In my opinion, the best bunk beds are those that are strong enough for children of all ages.
This guide will just focus on simple two layer bunk beds. You can also get futon bunks (e.g. the Noomi Eino) which have a fold out sofa on the bottom layer and cabin beds which have a desk or cupboard underneath.
A less common option is a triple sleeper bunk beds which is a double bed underneath or three singles stacked on top of each other (we’ve written a separate guide to triple sleepers, if you are really keen to read more of this waffle).
One thing to consider is that bunk beds don’t usually come with mattresses. Most take a normal size single mattress, but they need to be on the thin side so that you don’t end up rolling over the guard rail on the top.
Some thin bunk bed mattresses to consider include:
- the Silentnight 3 Zone Memory Foam Mattress (18cm deep, about £150 in single) has won awards from expert testers. Silentnight also has a foam mattress specifically designed for bunk beds (14cm deep, £149).
- Simba Sleep scores 4.4/5 as a brand on TrustPilot and offers a mattress designed for bunk beds (16cm deep, £199)
- Happy Beds has several budget bunk bed mattresses, including some with pocket springs (e.g. Theo mattress, 15cm deep, £129)
- John Lewis & Partners sell a mattress designed for bunk beds which uses pocket springs. That’s the higher quality way of making a sprung mattress (15cm deep, £275)
Our pick of the best bunk beds
Here are six bunk beds that offer good value for money, get positive reviews or have won awards.
1. Happy Beds American Solid Pine Bunk Bed – £235
Happy Beds is a budget mattress and bed seller with a big range of bunk beds for children. The one which stands out for me is the American. It gets decent reviews on both Amazon (4.2/5) and the Happy Beds website (4.7/5).
The American is made with pine, which is a softwood that is the cheaper option when making a bunk bed from wood. A hardwood like oak is the posher option but it costs a lot more.
The American bunk bed is big enough for a standard sized single mattress and it also has the big advantage of splitting into two single beds. That gives you more options if the bunk beds are causing too many sibling arguments over who has the top bunk.
It comes in white or a natural wood colour and has a 5 year guarantee if you buy it from Happy Beds. If you want more colour options, you can choose from grey, pink, blue or green in other Happy Beds bunk bed models.
Choosing a mattress to go with the best bunk beds
When you’re picking a mattress to go with a bunk bed, I would go with a pocket sprung or memory foam mattress. Avoid a cheap sprung mattress if you can afford the modest upgrade. These cheap monstrosities are sometimes called ‘open coil’ ‘traditional’ or ‘bonnell’ spring mattresses.
Pocket springs are far superior to open coil springs that wobble like jelly. Researchers in China found that stability is a key factor when you look at what causes ‘deep sleep’ and ‘sleep efficiency’. I see it as a valuable upgrade (Shen, Chen et all, 2012).
Memory foam is a popular alternative. It has something of a hugging and sinking feeling but it offers a very good level of consistent support. However, there is evidence that it can make you feel warmer in bed (see work by Chiba, Yabi et al in 2018). Also, some suggest that its production methods are worse for the environment (see research by Lanoë, Simões et al in 2013). You can read our comparison of memory foam and pocket springs if you’re struggling to sleep (Ed: is it really that boring?)
What’s the weight limit of this bunk bed?
According to the Happy Beds website, the maximum weight is 15 stone (95 kg) on the bottom bunk and 12 stone (76 kg) on the top bunk. Some reviews comment that it has lots of parts and took quite a long time to put together, and required two people.
The Happy Beds brand scores 4.4/5 overall on TrustPilot.
Pros: solid wood rather than fibreboard, standard size mattresses, splits into two single beds, two colour choices, longer warranty than rivals
Cons: time consuming self assembly, relatively low weight limit on the top bunk, softwood rather than hardwood
Our Value Rating: ***** (see foot of page for explanation)
2. Dreams Wren Bunk Bed – £799
This Dream bunk bed is significantly more expensive than some of the others in this guide – but you’re getting a lot more storage space including a wardrobe and two good-sized drawers. If you’re kitting out a bedroom then it might save you from buying a wardrobe as well.
The neat design means that the lower bed is only partially covered, so it may stop the child on the bottom bunk from complaining quite so much.
