Design for a Trundle Bed
Consider a trundle bed if you sometimes have overnight guests but no guestroom, if you currently have more children than you have floor space, or even if you just like to be prepared. It is a simple way to take care of unexpected (or even expected) overnight visitors. Does this Spark an idea?
Basics
Do you remember those old cartoons with the mouse sleeping in a drawer? You might think of a trundle bed in the same way: as a bed in a very large drawer. The drawer, which is essentially a large but shallow box on wheels, holds a mattress. That mattress is usually a twin size, and the drawer usually rolls underneath a second bed.
The box design is simple. Using 1-by-6, 1-by-8 or 1-by-10 inch boards--whichever size best suits your plans--you build a box frame. Add a bottom to the frame, made from 3/4-inch plywood, and attach four wheels (furniture or appliance casters are a common choice) to the bottom. To hide the casters, add a "false front" made from 1-by-10 or 1-by-12 inch lumber, and add a drawer pull or two to the front to make it easy to pull out. Cut a couple of handholds from the top of the false front if you prefer these to drawer pulls.
Considerations
Because a trundle bed fits underneath another piece of furniture, an obvious consideration is the size of the "top" piece. While height is rarely a problem, the other piece of furniture must have enough room between its legs (or support cabinetry) so the trundle bed can be rolled in and out without getting stuck.
If you are building the main bed yourself, this is not a problem; you will simply build the bed high and long enough for your proposed trundle bed to fit underneath. And when you build it yourself, you will have a wider variety of styles to choose from. You can design your trundle bed to be an integral piece of the larger bed, and make it look much more stylish.
Uses
Trundle beds are most commonly used with a child's twin bed or with bunk beds (to create a three-level sleeping area). Some builders add them beneath day beds, creating a temporary two-person guest bedroom. However, there is no reason you could not use them as part of another piece of furniture, such as a large wall cabinet or a built-in organizer.
Tags: piece furniture, another piece, another piece furniture, Design Trundle, false front