Synopsis: Take advantage of what has traditionally been wasted space by building storage drawers into your bed. This design has six drawers underneath that provide as much storage as a large dresser. You can add nearly any style headboard and footboard with simple hardware, or dispense with that detail altogether. The bed is first constructed in halves, to ease installation in tight quarters. The main structure is a pair of three-bay drawer boxes made from pre-finished 3⁄4-in.-thick maple plywood, joined with biscuits and screws. The two boxes are then joined together to form the full-size platform.

I’ve always liked the idea of using the wasted space under a traditional bed frame. Some people put plastic storage containers there, which are handy but not attractive, and they don’t really use the space efficiently. A better option is to build drawers into the bed.

This bed has six drawers that provide as much storage as a large dresser, and the design can easily be adapted to fit any style headboard and footboard. The platform eliminates the need for a box spring, making it compact and elegant. You can even skip the headboard and footboard altogether, keeping all the storage benefits for a bed that’s simple and inexpensive.

The bed is constructed in halves, to ease installation in tight quarters. The main structure is a pair of three-bay drawer cabinets made from 3 ⁄4-in.-thick maple plywood, joined with biscuits and screws. The two cabinets are then joined to form the full-size platform. The whole unit is elevated on a toe-kick base, and the mattress platform is finished with a solid walnut rail that trims the full-size mattress and keeps it in place. Finally, the drawers are assembled using biscuits (see drawing, p. 34), and ride on Blum full-extension, soft-closing undermount slides that make their action pleasant and quiet.

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