Ikea Bed Hacks For Extra Storage And Style

A cluttered bedroom rarely comes down to too much stuff. It usually comes down to bed that isn’t pulling its weight. Ikea bed hacks have become the go-to fix for anyone renting a small flat or simply refusing to buy another bulky wardrobe, and the results genuinely rival custom furniture at a fraction of the cost. Whether you’ve got a MALM frame gathering dust bunnies underneath or  HEMNES daybed that could do so much more, there’s a modification here that turns flat-pack basics into something that stores, displays and impresses.

This guide walks through practical, tested hacks that add real storage capacity while making your bed frame look like it came from a boutique studio rather than a warehouse aisle.

Key Takeaways

• Under-bed space is the most wasted storage zone in most bedrooms, and Ikea frames are some of the easiest to modify for it.
• Small swaps like legs, trim, and paint transform a basic frame into something that looks custom-built.
• Combining two or three hacks (storage plus styling) gives the biggest visual and functional payoff.
• Budget between £30 and £150 depending on how far you take the transformation.

Raise Malm Frames With Rolling Storage Crates

• Save

The MALM is one of Ikea’s tallest standard frames, which leaves a generous gap underneath that most people fill with nothing but dust. Adding a set of rolling storage crates, either the SKUBB fabric boxes or a set of shallow wooden crates on castors, turns that dead zone into genuine storage for spare bedding, out of season clothing, or shoes.

Measure the clearance first. MALM frames typically leave around 18 centimetres of space, so crates need to sit under that height with room to manoeuvre. Fitting felt pads to the base of each crate keeps them gliding smoothly across carpet or wooden floors without scuffing either surface.

A personal favourite trick is labelling each crate with a small fabric tag rather than a printed sticker. It looks intentional rather than like an afterthought, and it means guests never end up rifling through the wrong box looking for spare towels.

Turn Brimnes Drawers Into A Boutique Hotel Feature

• Save

The BRIMNES frame already comes with built in drawers, but most people leave them exactly as Ikea intended, which is a missed opportunity. Swapping the standard plastic drawer fronts for painted MDF panels or adding brass cup handles instantly shifts the look from budget rental to boutique hotel.

Sand the existing fronts lightly, prime them, then apply two thin coats of a durable furniture paint in a warm neutral like clay or sage. Avoid thick coats, since they pool in the grooves and never fully cure, leaving a tacky finish months later.

For anyone short on time, self adhesive vinyl wrap in a matte finish achieves a similar transformation in under an hour and peels away cleanly if you move out of a rental property.

Fit Trofast Bins Beneath Low Profile Bed Frames

• Save

Low profile frames like the NESTTUN or the MALM in its lower setting rule out anything bulky, but Ikea’s TROFAST bins were practically designed for shallow gaps. Flat bins slide in and out like drawers, holding everything from board games in a child’s room to seasonal decorations in a guest room.

Attach a strip of self adhesive felt to the underside of each bin so it slides quietly across flooring and consider adding a length of ribbon as a pull tab for bins pushed right to the back where fingers can’t easily reach.

This hack works especially well in shared bedrooms, where colour coding each child’s bins removes the daily argument over whose toys belong where.

Build A Custom Platform With Kitchen Cabinet Boxes

• Save

For a genuinely custom storage bed, some of the most inventive Ikea hacks skip the bedroom range altogether and repurpose METOD kitchen cabinet boxes as the base of a platform bed. Two rows of base cabinets support a mattress directly, with each cabinet offering full depth drawers rather than the shallow bins typical of dedicated bed storage.

This approach costs more upfront and requires basic assembly confidence, but the payoff is storage equivalent to a chest of drawers built invisibly into the bed itself. Add a plinth strip along the front to hide the cabinet legs and give the whole structure a seamless, built in appearance rather than looking like cabinets pushed together.

It’s a bigger project than most weekend hacks, so it suits anyone renovating a bedroom from scratch rather than someone looking for a quick weekend refresh.

Dress Plain Headboards With Panelling And Trim

• Save

A flat, unadorned headboard is often the single biggest giveaway that a bed came flat packed. Adding simple MDF panelling in a grid or vertical slat pattern, then painting it to match the wall behind, creates the kind of architectural headboard usually reserved for custom joinery.

