Tiny apartment gang, rise up! Last year, I had the very New York City-centric fortune of downsizing from a giant apartment with roommates to a teeny-tiny excuse for a one-bedroom all by my lonesome. While it feels great to finally have my own abode, the one thing it desperately lacks is storage space (there isn’t a single closet). With no room for an armoire and the fact that my bed basically touches three walls, it became increasingly more difficult to come up with a realistic storage solution (bins under the bed are a sick joke).
If you’re about to stop reading because you can walk all the way around your bed, congratulations. Before you go, however, just know that I actually found the answer to my problems in a really rich, really fancy Upper East Side Park Avenue apartment with plenty of extra square footage. See, now I’ve got your attention, huh? Enter: a platform storage bed. The idea of a platform bed with storage had never occurred to me because I (correctly) assumed that the fancy mauve velvet upholstered bed I spotted was custom, and all my general searches for “storage beds” returned options with built-in drawers that would be inaccessible in my postage-stamp-sized bedroom. Military Quarters Metal Loft Bed Frame
Finally, armed with the correct search terms, I found that a storage platform bed that lifts with the help of hydraulic arms—and there it was, the answer to my problem. Not only can you see everything (which is great for people with ADHD, who have trouble remembering things exist if they can’t physically lay eyes on them), but with one big open space, you can organize things however you please and accommodate larger, bulkier items like off-season comforters or fitness gear that wouldn’t gracefully fit in a drawer. Vacuum seal bags also help me keep everything tidy and compact.
Now I have a clean, organized space to hide all of my linens and off-season wardrobe, and if I need anything I don’t have to go digging, since you get an aerial view of all your junk. The one drawback of my glorious Anbazar platform bed is that it takes two strong hands to lift, especially if you have a big, heavy mattress (guilty). I’m sure the more you spend on this type of bedframe, the easier it will be to pop right up, but the good news is that you don’t have to break the bank to get a high-quality storage bed that will transform your life and clutter for good. If your budget is less than $500, the Anzabar is a great option, and if you have a little more cheddar to spend, we found some really handsome designs that probably lift with the greatest of ease. No matter what your price point, if you’ve got a ton of random crap you need to store, and do not have the money or time to invest in a storage unit, a platform bed with storage is your absolute best bet.
Spring cleaning is out, fall organization starts now.
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