How Do You Fit Four Grandkids in One Bedroom? Triple Bunk Beds.
In a 151-square-foot Back Bay bedroom, the only way to go was up.
Mixed-media panels by Michael Hoffman from Jules Place pack a geometric punch atop the watercolor Eskayel wallpaper. Oak details and the woven pendant balance the eccentric color. “Organic elements tone down the saturation of space,” Fineman says. / Photo by Michael J. Lee
This article is from the spring 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.
When out-of-town clients asked that the redesign of their Back Bay pied-à-terre include sleeping accommodations for all four of their grandchildren, Cara Fineman didn’t balk. “During demolition we discovered we could raise the ceiling,” she explains. And thus, the decision to design a triple bunk was born.
Not only did the team—Fineman collaborated with architect Erin Hunter—provide beds for everyone (the full-size bottom mattress sleeps two), they snuck in a play area atop the closet. “With a 3-foot-5-inch ceiling height, it’s very much for children!” Hunter says.
There’s significant storage, too. Arched built-ins flank the bunks, bookshelves at the window seat create a reading alcove, and oak-lined niches with O&G Studio sconces give each kid a spot for a tablet, water bottle, and tiny treasure. A glossy violet Dunes and Duchess console table lets the owner work on her laptop amid the grandchildren.
The abundant built-ins ensure that the room functions effortlessly yet never overtake the space. Color-drenched in Farrow & Ball’s “Arsenic,” an energetic aquamarine, the millwork seems to melt into the walls. Add in the Eskayel watercolor wallcovering—Fineman’s starting point for the scheme—and a custom silk rug that lends an ethereal sheen underfoot, and this 151-square-foot bedroom for four feels downright dreamy.
Playful accents, from the woven pendant light with flirtatious fringe and Moorish flavor to the arched transom featuring teal circles of stained glass, enhance the fairy-tale appeal. “We used teal in small doses throughout the home because it’s the client’s favorite color,” Fineman says. Here, indulging in color evokes the balance of luxury and whimsy she was looking for.
Hunter notes that the clients and their grandchildren, who are quite adventurous, love the thrill of the multilevel space. She, too, is pleased. “A tall ceiling in a small footprint can make a space feel unsettling,” the architect says. “By embracing the triple bunks and lofted hide-out, we used the room’s proportions in a way that feels meant to be.”
Photo by Michael J. Lee
Architect Studio Hearth
Builder C2MG Builders
Designer DAG Design
Photo Stylist Sean William
First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Spring 2026 issue, with the headline “The Perfect Stack.”
