When you live in a small apartment you have to get creative. My daughter has learned to make the most of every available space in her apartment. Because of this, the furniture has to use space wisely and efficiently. The bed where I slept on my visit is an Ikea loft bed. It will eventually be where my little Songbird will sleep when her baby brother needs the toddler bed turned back into a crib. The space underneath the loft bed is a nice little play space for her. My daughter quite often hangs a blanket across the front of the bed to make a playhouse/fort. She suggested I create something cute to make it look like a house. While visiting, I took careful measurements before I came home.

Last week I was busy creating her playhouse bed covering. I used a new twin size bed sheet for the wall of the playhouse and scraps of fabric for the door frame, mailbox, window, and roof.

It’s hard to take a picture of it when it has to lay on the floor! It won’t look so wrinkled once it is attached to the bed. The fabric strips on the side near the door will tie to the ladder frame. The strips at the top fold over the top of the bed frame and tie onto the slats of the bed. So when it is attached, it will look something like this– without the wrinkles. I photoshopped the playhouse tent to the bed picture. Someday I will update with a picture of it actually on the bed.To give stability and weight to the bottom of the wall, I used folding tent poles with elastic. My husband cut them to fit the length and I made a buttonhole on one end of the hem. (I kept the hem already in the sheet.) The pole can easily be removed and folded for storage.The doorway has decorative molding.The mailbox has a nameplate for the current residents complete with a button keyhole. My husband had a broken key he filed smooth that fits the button “keyhole” perfectly.For the window I sewed a piece of clear vinyl to the sheet wall using bias tape for the frame. Then I cut away the sheet on the back side so Songbird can see out her window. Melinda crocheted flowers for the window box, and I added the buttons, which I attached to painted popsicle sticks. Songbird can arrange the flowers however she wants.I sewed a hem on all sides and gathered the top of two pieces of sheer fabric for curtains and sewed them across the top of the back side of the window. The tiebacks are ribbons attached to the sides of the window so she can close the curtains when she wants. This is the back side of the window.

I can’t wait to see the playhouse tent on the bed (sure hope I measured right!) You could adapt this idea to fit on a bunk bed or any other kind of loft bed frame. Use your creativity and then let the kids use their imaginations for hours of creative play.