Cut panel strips to size, attach with strong adhesive rather than nails to avoid damaging the original headboard, and finish with two coats of paint in a colour that blends with the surrounding wall for a built in look, or a contrasting shade for a bolder statement.

A common mistake here is skipping the caulk between panel joins, which leaves visible seams once the paint dries. A thin bead of paintable caulk, smoothed with a fingertip, hides every joint before the first coat goes on.

Style Hemnes Daybeds As Multi Purpose Guest Storage

• Save

The HEMNES daybed already earns its keep as a sofa by day and spare bed by night, but the three drawers underneath are frequently left half empty. Lining them with drawer paper and adding fabric dividers turns loose storage into an organised system for spare linens, guest towels, or seasonal clothing that doesn’t need everyday access.

For a studio flat where the daybed doubles as the main seating area, layering the top with bolster cushions and a tailored cover disguises its bed function entirely during the day, while the drawers keep bedding out of sight until it’s needed.

Adding castors to the drawer fronts as pull handles, rather than relying on the recessed grip, makes them easier to open one handed while carrying a stack of towels.

Add Floating Shelves Either Side For Bedside Storage

• Save

Not every storage gap sits underneath the mattress. A pair of LACK floating shelves mounted at headboard height either side of the bed removes the need for bulky bedside tables altogether, freeing up floor space in a small room while still giving somewhere to put a lamp, a glass of water, and whatever book is currently half read.

Mount shelves at a height roughly level with the top of the mattress once it’s dressed with a duvet, so reaching across for a phone charger doesn’t mean sitting fully upright first. Two shorter shelves stacked with a small gap between them hold more than one long shelf and add a sense of rhythm to the wall that a single flat surface doesn’t achieve.

For renters who can’t drill into the wall, a pair of side tables with slim hairpin legs achieves a similar visual lightness without needing anything more permanent than four rubber floor protectors.

Add A Canopy Frame Using Curtain Rods And Rails

• Save

For style rather than storage, mounting two ceiling mounted curtain rails above a MALM or NESTTUN frame creates an instant canopy effect using sheer curtain panels. It’s one of the cheapest ways to add drama to a plain frame, and the fabric can be swapped seasonally without touching the bed itself.

Position rails roughly 30 centimetres wider than the mattress on each side, mount securely into ceiling joists rather than plasterboard alone, and choose a lightweight voile that catches airflow rather than a heavy fabric that will sag over time.

This hack pairs particularly well with the panelled headboard above, since the fabric frames the architectural detail rather than competing with it.

Layer Textiles To Make Malm Look Far More Expensive

• Save

Sometimes the biggest transformation needs no tools at all. A MALM frame styled with a textured bedspread, two Euro shams behind smaller sleeping pillows, and a folded throw across the foot of the bed reads as considerably more expensive than the frame underneath.

Stick to two or three tones maximum, since a bed piled with mismatched colours and patterns looks cluttered rather than curated. Neutral linen tones with a single accent colour in the throw or cushions consistently photograph better and feel calmer in person too.

Swapping standard bed legs for a slightly taller turned wood leg, available from third party suppliers designed to fit Ikea frames, adds another inexpensive detail that shifts the whole piece away from its flat pack origins.

A Common Mistake To Avoid With Bed Storage Hacks

The single most common mistake across every hack on this list is skipping a proper measure before buying anything. Storage crates, bins, and even replacement legs are sold in fixed sizes, and a few centimetres of miscalculation means a return trip or a box that simply won’t fit.

Before starting any project, measure the exact clearance under the frame at its lowest point, not just at the corners, since centre support beams often sit lower than the frame’s outer edge. It takes five minutes and prevents the single most frequent hack failure.

Small Changes, Genuinely Bigger Bedroom

None of these hacks require a full bedroom renovation or an oversized budget. Picking even two or three, a set of rolling crates underneath and a layered textile refresh on top, delivers a bedroom that finally works as hard as it looks good. Start with whichever gap is bothering you most, whether that’s wasted floor space or a headboard that’s never felt finished, and build from there.

Ready to give your bedroom the upgrade it deserves.
Our Pick: Genius Ikea Plant Stand Ideas For Small Spaces.