The vaulted ceiling is a saving grace.

Ride the Wave of Nostalgia

ForAshley Gilbreath, designing a bunk room is a chance to play.

You get to be a little kid again, she says.

Dark green bunk room with two queen beds and single upper bunks

Credit:Courtesy Clara Chambers

You remember what makes them tick and what would be fun for them.

In this Auburn home, that meant provisioning a hideaway with inviting color (Benjamin Moores Mt.

Her trade trick is a queen-size coverlet cut in two with help from a sewing pro.

Blue bunk room with curtains

Credit:Emily Followill

This way, its a lot easier to make them.

Theres an element of creativity that gets ramped up a little.

Its the sense of repetition that people find so charming about bunk rooms.

White bunk room with blue decorative accents

Credit:Aimée Mazzenga

you could cheat a little and still achieve that.