Storage Ideas for Bedroom

Few of us are naturally tidy-minded and a tidy bedroom seems to be one of life's more unattainable aspirations, but do try not to design a bedroom environment that is completely inappropriate to your lifestyle. If your clothes tend to lie around in heaps for days, the minimalist bedroom is not for you.

You need rows of cupboards (closets) and bottomless drawers. Invest in a few high-sided storage boxes to contain the debris that normally ends up under the bed, or buy a bed with built-in drawers — ideal for packing away the duvet. If short of space, be economical with non-functional furniture. It is very easy to transform an old school trunk, by covering it with a kelim or old rug, to provide additional storage space at the foot of the bed and a surface for books and magazines — and it is far more space-effective than a mere bench.

Storage can be decorative as well as functional. Doors can be imaginatively painted or stencilled or clad in fabric to match the bed linen or bed hangings. Cheaper alternatives include using coloured paper or creating collages of postcards and memorabilia. You could remove the doors completely and replace them with rattan blinds.

You can read: Planning Your Bedroom

There are lots of ways to bring a cupboard (closet) to life. Storage units can also become a structural feature of the bedroom. If space is short, you could place your mattress on top of free-standing storage units and make a self-styled sleeping platform. If the aerial suspension does not appeal to you, use the units as room dividers – either as a series of the screen or around the bed to create privacy. 

Here are some tips for bedroom storage:

1. Try and combine more than one function in any one storage element. Wall-to-wall fitted cupboards (closets) could include mirror doors or incorporate a washbasin and. In addition to hanging space. Provide storage for all those cumbersome bags and suitcases which always end up under the bed.

2. If averse to mirrors, use glass-fronted cupboards (closets) and display your clothes. As a focus of the bedroom, the cupboards (closets) will provide additional depth to the room and can be discreetly lit. Serried ranks of underwear, shirts, etc.. interspersed with books and objects and even the occasional picture, will turn your storage into a conversation piece.

3. Open shelving can take care of those problem areas under the stairs and eaves but can gather dust and leave clothes less than pristine. Simple curtains or individual storage boxes can be used to protect delicate items. 

4. Storage units can also be used as room dividers; clothing rails in bedroom corners can be hidden behind screens covered in either fabric or paper.