Ideal Bedroom Storage Ideas

Finding the right bedroom storage design ideas might keep you up at night, but don’t panic. Whether it’s a lack of wardrobes, drawers or hanging space making your bedroom feel less like a calm boudoir and more walk-in-wardrobe, there’s no shortage of smart storage to help you create your perfect sleep space.

1. Fit alcove cupboards

Built-in floor-to-ceiling storage puts alcoves either side of a bed to best use. Connect them with a full-width headboard in the same colour to give you a streamlined shelf for books and other bits. Green is a restful choice that’s perfect for bedrooms. And why not fill the gap with a panel of flamboyant wallpaper?

2. Pop a bookcase-turned bench at the end of the bed

Place a sturdy shelf unit on its side to create a bench with storage cubbies to sit at the end of the bed. Perfect for basketfuls of shoes or spare bedding. We added old feet for a pretty detail but you could also consider using castors – particularly if you are adapting the idea for moveable storage in a child’s bedroom.

3. Store behind the door

Use over-the-door hooks, a key organiser and a kitchen rail to keep your favourite accessories ready to grab and go. You could even consider adding a magnifying mirror to the mix. S-hooks can hold anything from shoes to bags to scarves to umbrellas – but make sure you double up support for heavier items. So the overall effect doesn’t become too messy, try to use fixtures from the same range (try IKEA, Clas Ohlsen or The Holding Company for a good selection) and curate accessories in a complementary colour palette.

4. Create a neat styling station

Spice racks don’t have to be confined to the kitchen! Here, a stack of three are fixed to the bedroom wall to serve as mini shelves for hair products and make-up kit, for speedy morning sessions. Note the third rack has been attached upside down, and s-hooks added, so towels don’t end up on the floor and your hair dryer or straighteners needn’t be left in a tangle.

5. Add high shelves near the ceiling

In a box room, make a feature of a high shelf on decorative brackets, with grab-handled baskets that fit flush to the ceiling, for storage that doesn’t intrude into the space. Keep bedtime reading easily accessible on a magazine rack mounted to the wall. Piles of cushions allow this bed to double as seating during the day.

6. Squeeze in a skinny vanity unit

Think you can’t fit in a make-up station? Think again. this repurposes shoe storage from IKEA and is just 22cm deep and works as a dressing table in a tight space. We added leather handles to make it extra special, while the storage inside doesn’t need to be used for shoes – you could use it to stash away beauty products or linens and towels. A half-painted wall makes a feature of your furniture.

7. Stack, slide and style your bedside tables

Modern bedside tables make versatile storage in master bedrooms or guest rooms. A single drawer is enough to hold bedside essentials or small toiletry items, so the space underneath acts as a mini book stack when traditional shelving is not an option. Reserve the top surface for a lamp, your current book and any other items you like to have immediately to hand.

8. Go for classic wooden drawers

Keep things traditional in a country bedroom scheme. Choose a chest of drawers in keeping with other furniture in your room and stow it next to your bed so it can also function as a bedside table. Hang a pretty mirror above it and keep a smart upholstered chair nearby which can also serve as a dressing table. If space is too tight for a foot-of-the-bed storage chest, go for a basket instead – it’s perfect for storing extra linen and bits and bobs. This glorious scheme is brought together by a fabulous backdrop of full-on floral wallpaper.

9. Reflect on fitted wardrobes

Mirrored wardrobes seem to be a little out of favour these days, but don’t rule them out. This fabulous bedroom is the all the more stylish for its smart fitted furniture – follow its lead by going for pairs of slimline mirror inserts rather than full mirrored doors. The run of oversized round handles adds a quirky touch. When designing a fitted wardrobe, balance the space you will gain for storage against the space you will ‘lose’ in the main room.

Decide where your hanging, drawer and shelf space will sit – in your wardrobe or within the main room? When designing mirrored doors, bear in mind how they will reflect the room – here, the play of floral wallpaper is kept in check by the white painted ceiling and suggests another space beyond the wardrobe.

10. Double up with your alcoves

Design a bedroom around your storage requirements. If you have a large chimney breast with alcoves either side, use it as the central device in your decorating scheme and place your bed in front of it. Fit alcove shelves for books and decorative pieces so you won’t need to provide floorstanding shelves or cupboards.

Be clever with fitted alcove units and design them low enough to function as bedside cabinets. Go for hanging bedside pendants rather than table lamps so you can free up surface space for additional storage or display.