Guest Author - Dale Yelich

Last weekend I was involved in planning and then making a canopy for a bunk bed. Realistically, you could adapt this procedure for any bed, but because bunks sit so high, it works really well for them. It will be a delightful addition to any bedroom, and will give a very chic look for not a lot of time or money.

The principle will be to attach the material to the ceiling over the top bunk. In this way, it can be adjusted to hang as an accent piece or to literally roof off the entire bunk, exactly the way a canopy would do. The beauty of this idea is that you can do this any way you like, to fit exactly what your bunk bed needs.

Materials and Tools

Yards of fabric of your choice. You will have to determine the size that you’d like. A 60 inch long by 30 inch wide top bunk would probably need double that measurement in material. But again, ultimately, that choice is yours.

Plastic shower rings

Drywall swag hooks with mounts, choose a color that goes good with your material

A sewing machine that makes button holes.

A stud finder

A 6 foot ladder

A ruler

A tape measure

A 36 inch level

A drill with 3/8 inch bit



Step 1: After buying the material, you want to sew a hem on all four sides. This will not only keep the material from fraying, it will also add a bit of professionalism to the entire project.

Step 2: Decide how long you want the canopy to hang over the top bunk. It can be completely enclosed much like a tent, or just used as an accent that hangs maybe 4 inches or so. At that exact point, measure in 4 inches (or whatever hanging measurement you choose) and draw a giant rectangle in the material, keeping 4 inches away from every edge.

Step 3: Every 12 inches along this rectangle line, sew in two buttonholes side by side. This will be where your plastic rings will attach to hold up the fabric.

Step 4: Insert plastic rings into the buttonholes.

Step 5: Using your 36 inch level, set it against the corner of the bunk bed and push it straight up until it touches the ceiling. Make sure it is level, and this will be the first place to screw in your hook. Mark it with your pencil. No fussing with tedious measurements here. If the level reads level, the attachment point is correct.

Step 6: Using your 3/8s inch drill bit, drill a hole into the drywall.

Step 7: Insert the drywall hanger into the hole, and then screw on the swag hook.

Step 8: Hang the first plastic ring onto hook.

Step 9: Repeat this process on all the corners of the bed, drilling and installing the swag hooks, and then connecting them to the plastic rings.

Step 10: At the edges around the entire bunk, hold the level up the exact same way you did at the corners, and repeat the swag hook mounting and attachment of the plastic hooks.

Once finished, you’ll have a custom made canopy that will look beautiful over any bunk bed. You can easily vary this design to your own tastes by setting the hooks outward a few inches to make the canopy larger than the bed, or bringing the central hooks in slightly, which will allow the canopy to hang majestically over the actual bed itself. Either way, it’s a very unique and lovely way to have a canopy over a bunk bed.