Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer designs a dream car...

Wow. It's like, everything and the kitchen sink. No really, there's plumbing hookups on both sides.

"Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer designs a dream car..."

The Homer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Homer_dreamcar.gif

It's efficient but storing anything but bedding under a bed is bad feng shui. Sad but true.

Love the idea, too bad it is so hideously ugly (I would never fall asleep laying on such uglyness). I have searched many times for a simple, modern, affordable bed with drawers underneath. I have come across this bed before, and it is about as good as I have seen. I just find it hard to believe that there isn't a market for storage beds.

Try Holdeverything's Cooper Storage bed.
My name links to the item on the HE site.

Well, on top of the bed being, uh, not so attractive, the weird illustration looks to be the work of a serial killer. (Mommy, I'm scared...)

Oohh my god.... stop the madness. I'm getting dizzing. Do we really need all of this? :-)

Peace... Annie

Actually, if all the drawers were shut and the whole bed was painted white or some other color, I'd like it. My guest room is so miniscule I think this would be a decent storage idea.

This is a case of bad marketing for a useful product.

Ugh, reminds me of the waterbeds that used to be sold in the 70-80's. Just add a mirrored headboard.

That's a captain's bed. Nothing special. My parents had one in their room for years. (Actually, it's still in my mom's room, but she's getting rid of it sometime in the next six months.)

They ARE useful for storage, but physically, they don't make a very good dresser unless you really like kneeling and bending.

As to the feng shui of putting stuff under the bed... I've read a couple of feng shui books, and many of the suggestions make good design sense. However, I can't be the only person who saw the episode of "Penn & Teller: B*llsh*t!" where they tackled feng shui - they brought in several different consultants and each recommended different things. They all wanted to undo the others' work, as well.

So making storage decisions based on feng shui when space is limited seems like a poor idea to me. It seems like the basic message has gotten caught up in the mysticism: if you have so much stuff that you have to store it under your bed, you probably just need to get rid of some of that stuff. But if your place is so small that underbed storage is necessary (say, you don't have anywhere in your closet for off-season clothes, or maybe you don't even have a closet), it's senseless to worry about what a pseudoscience has to say about your mystical energy flow. Having a place for your sweaters is really the more immediate issue.

(Don't get me wrong - there are feng shui tenets I like and agree with. Kingston's "Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui" is one of the most motivating decluttering books out there. But I don't think it should be taken all that seriously.)

I've noticed that eating a lot of beans changes the mystical energy flow in my apartment. That must be the "wind" part of feng shui.

Seriously, that is an ugly old bed. I really like the beds where the whole mattress lifts up to reveal a storage cavity the size of the bed. I just wish I could find one for less than $3000.

Back when I was looking for a bed and dresser (and couch and chairs and ...) I'm kind of glad my friends talked me out of something like this.

I actually have one of these--you don't have to buy the headboard/Battlestar Galactica attachments. I just have the dresser which is hidden by my bedskirt. It's pretty well made and gives you a nice amount of extra storage.

So that IS a dresser in your bedskirt. We just thought you were happy to see us. ;)

To Corey's point, this looks extremely practical.

And I think it is actually the illustrations of the bed, and not the actual bed, that are really causing the reaction.

I have stared at this bed so many times in the last couple months, as I'd love to eliminate some furniture in our bedroom and have more space/style. But it suddenly occurs to me that I don't need dresser drawers under the bed: I need book shelves.

I've been thinking about this bed for a long time. Just the 'dresser' part to go under my current bed. I could use the storage, not so much for bedroom stuff but for other stuff. We live in a home built in the late 1800's and closet space is minimal. A bedskirt sounds like just the thing to make it work!

Ikea has a bed in catalog and showrooms like what Max is asking for (entire matress lifts to reveal storage). However, it's never in stock and no one at the big box seems to know when it will arrive. It's called, I think Sultan Alsarp. About $300. Anyone know its whereabouts?

Just because drawers look like drawers, doesn't mean they can't be bookshelves. I bet paperback books on end would fit nicely into some of those drawers. And magazines would fit into another one. I love sleeping surrounded by books-my headboard attests to that. But this storage bed could be even better. You might search for a sweater everyday, but searching for a book happens less often. We'll rename this bed The Bibliophile's Bed and reach a whole new market.

I like the idea but I, like others, also like sharing the bed; I just can't help but imagine the annoyance that the opening and shutting of drawers would cause. My partner goes to sleep/wakes up at a different time than me, and visa versa. At least with a dresser, the sound is contained slightly away from the sleeper.

