When storage runs short in a bedroom, the answer often lies beneath the mattress. UK homes rarely come with the wardrobe space their occupants need, and second bedrooms in particular tend to lack dedicated storage entirely. A bed that includes its own compartments turns wasted space into something genuinely useful. At Furniture in Fashion, storage beds are among the most asked about pieces we offer, and customers regularly tell us the room felt different the moment they switched.
This guide looks at the modern bed designs that maximise storage, with notes on what each style actually holds and where it fits.
Most UK bedrooms have a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and very little else. Once everyday clothes, shoes, bedding and seasonal items are added, the storage runs out. The space under a bed, often left empty or filled with dust covered shoeboxes, can hold a great deal more than people expect.
A typical king size ottoman frame, for example, holds roughly the equivalent of a small chest of drawers. A four drawer divan holds slightly less but allows quicker daily access. The right format depends on what you intend to store.
Ottoman frames offer the largest storage volume of any bed type. The mattress base lifts on gas struts to reveal the entire interior of the bed, with no internal divisions. This makes ottomans well suited to suitcases, spare duvets, winter coats stored off season and any item too large for a drawer.
Because the lift mechanism opens upward, ottomans suit tight rooms where there is no clearance for drawers to slide out on either side. We stock a range of beds in this style across single, double, king and super king sizes.
Drawer beds offer slightly less volume than an ottoman but quicker access to everyday items. Two drawers usually run along one long side, while four drawer versions split the storage between both sides. They suit rooms where the floor remains visible around the bed.
For a tidy result, group the drawers by purpose. One for spare bedding, one for off season clothing, one for shoes and one for everything else. This avoids the frustration of opening every drawer to find a single item.
Some TV beds combine a storage base with a footboard mounted screen. The result is a single piece of furniture that handles the lounge function, the bed function and the storage function. In studio flats and small one bedroom homes, this can replace a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a media unit.
For children’s rooms, cabin beds and mid sleeper beds combine a raised mattress with desks, drawers and wardrobes built into the frame. The footprint is no larger than a standard single, but the storage capacity is closer to a full bedroom set. This format suits rooms where the wardrobe space is otherwise minimal.
For shared children’s rooms, bunk beds with built in drawers offer the same vertical use of space while sleeping two.
A less obvious form of storage is built into the headboard itself. Some modern designs include shelves, cubbies or sliding panels behind a padded front. These suit nightly items such as books, glasses, water bottles and remotes. Headboard storage often replaces the need for bedside cabinets, which frees the floor on either side of the bed.
Storage frames carry weight. The base needs to remain sturdy when the contents are loaded and the lid is in regular use. The mattress sits on top of this base, and the right depth keeps the bed comfortable without raising the surface too high. We recommend a medium depth pocket sprung or hybrid mattress for ottoman frames, since they balance support with manageable weight when lifting the base. Browse our mattresses for sizes that match standard UK storage frame dimensions.
A storage bed reduces the burden on the rest of the room, but the other pieces still matter. A coordinated wardrobe, a chest of drawers in the same finish and matching shelving keep the room reading as a single thought. We carry a wide range of bedroom furniture that pairs with our storage beds, with free UK delivery included.
A king size ottoman frame typically holds 600 to 700 litres, depending on the manufacturer. This is enough for several suitcases, multiple duvets and a season’s worth of clothing.
Modern ottoman frames use gas struts that take most of the weight. Lifting the base requires only a light pull. The struts are designed to hold the base open safely while loaded.
Yes, provided the items are clean and dry before storing. Vacuum bags reduce the volume of bulky items such as winter coats and quilts and protect them from dust.
No. Standard UK mattresses fit storage frames as long as the size matches. We recommend medium depth options for ottomans to keep the base manageable when lifted.
A divan with drawers is a type of storage bed, but the term storage bed also covers ottoman frames and bedsteads with built in drawers. The right one depends on your room layout.
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