Ikea Platsa storage bed
By

10 bedroom storage ideas to keep the clutter at bay

Your bedroom should be a sanctuary to relax and switch off, so it’s an essential to keep the clutter at bay. Stop the mess mounting up with some savvy storage that decluttering expert Marie Kondo would be proud of! Good Homes picks out some of the best bedroom storage ideas to help you create a restful oasis, from classic ottoman beds to built-in wardrobes…

This article contains affiliate links, from which we earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase

1. Choose a storage bed

Storage beds come in many different shapes, sizes and price-points, from lift-up ottoman styles to budget-friendly Ikea options and elaborate four-poster designs with built-in shelving. For compact spaces that need to work hard, consider something like the Vox 4 You king-sized four-poster bed from Cuckooland (£1,095) – not only does it have shelves above the headboard and built into the bedframe, it also has a lift-up mattress to tuck that out-of-season wardrobe away until you need it again. The IKEA Platsa bed frame with storage is a much cheaper option at £329, but you won’t have the benefit of the lift-up mattress, like you get with an ottoman. The Novamobili Tape storage bed from Go Modern Furniture utilises gas pistons to make lifting the mattress easy. It costs £2,720. At the cheaper end of the spectrum, without gas pistons, is the Alexis Ottoman bed from Bensons for Beds, costing £599.99.

Bedroom storage ideas: storage beds from cheap to expensive - Ikea Platsa bed frame; four-poster storage bed with shelves; ottoman beds with different lift systems

Clockwise from top left: Ikea Platsa bed frame; Novamobili Tape storage bed from Go Modern Furniture; Vox 4 You four-poster storage bed from Cuckooland; Alexis Ottoman bed from Bensons for Beds

2. Under-bed storage

If you prefer a simple bedframe, or are not ready for a new storage bed yet, opt for under-bed storage. There are plenty of options out there, from simple zip-up fabric bags to shallow plastic boxes with lids and drawers with wheels. Which option you go for depends on your budget, but wheels with make for much easier access, so if you’re storing towels, bedding or shoes that you will need to get to frequently, it’s worth paying a bit more for convenience. The Dinkum under bed storage drawer from Loaf costs £195, but if you’re looking for cheaper bedroom storage ideas, you can get hold of lidded, plastic equivalents by Orthex for £24 from John Lewis.

Bedroom storage ideas - wooden under bed storage drawer with wheels

Dinkum under bed storage drawer from Loaf

3. Bedside storage

Keep books, reading glasses and any night-time lotions and potions out of sight with a bedside drawer unit or cabinet. If you’re not a fan of the more traditional designs, opt for an on-trend locker style like the Shorty bedside locker from Mustard Made at Scandiborn (£139), which comes with two adjustable shelves, a hook and handy cable hole. If floor space is an issue, try a bedside shelf like the customisable modular bedside table from Woodendot (from £254).

Bedroom storage ideas - yellow bedside table locker vs bedside table shelf

Left: Shorty bedside locker from Mustard Made at Scandiborn. Right: Modular bedside table from Woodendot

4. Storage baskets

Plenty of us are guilty of cultivating a chairdrobe, or worse, a floordrobe! But a simple storage basket can help you keep the clutter at bay here. Instead of throwing your clothes onto the chair at the end of a busy day, throw them into the basket instead. Ideally, you’ll manage to fold them, but either way, the chaos will be contained in the basket, leaving your space looking less cluttered. A bamboo ladder that you lean against the wall (like this one from Wayfair) can serve the same purpose here, but to keep things looking neat and tidy you’ll need to fold or artfully drape your clothes onto the ladder – and keep it to just two or three items.

Storage basket

Photo: Sharps

5. Add an ottoman

One of the simplest bedroom storage ideas, assuming you have room at the end of your bed, is an ottoman chest. They’re great for stashing away everything from bedlinen to hair styling tools, as well as providing an extra seat for doing your make up or pulling on socks! Tidy away cushions and blankets in a long ottoman at the end of the bed, like this Lena navy blue velvet ottoman storage bench from Danetti, or go for a smaller storage footstool that you can tuck into a corner.

Bedroom storage ideas - blue velvet ottoman trunk at the foot of a bed

Lena navy blue velvet ottoman storage bench from Danetti

6. Dressing table with storage

A separate dressing room would be lovely, but without a lottery win, many of us have to make do with a dressing table in the bedroom with enough space to store make up and beauty bits. Fortunately, slimline, multifunctional designs like this Frances woven rattan dressing table with mirror, £179.99, from Daals make the most of the space they take up. It has two spacious drawers to keep lotions and potions stowed neatly away, and also features rattan panels, making it perfectly on trend. 

Dressing table, Daals

Frances woven rattan dressing table with mirror from Daals

7. Utilise wall space

If space is tight or you want to keep the floor furniture-free, shelves make an effortless alternative to a bedside table or as extra storage, especially if your bedroom doubles as a home office or dressing room. Choose from open or closed, with a mirror or drawer – and consider using more than one in a staggered effect for added interest. Modular shelving, like this clever unit from BTFY at VonHaus, is particularly on trend right now, and let’s you expand or contract your shelf space as needed.

Bedroom storage ideas - modular shelving unit like string shelving that you can add to

Modular shelving unit from BTFY at VonHaus

8. Vintage-style trunks

Trunks are a very Instagrammable bedroom storage idea. You can either buy new, vintage-style trunks that suit you decor, like the Sakura floral-print trunks by BTFY from VonHaus (£94.99), or hunt out some original pieces from the likes of vintage leather specialist Scaramanga. They can be a bit of a faff to get in and out of though, especially if you’re stacking them, so use them to store things that you don’t need to get hold of very often.

Vintage-style storage trunks

Set of two Sakura floral-print trunks by BTFY, £94.99 from VonHaus

9. Stackable boxes

Stackable boxes are brilliant for children’s toys as they’re easy to access and make packing away quick and easy, but they’re also ideal for make up, beauty products, hair styling accessories, scarves, hats, shoes and all sorts. Try the Orthex SmartStore recycled baskets from HomeBase for cheap and cheerful storage solution (£5-£7 depending on size, bamboo lids available separately).

Recycled plastic storage boxes

Orthex SmartStore recycled baskets from HomeBase

10. Built-in wardrobes

This is probably the most expensive of our bedroom storage ideas, but you can’t beat floor-to-ceiling wardrobes to make the most of the space you have, whether you’re dealing with alcoves, uneven walls or a sloping ceiling in a converted loft. Companies like Sharps, Ikea and Hammonds are all known for their fitted wardrobes, so measure up and check them out. If you already have built-in wardrobes and still find you need more storage space, you may wish to consider decluttering!

Sharps built-in wardrobes

Sharps Manhattan bedroom range


MORE STORAGE IDEAS FOR BED, BATH & BEYOND