apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

When I first moved to the city, my first piece of furniture was a captain's bed, because it had drawers underneath it, and it gave me a place for my clothes and a place to sleep. The problem was that the handles weren't particularly pretty and it looked like a kid's piece of furniture (to me), but the good thing (at the time) was that it was actual wood, which made it seem substantial.

The problem with the hardware was that, although I didn't like the way they looked, they were actually designed perfectly for not scraping your leg as you walked by them, so it seemed folly to change them out, so I kept them until I moved into a SMALLER apartment in Manhattan, which had a loft bed. So, I gave that captain's bed to the super of the new building.

I'm thinking of getting the Portica bed from Room and Board. It's higher off the ground -- with space for your own storage boxes.
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/collection.do?method=get&id=377783&cat=45

I've slept on captain's beds most of my life, and am sleeping on one now from Gothic Cabinet Craft. Although I like the idea of someday having a cool, modern bedframe, I know the practical side of me would look at the space underneath the bed and think "Hmmm, look at all that wasted storage space"

Anyhoo, GCC has a variety of captain's beds, and you can have them stained a variety of colors to match your decor::

http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/beds-full-size-beds-c-8_79.html

My boyfriend bought a bed from Gothic Cabinet Craft (http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/platform-drawers-metal-tracks-full-p-1646.html?cPath=8_79) and it's been great. I like the fact that you can DIY in terms of staining.

watch it with those baskets - they just collect dust (and everything inside, it's really bad!). Underbed storage should be enclosed to keep the dust bunnies at bay.

IKEA (ok, i KNOW) has something w/underbed storage and looks nicer than kiddie furniture and is cheaper than PB. THeir loft beds are nice too and help max on space.

I LOVE the idea of a loft bed w/the lower part turned into a walk-in closet. Most pre-fabs are too short to really walk under, but so many people know how to build one that you shouldn't have a problem getting help.

The upside to the Mandal bed from IKEA is that you don't have to worry about clearance to pull out the drawers underneath a captains bed.

I can only pull my under the bed storage boxes out from the end of my bed because they won't fit out the sides.

Not exactly what you're looking for, but I have Ikea's Noresund frame (a la fifi's comment). There's no direct storage underneath, but it's higher than a normal bed and I can fit a ton of stuff underneath. To give you an idea of the height, I can fit copy paper boxes down there with no problem. There is a mid-beam bar that might get in the way, but I've never had any problems.

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15558&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=83789&langId=-1&categoryId=16173&chosenPartNumber=S69838964

Otherwise the Mandal bed is probably a good cost-effective option.

Another option, but not great for stuff you use every day, is a bed that lifts with storage underneath. Got mine a few years ago, similar to the one on the website except the bottom is closed in and the mattress lift up with hydraulic assistance (like your car trunk) so it's not too heavy. Much cleaner look than drawers or baskets, no one has ever known that there was storage under there. We put suitcases and off season stuff under ours, holds a ton. Prices were not too bad, but the wait seemed like forever. Ordered it in June and it arrived in October since the factory closed for August.

http://www.jesse.it/ing/products/night-area/beds/sirio.html

I would be careful with a captains bed style.... many rooms in NY are tiny and you'll have to keep your bed against a wall (losing 1/2 the storage). Keeping pull out boxes (enclosed, as someone else mentioned to keep the dust out) under a regualar frame with a nice, clean bedskirt could be another alternative

I am really suprised how few of this type of bed are on the market (at an affordable price point -- I covet that flip up bed but the price is prohibitive). I finally bought the tall bed frame from West Elm -- it is much higher than most platform beds, and allows me to use both my mattress and box spring (I live to 'climb in'). Its footprint is also less obtrusive than the Pottery Barn model you mentioned. Ikea hadn't come out with their Blu Dot knock-off when I purchased, and I still haven't see it in person (although I was at the blue box last weekend).

