress even the fussiest of clientele, even princesses-in-training.

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