Good for tiny rooms though.

Go to the manufacture's website for this bed @ www.ultimatebed.com They have better photos and more info. Also you can purchase the bed unfinished and paint it any color you want

Too bad it looks like the plywood used for sub-flooring. I checked the website, that 6' drawer in the middle could be incredibly useful for New Yorkers. You could hide a mistress or a gardener in there. A lifesaver.

If only it could have the style of the Tao Bed featured on the main page today...

The Anderson model that I bought when I moved to NYC in '99 is only one drawer high rather than two, like the one shown here. I didn't get the headboard because of that ugly factor. Assembly took most of a day. But it's very sturdy, and although you lose a fair amount of effective storage space because of the space above, below, and between the drawers, the boxspring, and the floor, whatever you store stays clean and dust free. Using bedding that hangs almost down to the floor covers up the blah appearance. Overall, a good purchase for my money, and my cats don't seem to feel deprived of the hiding space. The smaller cat occasionally opens up the door to the long narrow space that runs up the center from the bottom of the bed, and crawls in for some privacy.

I understand all of the info re: how this bed is not attractive, but can anyone tell me how comfortable the mattress is?

What this bed is great for is storage, more than everyday use. What it replaces for us is closet space as much as drawer space.

In a tiny resort rental it held all the paper products, blankets, cleaning supplies, tools, light bulbs and even extra wallpaper, still leaving empty drawers for renters to use if they needed them.

The end drawers served to keep the owners' personal stuff between visits with a little padlock installed on the doors. We had four pillows, towels, sheets, beach stuff, toiletries and small appliances and a bushel of other little stuff just in the end drawers.

We did have a bedskirt covering everything and it looked nice -- no extra gizmos, not even the headboard. We used a more decorative wicker headboard.

We just bought another rental unit, and we're buying another ultimate bed.

I have had one of these for years. It would be prettier in paint, but you can do that yourself. I don't have the headboard or the sidetables. I really like it. I'm older and don't much like kneeling, but it isn't that bad. It's just like the bottom two drawers of a dresser.
My cats hated it at first. Don't know about the Feng Shui of Felines, but when they tried to run under the bed, they whammed their furry little heads. Now they just open the drawers and crawl behind them. It's a wonderful bed.

Has anyone had any experience with the wood strength on this bed? With our current platform bed I have had to add an extra layer of plywood to the platform as it started to crack/sag. Partner is large.

See, I think this is a nice 'idea' with poor execution - my bedroom is so small, I wouldn't be able to open the drawers on two of the sides....

The somewhat inaccurately-named Gothic Cabinet Craft chain has simple, modern-looking, minimally-styled real wood platform beds with drawers underneath. The drawer part is recessed so they're almost invisible. They're customizable -- you can choose drawers on one or both sides (if your bed is against a wall on one side there's no point in having drawers you can't open), you can choose what kind of stain to put on the wood, etc. They're very reasonably priced, too:

http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/product_listing.php?cPath=8_82

I could see maybe two large drawers under the bed but that all. This is too much.
I wonder what the reasoning is behind the idea that this is bad Feng Shui?

Enrique: you made me laugh so hard I choked on my coffee!

Wende: If you are at all handy, a Ready Made issue (from last year?) showed how to turn IKEA billy bookcases into a rolling platform bed with book etc storage beneath. It is a bit of a project, but you could also customize to your hearts content.

Course you could also hire someone to make something for you!

I really, really like the idea of using one of these for storing books. It would make spending a Sunday afternoon reading feel like floating on a raft made of books.

Have to think about this.

I came across this bed when I moved because our new bedroom is really small. (not NYC small but small). I had the same reaction that everyone else did - this thing is ugly. My cousin has one of the Gothic Cabinet Craft beds which is much nicer and for those in NYC cheap. Ended up with a cheap IKEA platform bed instead. IKEA makes a single bed with two drawers as well as the bed that works like the bed cover on a pick-up truck. I'm amazed that IKEA doesn't make a queen sized bed with good storage.

Room & Board makes a high steel bed (15" floor to rail height) that is great for under-bed storage. I've been able to store quite a bit of stuff under mine.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114295947243604190.html?mod=home_whats_news_us

oops - was reading news.

correct link:

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB1228&dept=RB121

Max, overstock.com has a lift-up storage bed for less than $900, http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=1769248
It also comes in king, and they used to have queen, but apparently, that sold out.

