Bedroom storage

formerlyGDaisy09 · August 2014

Things have been slow here lately. I've been working on organizing our whole house and purging things that we don't use or need (I currently have 2 laundry baskets of my clothes waiting to go down to the local thrift store...It's Deductible estimated our tax savings at $186 for that donation) I've made my way around the house making less than $200 updates to rooms to just get them in better shape, better shelving for the mud room and organizing a better "dump zone" so that I'm not constantly loosing my id badge for work and tripping over H's bag, re-arranging the kitchen and updating the lighting to make it easier to work, adding some shelving to the living room that works better for the space (we have one of those long living rooms that takes some creativity to make the furniture fit nicely). most months I've been making these purchases fit within our budget in our "shopping" or "home goods" categories.

So I've gotten to the bedroom, part of the problem is that H and I just have a lot of stuff (hence the above closet purging), we have a king-sized bed, and have been using 3 dressers to contain our clothes. I use two of the dressers, one for my every-day stuff; t-shirts, sweaters, jeans, under garmets, etc. and the other for my exercise-related stuff, dance gear, running clothes, cycling clothes, swim-wear, winter gear etc. part of the problem is that my dressers are just really inefficient...the drawers are like 4 inches deep, I think I can stack 3 pairs of jeans and that's it. Right now, to fit all the furniture, our bed is in the corner of the room and I have to scootch to end of the bed to get out, I've been doing this for 2 years and it's getting old.

we've been discussing that if we got a storage-bed frame we could definitely eliminate 1 dresser, probably 2, and if the drawers were big enough we might even be able to eliminate all 3. We can buy a cheap one on Amazon for like $900, that probably would have enough storage to eliminate one dresser... but I also found plans to DIY a knock-off of a Pottery Barn Bed...if we do it with one level of drawers I estimated the cost at about $500 once we've purchased lumber, hardware, paint, and primer, this would probably get us close to eliminating 2 dressers, we could add a second layer of drawers to that and the cost would be more like $900 for all the supplies, but based on the size of the drawers I think we'd probably be able to eliminate all 3 dressers....so much space gained back and I could stop scootching down to the end of the bed to get out!

theoretically we could then sell the dressers, however they're all nice furniture that was passed to us by our family, so they'd probably be saved to move into the guest-room we're planning to add to the house, or for when we buy a larger home.

this would put our basement renovation savings on hold for one month only...what would you do?

formerlyGDaisy09 · August 2014

Our off season stuff is already in the basement, like i said, my dressers are really in-efficient.

I did manage to clear out half the dresser with my "play" clothes in it this week. I have my leotards, ballet tights, all associated leg-warmers, warm-ups, skirts, performance supplies, etc in one drawer, my running, and biking gear, in another drawer, swim wear (wetsuit, speedo, and beach gear in another drawer...would be replaced with winter running gear when seasons change, but I often hit the pool in the winter), and then I have another drawer with extra dance shoes and clothes I wear to teach modern dance (baggy sweats, knee-pads, shoes I wear to teach, shoes I wear to take class, shoes for performances, etc.) it has 3 empty drawers...but there's not enough space elsewhere to eliminate that dresser.

brij2006 · August 2014

What about condensing things by season and taking them out of the room when you don't need them? Like winter gear in the summer and summer gear in the winter? Along with only keeping 1-2 pairs of jeans in the drawer through the summer, and no shorts in the drawers during winter? Put them in Rubbermaid tubs and into a separate room for storage. It takes a bit more time to switch out in the Spring and Fall, but you could possibly get rid of a dresser that way.

There's also those, under the bed, storage things you could put items in that you may not use as often. I toss our sweatshirts in them during the summer months and our swimming suits in them during the winter. They're still easily accessed if needed, but aren't taking up space in a drawer.

hoffse · August 2014

Honestly, I'm dreading this. Our new house has a walk-in closet, but it's not as large as the one at our apartment. Right now I have a dresser (with mirror) and H has a tall dresser. We use those for casual clothes, though I could probably purge some things.

I have found that shorts, jeans, cords, etc. work really well in closet cubes. They're not super wide, but they're nice and tall (maybe 12"x12") so pants stack nicely. We have a set of 9 cubes that are full in our closet. I'm not sure if those cubes will fit in the closet at the new house, and we're not sure what to do if we find ourselves with no place to store jeans.

