The simplest way to match storage units to your bunk bed is to repeat one thing from the bed in every piece around it: the same timber tone, the same paint colour or the same metal finish. Then keep the storage lower than the top bunk, set it where it will not block the ladder, and choose pieces with a depth that leaves a clear walkway. Do those things and a shared bedroom looks planned rather than pieced together, even when the furniture arrives at different times.
When you start with our range of modern bunk beds UK sale pieces, it helps to decide early which element of the frame you want the rest of the room to echo. Below we look at finish, scale, placement and the small details that make storage and sleeping feel like one considered scheme.
A bunk bed is usually the largest object in the room and the one the eye goes to first. It sets the height, the visual weight and the dominant material. Trying to match the bed to an existing chest of drawers tends to go wrong, because the bed has fewer finish options and a much bigger presence.
Look at the frame and note three things. First, its colour: white, grey, natural pine, oak, walnut or black metal. Second, its profile: chunky square posts, slim slatted rails, rounded corners or industrial tubing. Third, its hardware: exposed bolts, hidden fixings, brushed steel or painted caps. Each of these gives you a thread to pull through into the storage.
If you are furnishing the whole room at once, browsing across our wider bedroom furniture UK collection makes it easier to find pieces from the same family or with a closely matched finish.
Exact matching is the safest option, but it can feel flat when every surface is identical. A more relaxed approach is to match one quality and vary another.
White and soft grey frames are the easiest to build around. Pair a white bunk with white storage for a calm, bright room, then add warmth with natural wood knobs, a woven basket or a timber topped bedside unit. With grey frames, try storage in a slightly lighter or darker grey, or in white with grey handles, so the tones relate without competing.
With pine or oak, the grain matters as much as the colour. Two pieces of oak can look surprisingly different if one has a warm honey lacquer and the other a pale matt oil. Hold a sample or photo next to the bed in daylight. If you cannot get a close match, go deliberately different instead: a painted chest with a wooden top sits more happily beside a wooden bunk than a near miss in timber.
Black or white metal frames are lighter in appearance and work well with simple, flat fronted storage. A metal bunk with chunky, rustic drawers can look unbalanced, so keep lines clean. Wire baskets, metal handles or a slim metal bookcase help tie everything together.
Scale is where many shared bedrooms go wrong. A bunk bed is tall, and if you place a tall wardrobe right beside it, the room can feel boxed in, especially under a sloping ceiling or in a smaller modern home.
A useful approach is to think in layers. The bunk bed provides the height. Storage beside it should sit at a lower level, around waist height, so there is breathing room above it. If you need a tall piece, put it on a different wall so the two heights do not stack up in one corner.
Depth matters too. Standard chests of drawers can be deep enough to narrow the floor space between the bed and the opposite wall. In a narrow room, a shallower unit keeps the walkway open and makes it easier to reach the ladder. Our range of modern chest of drawers UK designs includes a variety of widths and depths, so measure the gap before you choose.
Where you put the storage affects safety and how the room is used day to day.
The ladder needs a clear approach. Avoid placing a chest of drawers, toy box or bookcase directly in front of it, and do not position anything climbable right beside the top bunk where a child might use it as an unofficial step.
The space at the foot of the bunk is often wasted. A low storage bench, toy chest or short run of cube shelving here gives each child a defined place for belongings without crowding the sides of the bed.
The lower sleeper has less headroom and less natural light. A small storage unit beside the bottom bunk, at mattress height, can act as a bedside table with a drawer for books and a torch. Keep it narrow so it does not encroach on getting in and out of bed.
Some bunk beds include drawers underneath or a trundle. If yours does not, there may still be room for low rolling boxes. Check the clearance from the floor to the lowest rail before you buy anything.
Shared rooms change quickly. What works for toddlers will not suit a pair of teenagers. Choose storage that can shift with the room rather than pieces that only make sense at one age.
Open cube units are flexible: baskets for toys at first, then books, then folded clothes or gaming kit. A plain chest of drawers lasts well beyond the childhood years if you avoid heavy theming. Pieces from our children’s storage furniture UK selection are designed with smaller rooms and younger users in mind, and many have rounded edges and lower heights that suit bunk bed rooms.
Keep themed elements to things that are easy to swap: bedding, cushions, wall prints and handles. This way the main furniture stays neutral and the room can be refreshed without replacing everything.
For more ideas on dividing space fairly between siblings, our guide to storage furniture for UK homes where children share rooms covers practical layouts in more detail.
Matching storage does not have to mean identical storage. In a shared room, it can help to give each child something that feels like their own, while keeping the overall look coordinated.
One approach is to use the same storage unit in two colours that both relate to the bed: for example, a white bunk with one chest in white and another in soft sage. Another is to split a single wide unit with clearly marked drawers or baskets for each child. Labels, coloured knobs or a small personal shelf above each side of the room can mark territory without breaking the scheme.
Wall space is valuable here. A shallow shelf beside each bunk, mounted at a safe height and away from the ladder, gives each sleeper somewhere to keep a book, a lamp or a few treasured objects.
Once the main pieces are in place, softer elements help connect the bed and storage.
A few issues come up again and again in shared bedrooms.
Before you order, run through this short list.
For a wider look at what works across family homes, our feature on children’s bedroom storage furniture for UK family homes explores more options room by room.
Matching storage to a bunk bed is less about finding identical pieces and more about creating a sense of connection. Pick one quality from the bed, repeat it, keep heights layered and leave space to move. The result is a room that is easy to live in and easy to keep tidy, whether it is shared by toddlers, siblings or visiting cousins.
You can browse our full range of bedroom and children’s furniture at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
It does not have to be identical. Matching one element, such as the colour, timber tone or metal finish, is usually enough to make the room feel coordinated. A near miss in wood tone can look worse than a deliberate contrast.
Leave enough room for the ladder to be approached straight on and for drawers to open fully without hitting the bed frame. In most rooms that means keeping a clear walkway in front of the ladder and planning drawer depth carefully.
It is better to avoid tall, climbable furniture directly beside the top bunk. Keep tall pieces on another wall and secure them with wall fixings, and use lower units beside the bed instead.
Low, shallow pieces work well: cube units, slim chests of drawers and under bed boxes. Wall shelves above each side of the room add personal space without using floor area.
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