Trends: Create a Cozy Bedroom With a ‘Sleeping Box’
Designers share why the unconventional sleep spaces are the perfect solution for these 4 homes
Agnès Carpentier
August 3, 2017
For some time now, multipurpose boxes have been a trend in home design. Some play the role of kitchens, while others serve as closets, laundry rooms and even bathrooms. And then there are “sleeping boxes,” which are something like cocoons for beds. We investigated this unconventional interior design phenomenon and sought to discover the motivations behind it. Four architects who have designed these innovative features in French homes describe why they chose this design and how they made it work.
1. A Suite in a Box
In brief. This 345-square-foot Parisian studio is in a beautiful private mansion. The owner has lived there for one year — long enough to figure out the best plan for optimizing space. He then hired architect Rebecca Benichou of Batiik Studio to carry it out. “He literally asked me for a cube-shaped structure,” Benichou says. He wanted a box that would contain his room, a bathroom and a closet — that is, a complete suite — but over an area of about 80 square feet.
Why a box? “The client is interested in interior design, and by the time he came to see me, he had already identified a multifunctional cube as the best solution for his project,” Benichou says. “Collecting everything in a box is a good solution for … freeing up the space. This type of structure makes it possible to expand the main space, since it doesn’t require partitioning the room.”
In brief. This 345-square-foot Parisian studio is in a beautiful private mansion. The owner has lived there for one year — long enough to figure out the best plan for optimizing space. He then hired architect Rebecca Benichou of Batiik Studio to carry it out. “He literally asked me for a cube-shaped structure,” Benichou says. He wanted a box that would contain his room, a bathroom and a closet — that is, a complete suite — but over an area of about 80 square feet.
Why a box? “The client is interested in interior design, and by the time he came to see me, he had already identified a multifunctional cube as the best solution for his project,” Benichou says. “Collecting everything in a box is a good solution for … freeing up the space. This type of structure makes it possible to expand the main space, since it doesn’t require partitioning the room.”
Making it happen. The box Benichou designed is about 8 feet wide, 10 feet long and 10 feet tall. The bedroom alone takes up an area of 5 by 6½ feet. On the right side it is flanked by a 2-foot-deep closet and, at the back, a small, roughly 3-by-10-foot bathroom — its door is standing open in this image. The bed platform is 27 inches off the ground and supports a comfortable, 9-inch-thick mattress. Initially, the box was supposed to have a larger drop ceiling to make room for more storage, but the owner, who is 6 feet tall, wanted to be able to stand upright inside the box. So, a purely decorative 12-inch dropped ceiling was built instead.
The project involved three months of planning followed by three months of work, including building the kitchen. A general contractor built the box out of a wooden frame covered with Fenix, a scratch-resistant and easily repairable matte material.
The project involved three months of planning followed by three months of work, including building the kitchen. A general contractor built the box out of a wooden frame covered with Fenix, a scratch-resistant and easily repairable matte material.
Functionality. Every inch of space within the structure had been planned out so as to make it as functional as possible. The alcove can be opened or closed, with two sliding glass doors that give the bed some privacy. Under the bed, the drawers are accessible from the staircase (on the living room side), as well as from behind, from inside the bathroom. The closet extends to the entire height of the structure on the right side. The box is illuminated by an LED ribbon.
Decor. “The box was designed to be the highlight of the apartment,” Benichou says. Indeed, the owner left the rest of the walls unfinished in order to highlight the multifunctional structure. The black Fenix coating that covers the outside of the box gives it a chic look and contrasts with the oak boards inside, which were chosen for their warm and cozy appearance. The LED lighting is the perfect finishing touch and creates a beautiful atmosphere at night.
Budget. Including the kitchen, ceiling painting and parquet varnishing, the project cost about $33,000.
Budget. Including the kitchen, ceiling painting and parquet varnishing, the project cost about $33,000.
Benjamin Delais demonstrates the features of his design.
2. A Small Room That Feels Big
In brief. This roughly 290-square-foot apartment in Paris belongs to a young couple. The property had just been renovated, and the studio looked like an empty tray. The couple wanted to focus on the living room and avoid partitioning the space in order to keep the maximum amount of light coming in through the three windows.
Why a box? The multifunctional box presented itself as the right solution for making this mini apartment perform like a normal-sized room,” says Benjamin Delais of BLDB, the architect in charge of the project.
2. A Small Room That Feels Big
In brief. This roughly 290-square-foot apartment in Paris belongs to a young couple. The property had just been renovated, and the studio looked like an empty tray. The couple wanted to focus on the living room and avoid partitioning the space in order to keep the maximum amount of light coming in through the three windows.
Why a box? The multifunctional box presented itself as the right solution for making this mini apartment perform like a normal-sized room,” says Benjamin Delais of BLDB, the architect in charge of the project.
