12 Stylish Ways to Use Storage Beds at Home

Storage beds can do far more than hide spare duvets. Used well, they replace a chest of drawers in a small room, keep a guest room tidy without a wardrobe, hold children’s toys out of sight, store luggage and seasonal clothes, and even help free up a box room for a desk. The twelve ideas below show how to get the most from the space beneath your mattress while keeping the bedroom calm and good looking.

Our ottoman storage beds UK sale range covers lift up designs in a variety of fabrics and sizes, and the same principles apply to beds with drawers. As British homes become more compact, the bed is often the largest storage opportunity in the house, and it is worth planning carefully.

Choosing the Right Storage Bed

There are two main types. Ottoman beds have a mattress platform that lifts on gas struts to reveal one large storage well. Drawer beds have two or four drawers built into the base. Ottomans hold more and suit bulky items. Drawers are easier to access daily but need clear floor space to open.

Whichever you choose, think about it alongside the rest of your modern bedroom furniture UK. A storage bed can reduce how much other furniture you need, which changes the whole layout.

1. Replace a Chest of Drawers in a Small Room

In a compact double bedroom, a storage bed can absorb much of what would normally sit in a chest of drawers: folded jumpers, jeans, gym kit and nightwear. Use fabric drawer dividers or shallow lidded boxes inside an ottoman base to keep categories separate. Freeing up the wall where a chest would stand can make the room feel noticeably more open.

2. Store Seasonal Clothes

The UK climate means most of us have a summer wardrobe and a winter one. Rotating them in and out of an ottoman bed twice a year keeps your everyday wardrobe manageable. Vacuum bags help bulky knitwear and coats take up less space, while breathable cotton bags suit delicate fabrics.

3. Keep a Guest Room Ready

A guest room often doubles as an office or hobby room. Storing spare bedding, towels and a dressing gown inside the bed means you can prepare the room for visitors in minutes, without a separate wardrobe taking up space. Add a folded throw on top and the room is ready.

4. Hide Luggage and Travel Bags

Suitcases are awkward to store. They are bulky, used occasionally and too large for most cupboards. A deep ottoman base is one of the few places in a typical home that can swallow a large suitcase. Store smaller bags and packing cubes inside it to keep everything together.

5. Create a Tidy Children’s Room

Storage beds work well in children’s rooms, where floor space is precious and toys accumulate quickly. Drawer beds give children easy access to games and books, encouraging them to tidy up themselves. Our children’s beds UK collection includes designs with built in drawers and storage, suited to shared and single rooms alike.

6. Free Up a Box Room for Work

In a box room, every centimetre matters. If the bed holds everything a wardrobe would, there may be just enough space for a small desk under the window. This makes the room useful during the day as well as at night, which suits many people who now work from home part of the week.

7. Archive Paperwork and Keepsakes

Important documents, photo albums, children’s artwork and sentimental items all need somewhere safe. A storage bed is dry and out of the way. Use clearly labelled archive boxes with lids to protect against dust, and keep an inventory on your phone so you know what is where without emptying the whole base.

8. Store Bedding Right Where You Need It

Keeping spare sheets and duvet covers inside the bed means changing them is quicker and the airing cupboard stays free for towels. Fold each set inside one of its own pillowcases so you can lift out a complete set at once. Pair the bed with one of our blanket boxes UK at the foot for throws and extra blankets you reach for on colder nights.

9. Make a Studio Flat Feel Larger

In a studio, storage furniture competes with living space. A storage bed reduces the number of pieces you need, keeping the floor clear and sightlines open. Choose a frame in a soft neutral fabric so it blends with the living area rather than dominating it.

10. Use It as a Design Feature

Storage beds no longer need to look practical. Many have upholstered panelled headboards, piped edges and elegant feet. Treat the bed as the focal point of the room: centre it on the main wall, flank it with slim bedside cabinets and use bedding that complements the fabric. Practical storage underneath becomes a bonus rather than the reason for choosing it.

11. Store Sports and Hobby Equipment

Yoga mats, tennis rackets, sewing supplies, craft materials and camping gear tend to end up in corners and under stairs. A storage bed gives them a single home. Group items in labelled boxes by activity so you can lift out exactly what you need.

12. Plan for Moving Home

If you rent or expect to move, a storage bed is a flexible choice. It works in almost any bedroom layout, needs no fitting and takes the place of several smaller pieces. This makes it easier to settle into a new home without immediately buying additional storage.

Practical Points Before You Buy

A few details make a real difference to how well a storage bed works day to day:

• Opening direction: ottomans open from the foot or the side. Check which suits your room layout.
• Clearance: drawers need roughly their own depth in front of them to open fully. Lift up bases need space above the mattress.
• Mattress weight: heavier mattresses need stronger gas struts. Check compatibility with the bed.
• Ventilation: storage beds have less airflow beneath the mattress. Turn and air the mattress regularly to keep it fresh.
• What you store: avoid putting damp items inside, and use breathable bags for fabrics.

For more ideas on organising storage in shared and family bedrooms, our article on children’s bedroom storage furniture for UK family homes shares plenty of practical suggestions. If you are working with a particularly small room, our guide on fitting a chest of drawers in a small UK bedroom shows how storage beds and drawers can work together.

Keeping the Contents Organised

A storage bed is only useful if you can find things inside it. Without some structure, an ottoman base quickly becomes a jumble that you avoid opening. A little planning at the start keeps it working for years.

Divide the base into zones. In an ottoman that lifts from the foot, the area nearest the foot is the easiest to reach, so keep everyday items such as spare bedding there. Put things you use once or twice a year, such as suitcases or winter coats, towards the headboard end.

Use containers of a consistent size. Shallow boxes with lids stack neatly and stop dust settling on fabrics. Fabric storage cubes are lighter and fold flat when empty. Clear boxes help you see contents at a glance, while labelled ones look tidier if the base is often open in front of guests.

Leave a little space. Packing the base to the brim makes the lid harder to close and puts strain on the gas struts. It also restricts airflow, which is better for both the mattress and whatever you are storing.

Review the contents with the seasons. When you swap summer and winter clothes, take a few minutes to remove anything you no longer need. This keeps the bed from becoming a long term home for clutter, and makes room for the things that genuinely belong there.

For drawer beds, the same principles apply on a smaller scale. Drawer dividers and small trays stop items sliding around, and giving each drawer a single purpose, such as bedding, nightwear or toys, makes it easier for everyone in the household to keep things in the right place.

A Smarter Use of Space

The space under a bed is one of the most generous storage areas in any home, yet it is often wasted. A storage bed turns it into something genuinely useful, whether that means a tidier bedroom, a more flexible spare room or a box room that can finally hold a desk. You can browse storage beds and complementary pieces at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.

Storage Bed FAQs

Is an ottoman bed or drawer bed better?

Ottoman beds hold more and suit bulky or rarely used items. Drawer beds give easier daily access but need clear floor space in front of them. Your room layout and what you plan to store will decide which is more practical.

Are storage beds bad for mattresses?

Not if you look after the mattress. Airflow is reduced compared with slatted beds, so turn and air the mattress regularly and avoid storing damp items in the base.

Can a storage bed replace a wardrobe?

In small rooms it can replace part of one, particularly for folded clothes, seasonal items and bedding. Hanging clothes still need a rail or wardrobe.

Are ottoman beds hard to lift?

Most use gas struts that take the weight of the mattress, so lifting is fairly easy. Check that the struts suit the weight of your mattress for smooth opening.