Storage beds, save space with style

Untidiness is one of the things that not only makes the house look deserted, but also tells what kind of a person you are. If you are not a fun of untidiness or you are living in a small apartment, a storage bed might be the ideal solution to your storage problems.
By Choosing creative and suitable solutions, you can store your belongings safely and still be able to access them when needed.
The storage system that you choose will depend on the size and layout of your bedroom. But did you know that storage beds can be your option as well?
Whether it is a bed with storage drawers underneath, or an ottoman bed where the storage space is accessed by lifting the mattress, a storage bed will help you maximise space.

Space saving
Saving space is one of the biggest advantages of storage beds. People are often fighting for storage in the bedroom yet the space beneath the bed is often not thought of.
Felix Joseph Leo, the retail operations manager Danube Home in Kampala, says currently, storage beds that are trending are known as hydraulic storage beds.
“Storage beds first came in the form of drawers under the bed. You can pull out the drawer and store items. That option is a good idea but somehow home makers felt the space is still not enough. Now the trend is hydraulic storage beds.,” he says.
He adds: “With hydraulic storage beds, the storage section is on the foot board, which has got a main component, five components at the headboard, foot side boards and the base which holds the mattress.
“It is easy for a home owner to pull it out because it is as easy as easy as pulling out your car bonnet. With hydraulic, you are not limited by space, you can put any other curtain boxes,” Leo says.
Allen Kamusiime, who bought a storage bed for her baby, shares that her daughter’s small bedroom was compacted yet it needed to be tidy. It is at this point that she opted for a storage bed.
“My girl has a lot of clothes some of which no longer fit her, she also has a number of bed sheets. With all the mess caused by many clothes you can imagine from birth up to now when she is six. I give out some every month but then decided to keep others in the storage bed,”
Max Misoga, the showroom manager at Dogtas Exclusive, says given the fact that people no longer live in big luxurious houses, storage beds are the way to go.
“It will help you with the space. Instead of having those big wardrobes, you can buy a bed where you can store all your bed sheets, and documents as well,” Misoga advises.

Cost saving
Misoga says having a wardrobe to store clothes and a bed is double expenditure, when one could just buy a storage bed, which you can use for both storage of clothes, extra beddings as well as a bed.
“The storage saves you from buying a dresser. If you can put these things under in the bed storage section, it saves space in the bedroom. Instead of having a dresser and a night stand, you only need a small night stand,” Misoga shares.

Trendy and neatness
Kamusiime says storage beds look classy and are becoming popular because of the neatness and simplicity that come with them. She says such beds add overall design to the room, giving a sparkling and stylish finish.
Leo says the concept of storage is currently famous and trendy especially for bedrooms which are very compact and small.
Masiogo adds that: “Another advantage is that it is not easily noticed. When you put bed sheets, no one will notice that there is a storage area, as you have a duvet to cover it. Storage beds are now trending in the market.

Insect free, water friendly
We have all had experiences with insects most, especially with cockroaches and bed bugs either in school or home.
Leo says the wood used to make storage beds is most of the time treated and therefore water-friendly.
He shares that: “The wood that they are made of is not affected by water. If water poured, it will not be absorbed, even if the person is cleaning and the water spills on it, nothing happens to the wood.
“The wood used for making hydraulic storage beds is treated. It is made in such way that it can be used in any country whether hot or cold,”

Type of mattress
Masiogo says it is better to use a mattress made of latex material when one opts for storage beds as these keep off insects such as dust mites, bed bugs as they are allergic to the material.
With the mattress protector and bed sheets, this type of mattress has no effect on humans.
However, he advises that once in while, you need to clean it up, and fumigate.

Durability
Experts say solid wood is best for beds as it is durable rather than using frame covered with fabric.
“If you make a fabric-covered frame because you do not have enough wood, then forget about durability. This is why we deal with only solid wood or wood with medium density fibre,” Leo narrates.
True to this Kamusiime says her child’s storage bed has lasted about three years now.
Leo refers to it as, a life time bed whose quality cannot be minimised.
However despite the pros of storage Ugandans have not yet embraced the idea of storage beds, which experts have attributed to rigidity to traditional beds.
“I think the market here in Uganda are used to the traditional culture of having the bed that is always high seeing that there is a lot of dust in the country so they believe the traditional beds are easier to clean. Therefore, some speople prefer beds that are higher so that they can easily clean but now because of the increasing population and space is less, they have to adapt to storage beds,” Misoga expresses.
He adds that when it comes to cleaning, one has to physically move the bed so that they can clean underneath it unlike those beds which are higher someone can easily go in and clean.
Though on the other hand Leo says: “The bed side panels are covered to the floor and if you pull out the mattress, you cannot see the floor as it is covered by wooden pile on which your storage item goes.
So, basically it is and easy maintain item. If you want to clean, you just have to remove the pile storage open the pull out and clean the floor.”

Maintenance
With maintenance, it is not advisable to use water but rather use fabric, bed cleaners, or wood spray fabric cleaners which are like spray.

Cost of storage beds
Max Misoga,a showroom manager, says storage beds range price is not far from the traditional bed prices depending on the size. He, however, says, with storage beds, there will be a two or three per cent increase in price.
Storage beds can be bought from home shop dealers or ordered online.