Get More From Your Bed (Storage, for Starters)

When choosing a bed, most people are concerned with comfort, size and looks. But storage is another thing to think about. Yes, many beds now provide space in headboards, in footboards and even beneath the bed (drawers, anyone?) in which you can display your stuff or tuck it out of sight. Shelving units work as headboards, offering easy access to books and reading lights; drawers under the bed fill in for bureaus; and footboard cabinets hide a TV with the push of a button. Want to upgrade your bed’s storage capacity? Here are some ideas.

In this modern cabin near Montreal, the open bedroom and bathroom are tucked into an upstairs loft. The bed, with its simple frame, backs up to a spacious headboard and shelving unit, which includes a walk-in closet on the opposite side. The shelves provide display space for books, framed photographs and curated objects as well as a copper lamp for late-night reading.


Designed to fit under the eaves in an Adirondack-style house in Burlington, Vermont, this boys’ room features a set of multipurpose bunk beds. Fashioned out of eastern white pine, they have not only drawers for storage but a two-sided bookcase separating the bunks (and the boys, if necessary!). Created by Cushman Design Group, the wood is finished in a pickle wash made from Benjamin Moore’s Hampshire Gray, one part paint to three parts water. The final coat is clear urethane in a matte finish.


These homeowners opted for a custom-designed footboard cabinet that matches the bed and houses the television. Since they didn’t want to miss the views of Lake Michigan, the cabinet has a mechanism that moves the TV out of the way when not in use.


No room for a bookcase? Consider sliding a low-rise unit right under the bed, as was done so cleverly in this rustic farmhouse bedroom. Other nice touches: the schoolhouse desk repurposed as a nightstand and the reclaimed-wood bench from Urban Evolutions at the end of the bed.


Architects Smith & Vansant designed this simple solution for a child’s bedroom in a summer house in Vermont. As they put it, “Those are just beds over drawers — box spring and mattress over custom drawers.” They’re just being modest, though. The beds look great; their height allows a bird’s-eye view through the windows, and the drawers provide space for clothing or extra blankets on cold nights.


An iconic Peter Maly platform bed from Ligne Roset is the centerpiece of this glamorous bedroom in a Boston townhouse. A gleaming wall of dark walnut cabinetry forms a headboard — and makes a design statement. In this open floor plan, the wall is one side of a freestanding cube that houses a shower.


It’s all about the bed here (and, of course, those fantastically whimsical flowers on the wall). Built by the homeowner’s grandfather, the bed has square side extensions that can hold bedside necessities. The drawers underneath can be used to stow stuff, although you may not want to keep your kitty in there!


In this sunny yellow kids’ room (painted in Benjamin Moore’s Yellow Lilies), the twin beds (from Modern Tots) are low to the ground for easy access by children. The built-in shelf off the footboard is the perfect place for tiny people to put on shoes, or it could be a home to toys or books.


This bed was custom designed for what looks like a very small bedroom in a San Francisco home. The architects at Union Studio made the most of the space, tucking the bed into the corner and building in drawers underneath as well as a bench for sitting.


Who needs bedside tables? This stained wood room divider and headboard features shelves for bedside essentials, including matching modern reading lamps. The glass panel in the unit provides natural light for a dressing table on the other side. It also reflects the leafy view through the windows on the opposite side of the room.


Custom designed by architect Malcolm Davis, this ingenious bed features a drop-leaf desk in the headboard. Even better is the trundle that can be pulled out for overnight guests.


This custom-designed bed, with its funky cutouts and wood trim, might get lost amid the swirls of the bright blue-green wallpaper, by Cole & Son. But it’s packed with utilitarian touches. Some of those cutouts are finger pulls for the many drawers. The ones under the built-in cushioned bench are for shoes, while the side drawers can be utilized for clothing or linens.

More: 14 Ways to Get More Bedroom Storage

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