Making it happen. The sleeping box is more than 8 feet tall, 5 feet deep and 6½ feet wide. Made of a wood frame covered with medium-density fiberboard, it is flanked by a roughly 20-inch-wide staircase. Beams fixed into the two concrete walls support a wooden joint structure held up by load-bearing poles. The bed platform was constructed to be about 4 feet high, which leaves just enough room to make it possible to sit up in the bed, Delais says. To save space, the box spring was integrated into the platform. There are outlets on either side of the bed.
Functionality. This “cocoon” can be accessed by a small door at the top of the staircase. In front, shutters make it possible to open the space up. Alternatively, the magazine shelves can serve as supplementary night tables. During the day, the bed can be closed off from view.
The apartment is always tidy, thanks to five storage modules under the bed. Three of them are closets and pull out completely on telescoping rails (see the following photo). “We used rails that are intended for supporting computer servers, because they can hold a lot of weight,” Delais says. A door allows access under the stairs to a space behind the sliding cabinets, which the homeowners view as the “cellar” of the home — the owner even stores his bike here.
The apartment is always tidy, thanks to five storage modules under the bed. Three of them are closets and pull out completely on telescoping rails (see the following photo). “We used rails that are intended for supporting computer servers, because they can hold a lot of weight,” Delais says. A door allows access under the stairs to a space behind the sliding cabinets, which the homeowners view as the “cellar” of the home — the owner even stores his bike here.
Decor. Unlike in the first project, here the owners wanted to minimize the box’s visual impact on the small room as much as possible, so they chose to paint it white like the walls. “The hinges are invisible, and there are no handles. Notches were made for pulling the drawers open,” Delais says.
Budget. “It takes [about $11,000] to have a box tailor-made by a carpenter,” Delais says. Another point to be aware of is that in case of resale, such a structure is considered a piece of removable equipment and therefore does not affect the surface area of the apartment. Resale was not a problem in this case, however, as the apartment was sold within a week. “The buyers fell in love with the structure,” Delais says.
Budget. “It takes [about $11,000] to have a box tailor-made by a carpenter,” Delais says. Another point to be aware of is that in case of resale, such a structure is considered a piece of removable equipment and therefore does not affect the surface area of the apartment. Resale was not a problem in this case, however, as the apartment was sold within a week. “The buyers fell in love with the structure,” Delais says.
3. Sleeping in a Nest
In brief. This small, 300-square-foot studio was designed by the architect Cyril Rheims for a young student in Paris. “She knew what she wanted: to sleep perched in a kind of nest, while remaining connected to the rest of the apartment.”
Why a box? As in the first example, Rheims wanted to avoid subdividing the space and was concerned with the dynamic of the room outside the unit. “The open box made it possible to create a cocoon without interrupting the space that now flows freely from one end of the apartment to the other,” the architect says.
In brief. This small, 300-square-foot studio was designed by the architect Cyril Rheims for a young student in Paris. “She knew what she wanted: to sleep perched in a kind of nest, while remaining connected to the rest of the apartment.”
Why a box? As in the first example, Rheims wanted to avoid subdividing the space and was concerned with the dynamic of the room outside the unit. “The open box made it possible to create a cocoon without interrupting the space that now flows freely from one end of the apartment to the other,” the architect says.
The box as viewed from the room. The door to the left leads to the bathroom.
Making it happen. The 7½-foot-deep, 5-foot-wide and 5-foot-tall box was built as a cantilever so that it would resemble a perched nest. Its floor, secured to the back wall by a metal bar, was built with a supportive metal joist. Because it connects to the wall at multiple points, the joist is sufficient for providing additional support. The rest of the frame is made of wood. “At first we wanted to have a wood floor, but wood is a little soft, and in the long term, it would eventually have cracked where the floor and the walls of the box meet. It should be understood that a project like this is an experiment and that sometimes one has to try a few things before the formula is found,” Rheims says.
Making it happen. The 7½-foot-deep, 5-foot-wide and 5-foot-tall box was built as a cantilever so that it would resemble a perched nest. Its floor, secured to the back wall by a metal bar, was built with a supportive metal joist. Because it connects to the wall at multiple points, the joist is sufficient for providing additional support. The rest of the frame is made of wood. “At first we wanted to have a wood floor, but wood is a little soft, and in the long term, it would eventually have cracked where the floor and the walls of the box meet. It should be understood that a project like this is an experiment and that sometimes one has to try a few things before the formula is found,” Rheims says.
Functionality. Being multifunctional, this box allows a lot of space to be saved. Perched at 28 inches above the floor, the mattress platform was deliberately made slightly longer than the bed so that it could double as a desk. The orange chest serves as a seat. Storage space has been built into the wall under the box.
