{Small Space Solutions} The Guest Bedroom

One of the hubs’ and my favorite things about our new apartment is the spare bedroom. For the past 3 years, we’ve been confined to a small one-bedroom, which was totally cute when we were newlyweds, but now I’m all “get out of my space!”

But acquiring a whole new bedroom often spawns a lot of wishful thinking.

“Where will put ___ in the new place.”

“How about the spare bedroom?”

“Great idea!”

And then you get carried away…

“Will we have room for ___?”

“If worst comes to worst, we could always just put it in the spare room.”

Turns out, we need another spare room to hold all the stuff that won’t fit in the spare room. And then, when we finally started to get some control over the situation, this is what we were left with.

I wish I was kidding.

So, with an impending visit from the in-laws, hoping to be our first guests in our new guest room, the hubs and I are more motivated than ever to find some storage solutions for all our crap. I think it goes without saying that we’ll be making a large donation to our local Goodwill, however what about all those bankers boxes of old tax documents and real estate files we’re legally required to keep for 5 years? Or how about our surf board that we use once a year, or the ski and snow gear we use even less? Or the boxes upon boxes of sentimental keepsakes from our childhoods? Things we’d like to keep, but don’t necessarily need to access on a daily, monthly or even decadely basis.

This weekend, I began researching some small space storage solutions and was both relieved and surprised to learn our situation isn’t hopeless. We decided our best bet it to utilize all that under-the-bed space, and will be purchasing a bed frame that will hide all our boxes. Budget will also be a major deciding factor for us, but never fear! Turns out there are lots of affordable options for under-bed organization. Here are just a few.

Under-Bed Caster Crates

Sometimes your storage solution isn’t about reinventing the wheel…just attaching them to the bottom of some crates, drawers, or baskets. By adding casters, you get easy access to all your goodies, while the uniform boxes keep the space looking clean and simple. You can build your own “closet on wheels,” via Martha Stewart, or buy bins from places like The Company Store and Ikea.

The Reverse Murphy Bed

In theory, this seems to make sense, though you’d have to be certain your mattress isn’t too heavy. And god forbid you include a box spring because that could make getting to your goods major chore. Follow those rules, however, and these beds are really quite cool. You can find the budget version at Ikea, or a relatively nicer and much pricier version can be found at Overstock.

Kitchen-Inspired Bed

Okay, so this bed, via BHG is genius! By joining kitchen cabinet components you can create platform bed base with tons of storage. You can even top a shallow drawer with a slab of wood or countertop to serve as a pull-out nightstand. WOW!

Just a Really Tall Bed

Duh. But you’d actually be surprised at how scarce beds with open space below really are. Short of buying a loft bed (not exactly ideal if any of your guests are over the age of 20), I was able to find a couple high-rise bargain buys. First up, at just $99 (plus the $20-$90 cost of a slated bed base) the Ikea Leirvik is stylish and provides 12-inch-tall under-the-bed space. Or for even more space, the Eco-Lux Platform Frame provides 14-inch-tall space for under $130. This is also a great option if you want to add your own headboard later. Best of all, both these beds can use a regular dust ruffle to hide any unsightly clutter.  Do you have any interesting ideas to help get my guest room in shape for the in-laws? I’d love to hear about them in the comment section below!

Like this article?  Check out more Home organization Ideas in our Housekeeping section.