Does anyone have this bed? It certainly is a good price compared to Flou.

Here's a more attractive, if less spacious storage-wise, variation (click on my signature).

Max, I purchased my Italian platform bed with pneumatic lift-up mechanism for much less than $3000 4 yrs ago at AKO Brooklyn store (I think they have one downtown Manhattan, too).
[very slow site...if you have the patience, go to beds->Sirio w/storage]

As someone already mentioned, this bed actually requires quite a bit of room to open the drawers! I prefer the Chelsea bed at Hold Everything (linked in my name), as the storage is accessible by sliding doors -- no clearance room necessary.

I just wish I had room for the headboard too!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this one from Pottery Barn:

http://ww2.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpcfurbedall%7Crshop&pkey=cfurbedall&gids=p5382

It's not too unattractive, is it? My bedroom is seriously so small I can't have a dresser and the constant shifting of piles of clothing is driving me batty. I have to do something!

I like this bed and its storage solutions in a colder climate......

http://www.yourfilehost.com/media.php?cat=image&file=16_ned.jpg

Tat,
How do you like your Sirio storage bed? I've had my eye on it for a while. How easy is it to lift? Is it convenient to access the things you've stored? Also, do you mind letting us know how much less than $3K you paid? Thanks.

try the pottery barn 'teen' version...

http://ww2.pbteen.com/cat/pip.cfm?snav=1&pkey=ccolbbd&gids=p1377&ctid=colbbd&area=shp

fuk you losers

The Lucca-Platform-Storage-Bed is avalable on several online sites and it looks like it has the same meachanism as the expensive Flou bed but costs a lot less. The bed is covered in chocolate leather. In full, queen and king sizes. Overstock has some also.
http://www.comcore21.com/Storage-Bed-Lombardia.htm
for $806 plus shiping , and $920 with free shipping at http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/Modus-LU08-xxH-
Lucca-Platform-Storage-Bed.htm

Has anbody tried this one?

They have the Lucca storage bed on the floor at the Union Square furniture store- At Home... it's Broadway and 18th, maybe? anyway, they used to have one right up front. Kind of bulky and masculine but definitely affordable and functional.

This bed is the most affordable lift-top platform storage bed around. A third of the price of the others. No frills but gets the job done.

Lift and store Platform bed.

http://www.spacesaverswallbeds.com/stoeragebed

The site also has murphy and wall beds.

"fuk you losers"? Um, what's that about? If you think the discussion is beneith you, don't bother commenting and go somewhere else-

when i first saw this i thought i had to have it.

but then i thought, 'why not save $1,900 and get 6" bed risers and make some nice under bed storage as seen here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=cc9dd0f19132f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default ?'

(oh, dear - that's a long link.. hope it works.. it's for martha stewart project on making under-bed storage on wheels from old drawers - search for 'closet on wheels' on her site)

I wouldn't have chosen the Ultimate Bed... we were looking at Gothic Cabinet Craft captain's beds when a California King Ultimate Bed popped up on Craig's List for $700! Needless to say, we bought it right away.

Our bedroom is the nursery of a 120yo house, so there isn't much room for dressers, though I do have a small one that fits ok. We don't have the side drawer thingies up, but if someone wants ours, just holler!

The Ultimate Bed is fantastic - the mattresses are like a sleep number bed, we replaced the memory foam from the previous owners, and it holds a LOT (6 foot drawers hold all my wrapping paper, cards, and most gifts that I buy ahead, plus our bedding, extra pillows and comforters for guests, etc.

We often say how happy we are with this bed, even after 2 years, even though we wanted a nicer looking one in a queen size (to fit the room)...

ROB!

Thank you for that link to Gothic Cabinet Craft! I love this bed! And I can afford this bed!

http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/platform-floating-nightstands-queen-p-2321.html?cPath=8_82

Its the Swiss army knife of beds.

I can see where it might be a functional choice in a small bedroom.

Who is more attractive in person, you or your client?

love and apologies,
dangling modifier girl

i have a storage bed from pottery barn teen, which i liked better than the pottery barn adult version. it has cubbies not drawers. i put two decorative boxes in the front cubbies to hid the stuff i stored there.

Many years ago, I built a sturdy bed, that has legs in the corners only (and not this 5th cheat leg seen under some doubles).

I also made under bed storage for it, from 8 mm (1/3th?) beech plywood. These function as drawers, but are actually boxes on wheels.