Decor. The nest was painted in the same colors as the rest of the apartment, a combination of taupe and white. The slits that have been inserted on the sides tie in graphically with the lines of the shelves of the living room and the kitchen. “Maybe this is more aesthetic than practical, but it also gives the box an airy feeling,” the architect says.
Budget. The total renovation of the apartment amounted to about $62,000.
Decor. The nest was painted in the same colors as the rest of the apartment, a combination of taupe and white. The slits that have been inserted on the sides tie in graphically with the lines of the shelves of the living room and the kitchen. “Maybe this is more aesthetic than practical, but it also gives the box an airy feeling,” the architect says.
Budget. The total renovation of the apartment amounted to about $62,000.
4. 2 Boxes for 4 Kids
In brief. This project took shape in an apartment in Puteaux, just outside of Paris, that was completely renovated. The family that lives there has five children: one teenager and four younger children, ages 4 to 10. The property was bought in phases over several years, starting with an initial 430-square-foot apartment and adding several lots that together amount to 1,290 square feet. Even so, there is not enough space for a separate room for each child. Moreover, the parents wanted the four younger children to grow up sharing space and possessions. Architects from the Graal studio, who were in charge of the project, were able to meet the family’s needs with a smart and customized solution in the form of two boxes.
In brief. This project took shape in an apartment in Puteaux, just outside of Paris, that was completely renovated. The family that lives there has five children: one teenager and four younger children, ages 4 to 10. The property was bought in phases over several years, starting with an initial 430-square-foot apartment and adding several lots that together amount to 1,290 square feet. Even so, there is not enough space for a separate room for each child. Moreover, the parents wanted the four younger children to grow up sharing space and possessions. Architects from the Graal studio, who were in charge of the project, were able to meet the family’s needs with a smart and customized solution in the form of two boxes.
Why a box? “By creating two bunk beds in a large, 420-square-foot room [on the right in the photo], we managed to deal with the lack of space,” Carlo Grispello, architect at Graal, says. “This solution was cheaper than creating multiple rooms, and above all, it allowed for a shared space to foster the relationships between the siblings. We did a lot of research, and we got this idea from studying the sleeping arrangements of the Middle Ages. People lived in common spaces, but they slept in alcoves screened by blinds for privacy. We wanted to offer a contemporary interpretation.”
Making it happen. The boxes were made in MDF with a wood frame and a floor of pine plywood. Each of them is 5 feet wide, 10 feet long and 9 feet tall. These boxes also helped conceal structural elements. To create the large room, it was necessary to knock down a load-bearing wall. Between the bookcase and the bed, two supporting elements have been added: a concrete shell and a metallic HEA beam (a beam with an H-shaped cross-section), both of which have disappeared into the box.
Functionality. As in other, similar projects, these big sleeping boxes are multifunctional. Each has two beds, of course, but also a closet, shelves and a study area with a desk. Furthermore, they have been equipped with sliding partitions that are integrated into the boxes and the room’s walls and can be extended to divide up the space. The room can be partitioned into three sections, as shown in the diagram. This way, two of the children can have their privacy while the other two sisters share the central bedroom.
“When the sliding walls are retracted into the boxes, [the units] are like two pillars around which the children can run and play together,” Grispello says.
Decor. “I’m not in a good position to talk about it, it’s not my specialty,” the architect says modestly, “but we had the idea to paint the boxes red, like a Swiss army knife.” The children really like the humorous inspiration.
“These boxes were not so much a question of aesthetics as of ethics,” Grispello says. “We have reinterpreted the lifestyle in this apartment. The children can have privacy and focus on themselves while being in a common shared space, which is soothing to the little ones and, moreover, allows all of them to easily play together.”
Budget. About $4,200 per box (carpentry only)
“These boxes were not so much a question of aesthetics as of ethics,” Grispello says. “We have reinterpreted the lifestyle in this apartment. The children can have privacy and focus on themselves while being in a common shared space, which is soothing to the little ones and, moreover, allows all of them to easily play together.”
Budget. About $4,200 per box (carpentry only)
Conclusion. As these four projects have shown, lack of space is the recurring problem that inspires people to go for a “sleeping box.” These boxes allow for the concentration of all the functions of a large room (bed, storage space, sometimes a bathroom and even a study area) within a very limited area. At the same time, the structure makes it possible to avoid partitioning the room and allows more daylight to enter. It is the innovation of planning out volume in three dimensions, rather than viewing a room primarily in terms of a two-dimensional area, that makes this possible. All who see these boxes are sure to find them intriguing.
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I think the concept is a great solution for people who are in small spaces and it also eliminates the whole issue of how to deal with the bed being in the middle of things. To me, the second one with the bed in the cabinet, seems to accomplish a lot while taking up relatively little space.
Excellent use of space. Are those sleeping bags or conventional bedding that a mom might have to tend to? Those little spaces can be hard to maintain.