USB Bed: Save Money by Hacking an IKEA KURA Bed

Does your tween or teen need USB jacks? Here’s how I converted a KURA bed into a teen USB bed!

I adore IKEA. When I was in my 20s, I drove four hours just to get to an IKEA store. Now, we have one within 20 minutes and my child knows it fondly as “the meatball store.” So when Alexa outgrew her crib and was ready for a toddler bed, we headed to IKEA. The KURA reversible bed, which is still sold today, was the perfect solution. When she was young, we kept the sleeping portion on the floor and she had the canopy tent overhead. A few years ago, we flipped it over so she had a mini-loft bed with playspace underneath.

But she’s 12 now and she’s decided it’s time for a change. At first she just asked to flip it over again, but I got an idea. Why not convert the KURA bed into a traditional twin bed, more appropriate for an almost-teen? And while we’re at it, why not improve it by turning it into a “USB bed” by adding a built-in USB hub for her iPad?

Here’s what we did for anyone else out there who has the KURA bed. (Or for anyone who is just thinking about this bed for their child, which I highly recommend):

Flip the Bed Over

First, we removed the mattress and flipped the bed back over so the bed frame was on the floor.

Next, we removed the rails using our handy hex key set. Sure, we could have used the free hex key IKEA gives you when you buy the bed, but we got this like 9 years ago. Who knows where it is now! Instead we prefer to keep our hex key set around for ALL our IKEA stuff. It’s got all the hex sizes on it and they’re attached so they don’t get lost.

Blue Hawk 9-Piece Folding Flat End Hex Key Set

Once the rails were off, we used a saws-all to cut off the four posters and the extra bit of wood that is used for the ladder. This left a traditional bed with an extra-high headboard. I love the fact that the KURA bed is a quality bed made from sturdy pine!

Then we removed the top panel from the headboard and cut it down to look like a more typical-sized headboard. We did this only because we had decided to use the space above his bed. Otherwise, I think it would have been fine as-is.

Finally, we sanded the spots that had been cut.

Voila! Normal-size teen twin bed from a KURA bed! It took less than an hour to convert.

Make it a USB Bed

We knocked around a bunch of crazy ideas for how to make the KURA into a USB bed, but in the end the simplest solution was the best. We already had a basic, powered USB hub around the house we were using, so we simply found a handy spot on the bed to install it.

First we measured the USB hole and cut out a right-sized hole just below the pine railing at the top of the frame. We put this hole at the head of the bed so it would be within easy reach. The panel here is thin and quite easy to cut with a saw or even a knife.

Next we tried to insert the USB hub from the back of the hole (so under the bed). You want to be sure it fits snugly. Just the USB face with the ports should be visible. The power cord comes out the back of the hub.

Once the hole is sized perfectly for the USB hub, place some extra-strong double-sided tape along the top of the hub. Press the hub to the top of the pine railing while it is in place in the hole.