Brooklyn family.

Catskills double-wide.

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Bunk Bed Update: DIY Nightstands for Top Bunks

Bunk Bed Update: DIY Nightstands for Top Bunks

Top bunks need nightstands, too. If you've been following the progress of our double-wide, then you know that we've got enough bunk beds to sleep 14, plus a couple of queen beds, too. Uncle Dan's bunk bed safety fix made the bottom bunks comfy, but if you're stuck on top, there's nowhere to store your bedside necessities. Until now!

We grabbed these Mosslanda Picture Ledges (currently on sale for $6.99!) from IKEA and installed them at the head of each bed. With a depth of 4 3/4 inches, they're big enough for a water bottle, an iPhone, earbuds, a book, and any other little bedside essentials, but they don't jut out far enough to bump your head. Clip on a little Mighty Bright LED Book Light (we have 14 of them!) and you're in business.

When the beds aren't in use, the shelves display some of our best used book finds from Hobart Book Village. Pictured above, you'll see a vintage Catskills travel book and a gorgeous old children's novel, plus the classic picture book Make Way for Ducklings and a new favorite of ours, From Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs by local author and illustrator Hudson Talbott.

bunk bed nightstand top bunk shelf

Over in the girls' bunk room, we've got The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes, a great read for anyone who is feeling a little anxious about sleeping on the top bunk. The Beauty and the Beast book was one of Ramona's picks from Hobart Book Village.

top bunk nightstand shelf

A couple of old nature books and a Bobbsey Twins mystery from Hobart Book Village are displayed beside a tale of berry-picking and bears, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.

bunk bed night table shelf

And here's Ramona! She's posing with another one of her Disney fairy tale finds and my new hot pink sewing book from Hobart Book Village, plus one of our all-time favorite books Chrysanthemum, a must-read for any child with an unusual, many-lettered, and absolutely perfect name.

You can see how we fit 5 bedrooms into 1600 square feet here, get a tour of our bunker's bedrooms here, and read all my posts about our happy double-wide home here.

Howe Caverns: The Catskills Cave Tour Every Kid Needs to Take

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Pilothouse Paper: Extra-Special Stationery & Great Little Gifts on Reed Street in Coxsackie

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