More furniture questions! help please

seeker

Mon, Jan 19 2015, 10:17 pm

1. CLOSETS: Went to Ikea, checked out their closets, got some ideas. Now want to compare: Where ELSE have you bought closets? Let's say I want something similar to Ikea's concept but better quality, where should I go and what should I expect to pay? I'm thinking a couple of free-standing, tall closets put together with some combination of hanging rods, shelves, and drawers. Preferably with sliding doors (any thoughts on whether the added expense is worth it? We *technically* have room for hinged doors but it's a squeeze, in the place we'll probably put them. Now that I mention it, anyone with a knack for interior design want to weigh in on where to put them?

2. TODDLER BED: So I currently have a 4-year-old in a toddler bed that she can probably fit in for about another year, maybe more (how long do kids usually fit in these? She's about average size on the charts.) and a 2-year-old in crib in my room. I am interested in moving the 2-year-old out one of these days, but there is no room for more furniture in the living room (and I can't think how to make more room either.) Going through Ikea gave me a couple of ideas but they don't have the actual items I want, does anyone know if this kind of thing exists or where to get it?
A - One thing I saw in Ikea was a small couch, about the width of a toddler bed, where the seat cushion folds out twice to make it like a mattress on floor for an adult. Something like this could work for me but only with each cushion SEPARATE because to just fold it out would have a child in a doorway (I.e. need to step over them to get from my room to bathroom... not cool) But if I had one child sleeping on the couch unit and one mattress I could lift off and put next to it, this could be a matzav. (I can't keep that floor space occupied during the day but at night I think OK)
B - Alternatively, I could see a mini-trundle-bed working out, also need to be able to fully detach the second bed. Is there such a thing as a toddler-size trundle bed? I would even prefer a drop bigger so DD has more time to outgrow it.
The child-size beds in Ikea were too big, I have 68" max of wall to work with and the child-size beds were around 78". My toddler-size bed is closer to maybe 55" so I have a little room to play with.
Not comfortable with a loft bed at this stage. DD4 still tosses around a lot in her sleep and is a real fall risk.

animeme

Tue, Jan 20 2015, 11:01 pm

Do you have another crib/toddler bed mattress? You could put a matching or coordinating sheet on it to the mattress on the toddler bed, then move the toddler bed a little away from the wall and put the second mattress behind it straight up against the wall, lengthwise, so it's almost like a futon, forming a toddler sized couch. You can put fun pillows to complete the look. Then at night, out comes the mattress to wherever you want it, straight on the floor.