Storage Furniture
Beds with storage: ottoman, drawer and platform options compared
A double bed sits on 2.6m² of floor. A bed with storage turns that footprint into roughly the capacity of a large chest of drawers, for no extra floor area.
A storage bed is the highest-leverage piece of furniture in a small bedroom, because the bed is going to be there regardless. Everything else in a bedroom is a choice; the bed is a fixed cost. Making it store things is free capacity.
The four mainstream types — ottoman, drawer, platform and hydraulic side-lift — hold quite different amounts and need quite different clearances around them. Choosing the wrong one for your room shape is the main way people end up with a storage bed they cannot open.
Ottoman beds: maximum capacity, slowest access
An ottoman bed lifts the entire mattress base on gas struts to reveal the whole under-bed volume as a single open compartment. Because there are no drawer boxes or runners taking up space, it holds more than any other storage bed.
The trade-off is that you must clear the bed to open it. That makes it excellent for bedding, off-season clothing and suitcases, and impractical for anything you need in the morning.
Check whether it lifts from the end or the side
An end-lift ottoman needs around 700mm of clear floor at the foot of the bed. A side-lift needs the same at one side. In a room where the bed sits in an alcove or against a wall, only one of these will work — and getting it wrong makes the storage inaccessible.
Measure the clearance before ordering
Use it for bedding and off-season clothes
Roughly 0.7–0.9m³ under a double is enough for a spare duvet, pillows, a full season of clothing and a suitcase. This is exactly the low-frequency, high-bulk category that has nowhere else to go in a small home.
Divide the compartment with soft bags
One large open volume becomes a jumble fast. Two or three fabric zip bags inside it keep categories separate and let you lift out a whole category at once.
Confirm the strut rating and mattress weight
Gas struts are matched to a mattress weight range. A heavy pocket-sprung or latex mattress on struts rated for a light foam one will be hard to lift and will wear the mechanism. Check the specification against your actual mattress.
Drawer beds: faster access, less capacity
Drawer beds trade total volume for convenience. The drawer boxes and runners consume space, and the drawers cannot be as deep as the full under-bed height, so capacity typically lands at 50–65% of an equivalent ottoman.
Use them for things you need weekly
A drawer opens without moving anything, which makes it viable for current-season clothes, spare bed linen and children's items — the things an ottoman is too slow for.
Check the drawer opening clearance
A side drawer needs 500–700mm of clear floor beside the bed to open fully. In a room where one side of the bed is against a wall, buy a bed with drawers on one side only, or you will pay for drawers you can never open.
Prefer full-extension runners
A drawer on partial runners hides its back third permanently, which recreates the exact problem you were trying to solve. Full-extension runners cost more and are worth it here.
Consider a footboard drawer
Some frames put a single wide drawer at the foot of the bed, which works in rooms with wall on both sides. Access is easy and it does not compete with bedside furniture.
Platform and cabin beds
Build a platform of drawer units
Raising the mattress onto a plinth of stock cabinets or drawer units turns the whole footprint into storage and is often cheaper than a purpose-built storage bed. Works well in studios and children's rooms where the extra height is not a problem.
Use a cabin bed for a child's room
A cabin or mid-sleeper combines a raised bed with drawers, a wardrobe and sometimes a desk beneath. In a small child's room this replaces three pieces of furniture with one.
Add steps that are also drawers
Where a bed is raised, the steps up to it are a natural place for drawers. Nothing wasted, and it keeps the climb safe rather than improvised.
Check ceiling height for a loft bed
A high loft bed needs enough headroom to sit up in bed — allow at least 900mm from mattress top to ceiling — plus usable standing height beneath. Below about 2.4m of room height, a loft bed becomes uncomfortable.
Storage headboards and the space around the bed
Choose a headboard with integrated storage
A headboard with shelves or sliding cubbies replaces bedside tables entirely, which frees the floor either side of the bed. Best in narrow rooms where two nightstands will not fit.
Add a blanket box at the foot
The strip of floor at the end of a bed is usually just circulation. A lidded box there holds bedding and gives you somewhere to sit and put shoes on.
Use a bedside shelf instead of a table
A floating shelf beside the bed gives the same surface with no legs and visible floor beneath, which makes a small room read as larger.
Storing things under a bed without ruining them
Under-bed storage has two consistent problems: dust and poor airflow. Both are manageable, but ignoring them is how a stored duvet comes out smelling of a cellar.
- Everything must be completely dry before it goes in. Damp plus no airflow equals mustiness within weeks.
- Use lidded containers or zip bags — under a bed is the dustiest zone in a bedroom.
- Do not leave down or synthetic fill vacuum-compressed for years; re-loft it annually or it stays flat.
- Keep anything valuable to moths — wool, cashmere — in sealed containers with cedar rather than loose.
- Avoid storing paper, photographs or electronics under a bed if the room is prone to condensation.
- Leave the mechanism's clearance permanently free; a rug or a chair blocking an ottoman lift makes the storage useless.
Beds with storage — frequently asked questions
How much storage does an ottoman bed have?
Roughly 0.7–0.9 cubic metres under a double, as one single open compartment — enough for a spare duvet, pillows, a season of clothing and a suitcase. It holds more than a drawer bed of the same size because there are no drawer boxes or runners consuming the space.
Ottoman bed or drawer bed — which is better?
Ottoman for capacity, drawer for access. An ottoman holds substantially more but you must clear the bed to open it, which suits bedding and off-season clothes. Drawers hold around 50–65% as much but open without moving anything, which suits current-season clothes and linen you need weekly.
How much space do you need around a storage bed?
An end-lift ottoman needs about 700mm of clear floor at the foot; a side-lift needs the same at one side. Drawer beds need 500–700mm beside the bed for the drawers to open fully. Check which side your room can actually give you before ordering, because the wrong orientation makes the storage unreachable.
Is it bad to store things under the bed?
Only if you store them badly. Under a bed has poor airflow and collects the most dust in the room, so use lidded containers, make sure everything is completely dry first, and do not leave duvets vacuum-compressed indefinitely because the fill loses loft permanently.
Do storage beds work with any mattress?
Not with ottoman beds. The gas struts are rated for a mattress weight range, so a heavy pocket-sprung or latex mattress on struts specified for lightweight foam will be hard to lift and will wear out the mechanism early. Check the strut rating against your mattress weight before buying.