12 Beds With Built-In Drawers You’ll Love

Beds with drawers built into the base solve the single biggest storage problem in British homes: there is rarely anywhere to put bedding, off season clothing and the things that will not fit in a wardrobe. Twelve designs cover almost every situation, from two drawer singles for children’s rooms to four drawer king frames and corner opening designs for rooms with an awkward wall. The right one depends on your floor space, your flooring and which side of the bed is actually clear.

Before browsing, measure the clear floor beside the bed. A drawer needs roughly its own depth again to open fully, usually between 45cm and 60cm. If that space is taken by a wardrobe door or a radiator, an end opening or lift up design will serve you better than side drawers.

1. The Two Drawer Single

Two drawers on one side of a single frame is the standard children’s room solution. It keeps toys, spare bedding or school kit off the floor without adding any furniture to a room that usually has none to spare.

Look for drawers on runners rather than castors if the floor is carpeted, since castors sink into deep pile and jam. For a child’s room, soft close runners are worth having simply for the reduced noise.

2. The Four Drawer Double

Two drawers on each side gives the most balanced arrangement in a main bedroom, provided both sides of the bed are accessible. Split the use: one side for bedding and towels, the other for clothing you rotate seasonally.

This layout works particularly well in rooms where the bed sits centrally against a wall with clear floor to either side, which is the usual arrangement in most modern doubles.

3. The End Opening Drawer Bed

A wide drawer that pulls out from the foot of the bed is the answer for rooms where the bed sits in an alcove or tight against one wall. It holds bulky items easily, since the drawer spans the full width of the frame.

Check the clearance at the foot of the bed before choosing. You need enough room to stand and pull, which in practice means at least 70cm between the footboard and whatever sits opposite.

4. The King Size Four Drawer Frame

On a king frame the drawers are longer and noticeably more useful. This is the practical choice for a couple sharing a main bedroom with limited wardrobe space, and it usually removes the need for a separate blanket box.

Weight matters here. Loaded long drawers are heavy, so look for reinforced bases and metal runners rather than timber on timber sliding, which wears over time.

5. The Upholstered Drawer Bed

Fabric frames with integrated drawers give you storage without the room reading as purely functional. The drawer fronts are usually upholstered to match, so the storage disappears entirely into the base.

These suit main bedrooms where appearance matters as much as capacity. Choose a mid toned or textured fabric, since drawer fronts are at foot height and take more scuffs than a headboard ever will. Our modern fabric beds UK range includes several designs of this type.

6. The Solid Timber Drawer Frame

A solid timber frame with matching drawer fronts is the most durable option and the easiest to keep clean. Oak and painted pine both wear well, and small scratches can be treated rather than lived with.

The grain also disguises the drawer lines, so a well made timber frame often looks like a solid plinth until a drawer is opened. Compare finishes across our wooden beds UK sale selection to see the range of tones available.

7. The Small Double With Storage

At 120cm wide, a small double with two drawers is a strong answer for a second bedroom that has to work as both guest room and store. It gives a guest a comfortable bed and gives you a place to keep spare bedding in the same footprint.

In rooms between 2.5m and 3m wide this is frequently the best use of the space, since a full double would leave too little room to open drawers comfortably.

8. The High Gloss Drawer Bed

Gloss fronts bounce light, which helps in darker rooms and small bedrooms. The flat surfaces also make the base look lower and more streamlined than a matt finish of the same height.

They show fingerprints, so handleless designs with a push catch or a recessed grip are the sensible version. A microfibre cloth once a week keeps them looking sharp. Several options appear in our high gloss beds UK sale range.

9. The Bunk Bed With Base Drawers

Bunk frames with drawers built into the bottom step or the base turn the most space efficient bed into a storage unit as well. In a shared children’s room, that combination often removes the need for a chest of drawers entirely.

Check the drawer position relative to the ladder so the two do not obstruct each other, and make sure the drawers can still be opened once a rug is in place.

10. The Corner Opening Drawer Bed

Some frames place drawers at the head end corners rather than along the length. This suits rooms where the bed sits under a window or between two fitted wardrobes and the long sides are blocked.

Capacity is smaller, but accessible storage beats larger storage you cannot reach. This is the classic fix for narrow terrace bedrooms.

11. The Drawer Bed With Bookcase Headboard

Combining base drawers with a headboard that includes shelving gives two storage types in one frame. The headboard takes books, glasses and a phone, removing the need for bedside tables in a narrow room.

It does add depth at the head of the bed, usually around 20cm, so subtract that from your room measurement before ordering. In a room where every centimetre counts, the trade off is usually worth it.

12. The Guest Room Frame With Deep Base Drawers

In a room used only occasionally, deep drawers under the bed become long term storage: suitcases, Christmas decorations, winter coats. The bed earns its place in the house between visits rather than sitting idle.

Use rigid storage boxes inside the drawers so contents stay upright when the drawer is pulled, and label them. Deep drawers become chaotic faster than shallow ones.

How to Choose Between Drawers and a Lift Up Base

Drawers suit frequent access and items you use weekly. They need clear floor space and they limit how the bed can be positioned in the room.

A lift up ottoman base holds considerably more, works in rooms with no clear side space, and suits items you touch a few times a year. The trade off is that you lift the mattress each time, which is awkward if you store anything you need daily.

If you cannot decide, consider how often you would open the storage. Anything more than weekly points to drawers. Anything seasonal points to a lift up base. You can compare both across our modern beds UK collection.

Practical Points Before You Buy

Check the floor first. Deep pile carpet stops castor mounted drawers from running smoothly, and uneven period floorboards can throw a drawer out of alignment. Runner mounted drawers are more tolerant of both.

Check the assembled height too. Storage bases sit higher than a slatted frame, and once you add a thick mattress the total can be greater than expected. Measure against your bedside table so the surface still sits close to mattress height.

Finally, plan what goes in before the bed arrives. Under bed drawers fill quickly with things that have no other home, and the storage stops being useful the moment it becomes a dumping ground. You can see the full range at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.

Organising the Storage So It Stays Useful

Under bed drawers work well for a few specific categories and badly for everything else. They suit flat, stackable items: spare bedding, towels, off season clothing, shoes in shallow boxes and children’s toys that can be tipped in and out quickly.

They suit tall or fragile items poorly, since the drawer depth is fixed and contents slide when the drawer is pulled. Use rigid dividers or fabric boxes inside the drawer to keep everything upright, and leave a little space at the front so nothing catches as the drawer closes.

Bedding stores best in breathable cotton bags rather than sealed plastic, which traps moisture against the fabric. In a room that suffers from condensation, add a moisture absorber in the drawer and open it occasionally to let air move through.

Review the contents once or twice a year. Storage that is never opened is simply a place where possessions go to be forgotten, and the space under a bed is too valuable in a small home to use that way.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much space do I need beside a drawer bed?
Allow at least 60cm of clear floor on the drawer side so the drawer opens fully and you can stand comfortably in front of it.

Do drawer beds work on carpet?
Yes, though runner mounted drawers cope far better than castors, which can sink into deeper pile and stick.

Can you store a duvet under a bed?
Yes, ideally in a breathable storage bag rather than sealed plastic, which traps moisture and leads to a musty smell.

Are drawer beds harder to assemble?
They take longer than a basic frame because the base is boxed in, but the process is straightforward with two people.

Do storage beds affect mattress ventilation?
An enclosed base restricts airflow more than open slats, so air the room regularly and lift or rotate the mattress every few months.