The bed part is the easy bit. The desk is where high sleepers get chosen badly. Most listings give the bed's overall size and say there's a desk underneath, but not how long it is, how deep it is, or how much room there is above it. Those three measurements decide whether your teenager actually works at it, or ends up doing homework on the bed.
For homework with a laptop and open books, look for a desk at least 120cm long and 50 to 60cm deep. For a monitor, you want 60cm or more of depth and around 60cm of clear height above the desk. Here's why, and which of our beds fit.
On this page
The three measurements that matter
1. Desk length
| Length | What fits |
|---|---|
| Under 100cm | A laptop, and not much else |
| 100 to 120cm | A laptop, a notebook and a lamp |
| 120 to 150cm | A monitor and keyboard, with an open textbook beside them |
| 150cm and over | Two monitors, or a proper study spread |
For GCSE and A-level work, where a laptop and open books are both in use, 120cm is the practical minimum.
2. Desk depth
The measurement hardly anyone lists, and everybody needs.
- Around 50cm takes a laptop, or a slim monitor pushed right to the back.
- 60cm takes a monitor at a comfortable viewing distance.
- 70cm or more takes a monitor, a keyboard in front of it, and space to write.
A monitor that sits too close is uncomfortable over a long session. If your teenager uses a screen rather than a laptop, this is the number to check, and a monitor arm can win back a few centimetres on a shallower desk.
3. Clearance above the desk
The underside of the bed is the ceiling of the workspace, and some high sleepers sit lower than you'd expect. A monitor on its stand needs around 60cm of clear height above the desk surface.
How to work it out. Take the clear height under the bed and subtract the desk height, which is typically around 75cm. Under the Windsor and Oxford there's 139cm of clear height, which leaves roughly 64cm above a standard desk: room for a monitor on its stand.
Desk sizes vary a lot across our range. A few examples from the product pages:
| Bed | Desk | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Jax | 198cm long, 55cm deep | Runs the full width of the bed, with room for a PC tower |
| Highgate | 152cm long | Long enough for a study spread, with a full-height wardrobe beside it |
| Chelsea | 88cm wide, 94.5cm front to back | Unusually deep, with 142.5cm of clear height under the bed |
If a desk size isn't shown on a product page, ask us and we'll find out before you order.
Our high sleepers with desks
Desk and sofa bed
Windsor High Sleeper
Our best-selling high sleeper: a desk with shelving above, plus a sofa bed for friends.
View the Windsor
Desk and sofa bed
Oxford High Sleeper
Somewhere to work and somewhere for a friend to sit or sleep, in solid pine.
View the Oxford
The homework one
Cambridge High Sleeper
A long corner desk, a three-drawer chest and four open cubes, and no sofa.
View the Cambridge
Gaming
Jax Gaming High Sleeper
A 198cm full-width desk with room for a monitor, a PC tower and peripherals.
View the Jax
Desk and wardrobe
Highgate High Sleeper
A 152cm desk, a full-height wardrobe and shelving, in grey and white.
View the Highgate
Desk and wardrobe
Kensington High Sleeper
A generous desk with a drawer and shelving, beside a built-in wardrobe.
View the Kensington
Desk and wardrobe
Arlo High Sleeper
A desk and a full wardrobe underneath, for rooms with no space for a separate one.
View the Arlo
Desk and storage
Freya High Sleeper
A desk with shelving and drawers, so books and stationery stay off the desk.
View the Freya
Easier to climb
Marlow Staircase High Sleeper
A staircase with storage built into the steps, plus a desk and a wardrobe.
View the MarlowFor two children who both need a desk, the Alexandra sets two raised beds at right angles with a desk each. See every bed with a desk, or our guide to the types of high sleeper.
Homework desk or gaming desk?
They're different jobs, so decide which you're buying for.
| Homework | Gaming | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 120cm is fine | 140cm or more |
| Depth | 50 to 60cm | 60 to 70cm or more |
| Also needs | Shelving for books | Cable routing, space for a PC tower, a socket nearby |
| Chair | A standard swivel chair | A gaming chair, which is wider and reclines |
The chair is the thing people forget. A gaming chair is much wider than a standard desk chair and needs room to recline, so measure the space between the bed's uprights, not just the desk. See all gaming beds.
The practical stuff
- Power. A desk under a bed usually needs an extension lead. Run it along the wall, not across the floor by the ladder, and keep cables off the ladder and guard rails.
- Light. The bed blocks the ceiling light, so the desk sits in shadow. A desk lamp isn't optional; it's part of the setup.
- Heat. A gaming PC under a bed in a small room gets warm, so leave space around it for air to flow.
- Where the ladder lands. If the ladder comes down beside the desk, the chair and the ladder compete for the same floor. Many beds have a ladder that fits either side; it's on the product page.
Two things that aren't about the desk
- Headroom on the bed. Measure from the top of the mattress to the ceiling. A teenager needs roughly 80 to 90cm to sit fully upright, which a standard high sleeper under a 2.4m ceiling won't always give. Our guide to teenage beds for small rooms covers this.
- Mattress depth. High sleepers have a maximum mattress depth, usually 15 or 16cm, because the guard rail height is measured from the top of the mattress. Most high-street mattresses are 20cm or deeper. Our 15cm kids' mattresses are made for this.
Common questions
How big is the desk on a high sleeper bed?
It varies a lot, from under 100cm long to the full width of the bed, and from about 50cm to more than 90cm deep. Check the dimensions on each product page rather than assuming, or ask us.
Will a monitor fit under a high sleeper desk?
You need about 60cm of desk depth, or a monitor arm, and around 60cm of clear height above the desk. Subtract the desk height from the clear height under the bed to check.
What size desk does a teenager need for homework?
About 120cm long and 50 to 60cm deep takes a laptop and open books together. Much less than 100cm and they'll end up working on the bed.
Can you fit a gaming chair under a high sleeper?
Usually, but measure between the bed's uprights rather than just the desk. Gaming chairs are wider than standard desk chairs and need room to recline.
Are high sleepers with desks good for teenagers?
Yes, especially in a small room, as you get a bed and a proper workspace in the footprint of one bed. Check the headroom above the mattress too.
Can the desk be removed later?
On some beds the desk is part of the frame; on others it's a separate unit. Check the product page if you think the room's use might change.
Find a desk they'll actually use
High sleepers with desks for homework, gaming and everything in between.
Shop beds with desksFor a younger child, see our guide to cabin beds with desks.