This Sneaky Idea Creates a Platform Bed for a Fraction of the Cost (and Has Ample Storage!)

When Júlia Segarra was mapping out the layout of the primary bedroom in her 675-square-foot apartment in Barcelona, she took it very seriously — it was her first time living on her own, after all. While creating a vision board for the space, there was one common theme: platform beds. 

However, acquiring a platform bed that fit the room and was within Júlia’s budget was immediately a bit of a challenge. “The space I was working with was limited in size — in Spain, bedrooms tend to be smaller in general than, for example, in the U.S.,” she explains. “That meant that, although a platform bed would fit, the room did not fit additional storage space on top of the small wardrobe that was already in the room, and I didn’t think all my clothes would fit there. So I had to look for a platform bed that also had storage space underneath.”

Júlia searched high and low — browsing websites and even visiting nearby stores — and couldn’t find a bed that was within her budget and also had storage. For a second, she considered creating her own by building a frame around a classic storage bed, but all of the plans wouldn’t be exactly what she wanted and looked difficult. 

It turns out that a chance visit to IKEA would solve all of her platform bed search woes. Júlia spotted the MANDAL bed frame and thought that if she increased the size of the bed (she bought the biggest size), the additional space on the sides would create the illusion of a platform bed. Another plus? The bed comes with four drawers on either side.

“Like most actual platform beds, the IKEA MANDAL is also quite low, so nobody notices that the size is not the one it was meant to be originally,” Júlia shares. 

Immediately, the bed was a hit — it checked off all of the functionality boxes that Júlia was looking for, and it looks pretty great. She appreciates how the minimalist, clean lines of the bed complement her room, which she believes has a “Mediterranean look.” The bed’s natural, neutral color scheme gives Júlia the freedom to swap out pillows or linens whenever she likes, too.

“It features very useful storage space and is a budget option. Plus, I hadn’t done anything to modify the product, so it’s covered by IKEA’s warranty, and I did not risk anything going wrong with a DIY,” Júlia says. 

If you like the look of Júlia’s primary bedroom, you’ll want to check out the rest of her light-filled apartment. To see more, visit the full home tour.