Tricks to make them look nice: the panels extend below the bottom of the box that they are, thus hiding the wheels. The top of the side panels is quite close to the bed, but the boxes are shorter than the width of the bed. The result the bed still seems to be on legs, and not a massive brick.

The side panels that are most in view are also slanted to match the slant of the legs. This makes the box wider at the top, and narrower at the bottom where it shows most.

hmmm... more like "The Anderson Ultimate Mess"

:( .. That is the only think I can say.

I'd buy it only if it will make me coffee in the morning. And it must come pre-painted, not stained.

The bed is ugly in my opinion. However the idea of drawer storage under the bed appeals to me. An object that can serve multiple purposes and still look nice is always a great piece in my mind. I love the Matera bed at DWR, but the price tag (even on sale) is a bit out of my reach.

Okay, so it looks hideous in the above illustration, but if you use your imagination a little it's not so bad. I picked up one of these in a queen, no headboard or side tables, on Craigslist for $500 in the box. It is unfinished (solid!) red oak that I will stain to a deep wood tone, and it is great quality and super functional. To answer some comments above, it is very nice wood and in person doesn't bear a resemblance to subflooring, and it definitely won't sag under you. Do I wish it looked more like a modern showpiece? Sure, but a little stain or paint goes a long way towards taking the "country" out of it, and I like it overall.

This is by far the most awesome bed i have ever seen! It would solve the space problem i have with my tiny bedroom. I wonder if it would work for my discount tempurpedic mattress, the one in the image seems a little thinner than mine...

Dear fellow consumers,

I hate to put down USA-made products but this bed is very close to being a piece of, well, JUNK.

I purchased the deluxe King-size 12-drawer version in May 2010 in Walnut with all the extras and have just now found the time to assemble it. And I am SHOCKED!! Nearly all components are unfinished/unstained wood, particleboard or OSB (oriented strand board). This ‘bed’ is massively overpriced for what it is -- I paid $2,000 (it now costs $2,500). It is one of the flimsiest ricketiest pieces of furniture I have ever assembled. And it is a BEARCAT to put together.

I am an experienced contractor proficient in ALL construction trades and it’s taking me upwards of 80 man-hours to piece this monster together. Granted, I’m trying to convert this heap into something acceptable for me. I’m shellacking all the unfinished parts (nearly everything). Plus I’m packing massive amounts of hurricane clips and metal strapping and pounds of additional fasteners into the design. I’m reinforcing it so that it doesn’t disintegrate when I actually USE it!

If you think I’m exaggerating, think again. If you think you shouldn’t believe me and that this bed’s the cat’s meow and so wonderful you’ve got another think coming.

Look I’m not sure if the owners of Anderson manufacturing company are aware of the inferiority of their product. They may have been able to expand and prosper all these 40 years because they’re not dependent on repeat business. It may not matter if these beds are toy-beds because people even if most/all customers were to vow to never again buy then there still would be plenty of NEW unassuming customers to generate new sales. Or, perhaps people are really happy with these storage beds, and I’m just crazy. It is possible. But please remember for this kind of money there are A LOT of wares you can choose from.

Hope this helps someone, somewhere.
Kindest Regards,
Solarsherpa

No one mentioned pompasoonuc(sp). I have the king with four drawers(2 each side) and with good quality mattress, it's very cool. Wish the bed had a headboard but otherwise very pleased. I've owned it at least 8 years

I've had the Anderson bed for about 15 years now. I just have a single level of drawers, no head board or side tables (those are butt ugly). With the single layer I have a box spring on top and then I have one of the adjustable air mattress on top of that. It is totally hidden by a bed skirt. The wood is ash and has proved to be very strong. It does not have a single defect after all this time. I stained it and assembled it myself. Very straight forward construction. The drawers still work great. My house is only 760 sq ', so storage is a premium. I store my less used items in it. Winter long johns and socks, my collection of place mats, a drawer full of cameras etc. The long drawer is where I keep all of my wrapping paper supplies. For my headboard, I have one from Ikea that also has storage in it. I keep extra pillows and blankets in there. It has a nice sloped back which looks nice and is perfect for reading in bed. By the way, I hate bed skirts, but I have a few simple box pleat ones that are nice and plain. If I had to actually look at the Anderson bed, I wouldn't like it so much.