Of course, it takes up more space than an average bunk bed so you will need a fairly large room. The whole thing is 263cm long. The more conventional design of the Happy Beds American Bunk means it is 203cm long. That’s a 60cm difference (or two foot) for anyone who is currently loading up their calculator app.
The height of the Erin bunk bed is 147cm, which is slightly shorter than the American bunk bed at 160cm.
What mattresses does it need?
The good news is that it takes two standard single mattresses. The top one needs to be a maximum of 15cm deep. That’s quite a common thing for bunk beds (see the suggestions further up the page for mattresses that will fit).
You can also add on mattresses to the order from Dreams if you want them all to come from the same place. I would avoid the bundled one called a ‘traditional’ mattress. That is industry code for open coil springs, which deserve to be consigned to the 20th century in my opinion.
What’s the weight limit?
Weight limit is key on a bunk bed as it tells you how many years you’ll get out of it, as well as giving a general indication of how sturdy it is.
The weight limit for the Wren bunk bed is 100kg. That includes the weight of the mattress, which is likely to be about 12-15kg. That leaves you with about 85kg, which is 13 stone. The average adult male in the UK weighs 85kg, so it should be fine for all ages unless you have a particularly large child!
A couple of upsides and downsides
You’ll have guessed that this bunk bed is flat packed and will take you a few hours to put together. Most reviewers seem to have no problem with it, but I wouldn’t attempt it on an empty stomach. Dreams suggest it will take four hours if there are two of you. It is fibreboard rather than oak or pine.
A few people have also had issues with the drawers rubbing against the carpet. It’s less of an issue if you have wood or laminate floors.
Overall though, reviews are excellent at 4.6/5. You can also pick whether the ladder and cupboard goes on the right or left.
Pros: lots of storage space, great reviews, flexible layout
Cons: one year warranty is shorter than most rivals, can’t be split into two, only one colour available, quite expensive
Our Value Rating: ***
3. John Lewis & Partners Wilton Bunk Bed – £299
If you like the John Lewis & Partners brand then I would take a look at the Wilton Bunk Bed, which comes in white.
As with most of the bunk beds on this list, it is made from pine which is a softwood. That’s a cheaper option than hardwoods but it certainly does the job. You’ll find a few bunk beds made from hardwoods like oak, but not many.
Reviews for the Wilton bunk bed are very good at 4.3/5.
It’s got a gap of 85cm between the bunks which seems to be quite standard for children’s bunk beds. Parents/grandparents might need to crouch a little whilst sitting on the bed. That might become uncomfortable if you’re reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the 314th time.
John Lewis & Partners don’t specify weight limits for this bunk bed, but it does comply with bunk bed safety legislation.
Rather conveniently, you can split the Wilton bunk bed into two separate single beds. It uses standard sized single mattresses, although the maximum depth of the mattress on the top bunk is 17cm (see the top of this guide for some mattresses which will do the job). They also say that the top bunk is suitable for ages 6+.
What material are the best bunk beds made from?
One factor that you might not have considered is the environmental and health aspects of the different materials used for bunk beds.
On one hand, there is a strong argument that manufacturing a wooden bedframe produces a ‘lower quantity of greenhouse gas emissions’ compared to ‘other “non-wood” materials’ such as steel or plastic’. That’s according to Junge, Buchenauer et al in a 2021 study).
Some other academics called Sathre and O’Connor said something similar. They found a ‘clear climate rationale for increasing wood substitution in place of other products, provided that forests are sustainably managed and that wood residues are used responsibly’ (2010).
On the other side of the argument is the fact that wood naturally emits something called Volatile Organic Compounds. Pohleven, Bernard et al found that softwoods, such as pine which are used in most wooden bunk beds ’emit the highest concentrations of wood VOCs’. Rather notably, these emissions can be ’50 times’ lower in hardwoods such as oak (2011).
This sounds concerning but researchers looked at the ‘effects of an exposure to multiple wood-related VOCs on asthma development’ in 2021. They found ‘wood products at levels commonly occurring in the living environment do not exert adverse effects concerning wheezing or asthma development’ (Junge, Buchenauer et al, 2021).