A note on girl_in_10021's comment: I had that exact situation -- in fact, my bed alcove pretty much blocks drawers that would come out of either side. I had one custom built from Gothic Cabinet with very deep drawers at the foot of the bed, and open shelving on the side for books and linens. They did a great job. And the design is very simple so it is pretty neutral. My only regret: I wanted white but didn't want to pay $600 extra to have them paint it, so I had them whitewash it for free. Note to self: whitewash is not white.

I just purchased the "Storage Bed" at the JCPenney.com online outlet for $499. It only comes in white but it's just like the Stratton at PB - in fact "Stratton Bed" was on the delivery boxes.
Downsides - delivery was pricey (half as much as the bed) and putting it together wasn't fun (took a while but it wasn't that hard). I had to pay someone to take away the packing material and boxes.
But I love the bed and baskets really do hold a lot of stuff.

http://tinyurl.com/2tg7nf

peppercook, great find! i like it in white, looks very beach-y. : )

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=400&f=3510

The sleepy hollow bed is something i've had my eye on...but i'm dubious about storage capacity, dust bunnies and cb2 quality...thoughts?

Peppercook,

You probably DO have the Stratton bed since it is hardwood. The original price point of that identical-looking piece is only $100 less than PB's $999 and the six baskets could be a less expensive design than the PB ones, which would account for that price difference. Manufacturers do this all the time, sell the same merchandise with cost saving differences to other retail outlets to see under different names.

AnnaG,

I would rather go with something that is real wood for that price. In fact, the JCPenney bed is real wood, while the CB2 is veneer over "engineered wood", which is just a better name for MDF.

i just moved and bought the gothic cabinet craft bed:
http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/platform-drawers-metal-tracks-full-p-1646.html?cPath=8_79

pros:
- two very roomy drawers on each side
- color swatch (i had them stain it) was true to life
- shipping cost was fair
- low-profile so it didn't look dowdy. its actually looks lower than the picture on the site. very simple and clean lines
- the quality of the wood is OK. it's not high quality wood but you get what you pay for. and it's really not bad, looks like it'll last a few years.
- price was fantastic compared to similar styles from other vendors

cons:
- they don't really do much in terms of sanding, alot of sawdust and splinters, granted it was underneath and you couldn't see it but when you live with it, you'll notice it. so sand the undersides esp the grip part of the drawers. and they don't stain what you don't see from eye level.
- this might be particular to my piece but the middle seam on the top part of the bed didn't sit flush (we ordered a king size so the top was 2 halves). so being wary we had to reinforce with a board before putting on the mattress.
- even with the tracks the drawers need a little breaking in. i think this is a sanding issue as well.

all in all i was happy with my purchase after i sand down the edges a little. and definitely get the tracks.

good luck on your search!

Okay, it's Ikea, but it's one of the few non-crappy things they don't make. It's a lift-up storage bed that's very substantial. The Sultan Alsaarp, which is $249 for full size, $299 for queen. Then you also have to buy a mattress (though no box spring) which doesn't have to be Ikea, though I think what I bought was the Sultan Hustad ( a spring mattress). This doesn't fall apart, it's not misaligned, dented or otherwise deformed like lots of other Ikea stuff and the bed has been great.

What about the Bolero storage bed from the Door Store?

http://www.doorstorefurniture.com/bolero.html

FYI for those interested in the flip-up beds, I asked the g/f and the Jesse one ran us about $1200. Granted that was 4 years ago, but I can't imagine prices have changed that much. Not out of line with the other options everyone's suggesting, and the ability to shove it in a corner and still have access to all of the storage room seems like a huge plus given your situation.

The Tranquility bed from the Door Store looks like it might be the nicest one.

Has anyone seen it? How does the amount of storage compare to that in the storage bed from West Elm and the platform storage bed from Gothic?

My vote is for the Ikea storage boxspring. I love myne! Tons of storage and it works with any bed style you choose. Very well engineered and easy to use. I wish they made it for twins as well. Nobody can tell it is storage at all. Less visual clutter than the rest of the beds. Did I say I love myne?