To all the folks complaining that this bed is ugly: read the website. The storage drawers themselves are designed to fit under an existing bed frame if you so desire (read: you don't actually have to get the headboard, footboard, platform or side tables), which means they'd be pretty darned easy to hide even if you hate bed skirts and unpainted wood. If you really need the storage then buy one of these and pick up that espresso stained Ethan Allen four-poster on Craigslist for $100, and you're all set. Seriously folks, making this thing work for you isn't as hard as you're making it out to be.

Solarsherpa, I am wondering if you read the website carefully before making a buying decision? On this easily-found page on the Anderson website (http://www.ultimatebed.com/a2/ ), it clearly states: "All exterior parts are solid pine or oak." So why would you be surprised that the inner parts are something else?

I bought an Anderson Ultimate Bed and spent several days putting it together. This bed definitely has Pros and Cons. The bottom line is that knowing what I know now, I would not buy this bed again. Solarsherpa is definitely correct in many of his criticisms.

I want to state up front there are no villains in this story. Anderson Manufacturing is clearly an ethical company that tries to put out a quality product, and treats its employees and customers well. The basic problem may be that it's just impossible for a USA-based manufacturer to sell this bed at an attractive price. For the ~$2,000 I paid for the bed (system), it is grossly overpriced. I priced a beautiful Mission-style bed with underframe drawers, factory-made in Eastern Europe, very well executed and finished, for ~$2,000. The Anderson Ultimate Bed, as I bought it upgraded, would be a good deal at $1,000.

First the Pros:
The bed "works" as advertised. The entire system comes in ~10 boxes that are impressively well packaged. This bed does have a lot of storage space. The bed system is basically sturdy when put together (more about that later). The stained version of the visible wood does look good. Assembly is relatively straightforward, though time-consuming for a first timer. The instructions are for the most part accurate (though there are lots of unrecoverable "gotchas" for the first-time assembler). The non-visible parts of the bed are built of decently sturdy manufactured wood pieces. Manufacturing tolerances are kept under sufficient control that everything fits together without slop. So long as the bed is not moved, it should last a long time.

Now for the Cons...
This bed is put together with screws — hundreds of screws. Essentially, this means the bed is difficult to disassemble. Even moving the finished or half-finished bed across the floor puts many screws at risk of stripping out of soft wood pieces. I don't think this bed would survive multiple moves without damage. The screw and bracket construction makes the bed look cheap. When I open my eyes in the morning, every morning for maybe the next twenty years, I look up at a set of cheap brackets and screws holding the headboard together.

Many screws protrude when they should be countersunk flat against the wood. Apparently Anderson means for the screws to countersink themselves when driven into soft wood. Unfortunately, the screws often assemble layers of soft wood and hard wood, so it is often very difficult to drive the Philips head screws deep enough to countersink. If the assembler applies enough thrust to the screws to get them to countersink, the Phillips drive socket galls to destruction (Black screws with silver slivers...). After a few hours of driving these screws, my arms were tired — and I'm a husky guy. Maybe a change to Pozidriv, Robertson or Torx head screws would be better.The hard wood pieces need to be pre-drilled. Anderson did include a drill, apparently in response to criticism, but too big for many screws.

The visible wood is basically good-looking, but it appears merely stained, with no protective topcoat. Anderson says a wood finish over top of the stain is not necessary. Maybe, but it seems to me any moisture, on say the headboard or night-table from a glass of water, would quickly seep in and ruin the look of the wood.

The (Mission-style) headboard has several problems: The slats on my headboard came with a lot of splinters (not good for children to grasp the headboard slats) and a few runny stains. The slats should be beveled. Unless the brackets are placed just right, the front board is not flush and leaves an ugly visible gap in the front of the headboard — one of the many "unrecoverable gotchas" I found putting this bed together. The pillow bar is set far too low for modern thicker mattresses. (In fact the entire platform is slightly too small. Whoever changes sheets will hate the lack of relief around the mattress). The lights that came with the headboard are seriously cheap, ugly and old-fashioned. We ended up buying LED light strips.

The night table construction is flat-out cheap and awkward. No slides — just a crude box in a crude heavy cabinet with wooden side guides for the drawer. It does have a lot of table surface area, however.

The underbed cabinet drawer are adequate. No dovetail construction here, but it is adequately sturdy. Metal slides are good. The "aromatic cedar" inserts are cheap and crude.

Overall, I would say an assembler would make a better-looking second bed, and construct it faster. However, given the flaws in the design, I don't think Anderson will have much repeat business for this bed. The bed needs to be redesigned for easier construction and a more attractive look in some key places, and it needs to be cheaper. Clearly Anderson could learn from IKEA...