Mia's new Stuva loft bed from Ikea

You may be interested in my updated review of the Stuva loft bed - The Stuva loft bed from Ikea, an updated review.

Recently we were talking about how we should get Harry a desk for his room, so over Christmas we took a trip to Ikea with the plan to measure up some desks and see what we could find.

When Mia heard about our plans, she of course made it known that she also would like a desk for her room. Unfortunately her room is quite a bit smaller, and there just isn't the space. But when we visited Ikea, the Stuva loft bed caught our eye, and we decided that it would be perfect for her space. I had a similar bed when I was younger and I loved it, and as we predicted when we showed her the picture in the catalogue her little eyes lit up and she was so excited.

We spent a happy couple of hours on the Ikea website working out the combination that we wanted and making sure that we had added all the bits and pieces. You can build the bed in several different configurations. We decided to have the desk sticking out at an angle with the wardrobe doors opening underneath as there wasn't much space to the right for the doors to open outwards, but you can also have the doors on the other side and the desk directly underneath the bed, which takes up less floor space.

Putting the Stuva together was a big job, and it took us a whole day to assemble. You definitely need two (fairly strong!) adults as you have to lift the top part up and over onto the shelf unit, and although it's designed for small rooms you do need quite a bit of floor space for the assembly. There's also no way that it's going to fit out of her bedroom door, let alone down the stairs, so it's not a piece of furniture to buy if you are planning on moving house in the near future!

I've condensed the build down into just six minutes in the video below, I edited out lots of shots of us looking puzzled as we examined the instructions, and faffing about trying to work out which way the pieces need to go!

As soon as we were finished Mia was desperate to get organising. I love how she's arranged her shelves with her favourite things on display, and it was also a good opportunity for a bit of a clear out.

We also purchased a pink Stickat bed pocket which hangs over the side and can store her water bottle and book. We also bought some Slakting inserts which are perfectly designed to fit into the drawers. There are also lots of other pieces of furniture in the Stuva range which would co-ordinate really well. We also had just enough space to the side to add a Trofast unit with plastic doors which is perfect for storing all her teddies.

The bed is really cosy and comfortable, if a bit of a pain to climb up to when I want to change the sheets or kiss her good night. I'm afraid that I've not been making the bed each morning as I usually do - you can't see that it's not made from the floor anyway! We have a wireless light switch so that she can turn the lights on and off from her bed, but we might look into putting her up a small shelf as well.

She has had no problems climbing up and down. I must admit that I find it a bit awkward myself as the ladder is so steep, but it certainly feels stable and I'm not worried that it's going to fall apart on me, so it would do for adults to sleep in too. The desk is lovely and she's been enjoying sitting down and doing her colouring or reading. The wardrobe is a good size too, she already has a generous wardrobe for her clothes so it's perfect to store her princess dresses and other dressing up bits.

It was definitely the best solution for her space and will hopefully grow with her and last for a good few years yet. I'd definitely recommend if you are looking for furniture for a smaller bedroom.

Click here for an updated review - The Stuva loft bed from Ikea, an updated review.