Pros: solid wood rather than fibreboard, trusted brand, splits into two single beds, standard size mattresses, coordinating furniture in the same range
Cons: softwood rather than hardwood, one year guarantee is shorter than some, only one colour choice
Our Value Rating: *****
4. Julian Bowen/Happy Beds Domino Bunk Bed – £509
This Julian Bowen bunk bed has a more modern look than the traditional bunk bed design. It also has the added advantage of some shelves.
From what I can tell, it is made from the same sort of wood boards that most flat pack furniture is made from rather than pine. The description calls it ‘white effect foil’. It won’t appeal to someone who likes the look and smell of a natural wood bunk bed. However, it will fit in well from most stuff from IKEA.
The ladder glows in the dark to make it easier to find after a night-time toilet visit. This seems like a neat idea to reduce the risk of clattering into something and waking everyone up.
It’s got a gap of 80cm between the bunks, which is about the same as the Happy Beds American Bunk.
We’ve included it as it gets positive reviews of 4.4/5 on Amazon or 4.8/5 on Happy Beds. It seems to also go under the Happy Beds name but it uses the same image and appears to be identical.
Julian Bowen has a good score on TrustPilot, with an average of 4.5/5.
The Domino bunk comes with a 5 year guarantee if you buy it from Happy Beds. The maximum weight on this one is 15 stone (95kg) on the bottom bunk and 11 stone (70kg) on the bottom bunk, according to the website.
Pros: practical design with shelving, glow in the dark ladder, five year warranty
Cons: fibreboard construction rather than solid wood, less headroom than the Dreams Willow Fabric bunk
Our Value Rating: ****
5. Argos Habitat Josie Bunk Bed/Argos Habitat Detachable Bunk Bed – £195/£250
These two Argos bunk beds are worth a mention as they are hugely popular. They’ve had hundreds of positive reviews between them. They’re also amongst the cheapest children’s bunk beds we’ve found and offer a lot for the price tag.
Both bunk beds are made from pine, which is the cheaper type of wood that is commonly used for bunk beds.
The designs and colour options are slightly different but the main difference is that the more expensive of the two can be separated into two single beds. The Josie bunk bed can’t be safely separated.
Another notable difference is that the more expensive bunk bed has a weight limit of 120kg (just under 19 stone) per bunk according to the website. The cheaper bunk bed has a weight limit of 100kg (about 15 stone). Having said that, I’m not sure I’d want to be on the top level of a bunk bed lying on a 16cm thick mattress if I weighed nearly 19 stone…
The Argos Habitat Josie bunk bed scores 4.6/5 from customers. The Argos Habitat Detachable bunk bed scores 4.5/5. In other words, the reviews are almost identical.
Pros (of the detachable bunk): solid wood, option to split into two single beds, good weight limit compared to rivals, low price
Cons: only two colour choices
Our Value Rating: *****
6. IKEA Svärta bunk bed – £329
This IKEA Svärta bunk bed used to be one of the lowest priced options but has recently jumped up in price. It’s got a metal frame and gets reviews of 4/5.
The weight limit is 100kg (15 stone). One plus side is that it recommends a mattress up to 22cm deep whereas some bunk beds limit you to a maximum of 15cm. Unfortunately, the mattress size is longer than a standard UK single mattress so there isn’t much chance that you’ll be able to use a mattress you’ve already got.
The base for the mattresses is unusual in that it uses a metal mesh rather than wooden slats or metal rungs. When I was growing up, we had a bunk bed with a metal mesh pattern but I’ve not seen on many modern mattresses. The main thing is that you want pressure to be spread out, which I would think is achieved quite effectively with this sort of design.
Coincidentally, Svärta is what my brother used to call me when we shared bunk beds, although that wasn’t quite how he pronounced it.
Pros: big name brand, metal construction is easier to recycle, long lasting, longer mattress will suit taller people
Cons: higher price, awkward mattress size, metal rungs rather than wider slats, metal beds can be squeaky
Our Value Rating: *****
The Svärta bunk bed is a good metal option
Our Value Rating is our opinion of how good value each product is. We look at things such as rival products, specification, warranty length and brand customer service reputation versus the price at the time of searching. Five star products are ones we consider to be ‘exceptionally good value’. Four star products are ‘very good value’. Three star products are ‘good value’. Two star and one star products are ‘reasonably good value’ and ‘poor value’ so they rarely make the grade.