We've also talked about going with a drawer bed once we get a new mattress (probably will be our Xmas gift to each other this year). That would help a lot. On the other hand, I use the under-bed storage space for sweaters right now. Living down south we could keep them in the basement most of the year, but they are still out for about 3-4 months each year. I really don't want to have to do a seasonal rotation, but I don't think we'll have a choice. It's frustrating, because the bedroom is SO much bigger at the house... but unless we cave and buy an extra dresser, I don't see us having enough space with the layout of the closet.

I will say that we decided to tear out the old (suuuuper cheap) closet shelving installed by the previous owners and just start over. The layout was bad, and they were literally falling apart. It's going to cost a couple hundred dollars to replace, but we'll get the most efficient layout for us. Something we have found in previous residences is adding a layer of very high shelves in a closet is super useful. They aren't easy to reach, but for occasional items it's fantastic. We added them to our apartment after getting married, and it 100% solved our storage issues post-wedding gifts. So re-evaluating the entire layout of your closet shelving is another idea, though I'd probably wait until the basement is finished before doing that.

Have you looked at Ikea dressers? They're not heirloom quality or anything, but they look super efficient. The Hemnes dresser gets lots of love all over the internet because it solves many of the problems you are describing, and it's like $300-$400.

When I was dancing I stored dance clothes in a window seat in my bedroom. Kind of an odd place for them, but it worked well since some items were only worn a few times a year or for very specific classes. I had enough dance gear to take up several different drawers in my dresser, and the window seat (or some other trunk) ended up being the best place for them.

Sisugal · August 2014

Closets?? Do you have any? Make sure you have shelving above the hanging items
Can you reduce the # of duplicate items? (How many pairs of jeans do you REALLY NEED, etc?
Pairs of tights, socks, underwear, bras etc - you really can live with less.
Have less and do laundry more often is one solution.
Bed risers and then use under the bed rubbermaid slide-out bins.

hoffse · August 2014

By the way, are you talking about the PB Stratton Bed? Because if so, I've drooled over that bed literally for years but have never been able to justify the price. I think I found plans for it you were referencing. Looks like H will be getting a new project for the fall...

MommyLiberty5013 · August 2014

Try some of those vacuum storage bags. We've used those for years for our kids' clothing in the basement and linens and they work wonders. You can buy them online or at Bed Bath and Beyond.

It honestly sounds like you also just need some better dressers. I'd go to Craigslist for them.

vlagrl29 · August 2014

I have a walk in closet and DH has a normal closet…both are in our master bedroom. There was enough room in my closet to store a small white 3 pull out drawer dresser from Ikea - I keep jeans, shorts, yoga pants, socks and bras in there. My nightstand has 3 small pull out drawers where I keep my underwear categorized by type (satin, cotton, etc.). We have an armoire that has 2 pull out drawers at the bottom - I keep summer pjs in one and winter pjs in the other. There is also a skinny drawer that I keep pantyhose in. DH also has a dresser like the one in my closet in his where he keeps most of his stuff. Shirts are hung up on the rack in our closets. I store my off season clothes in one of the bedroom closets on our 2nd floor and switch out when needed. Organization is everything to me. I would get rid of anything that you have not worn in 2 years - that's what I do.

vlagrl29 · August 2014

I forgot to add, DH installed a long shelf on the wall of my closet up high where I keep purses and bags. He also put a hook on the back of my closet door where I hang my robes and hooks on the wall where I hang my hoodies.

If you don't have closets I would get the bed frame you are talking about. We have a king size bed so I know how much room it takes up.

formerlyGDaisy09 · August 2014

hoffse said:

By the way, are you talking about the PB Stratton Bed? Because if so, I've drooled over that bed literally for years but have never been able to justify the price. I think I found plans for it you were referencing. Looks like H will be getting a new project for the fall...

Yes! that is exactly the bed I'm describing! I think I've got the materials cost down to under $700 for the "double decker" version that would probably eliminate all 3 dressers (it's totalling $645 before paint and primer). My contracting friend also said he could see what kind of pro-discount he could get from Home Depot. WAY better than $2700 for the real one (that only has 6 drawers). at this point we're definitely building it, it's just a matter of when

we do have a walk-through closet, I've got dresses, suits, blouses, jackets, and skirts hanging in there, it has a shelving unit where I have purses and shoes stored, and I keep bulky items like hoodies on the upper shelf...it's been getting down in the high 40's or low 50's at night here the past few weeks, so having a few hoodies reachable is nice.

at the moment I have 3 pairs of jeans (1 skinny, 1 boot cut, and a pair of really worn ones) a couple pairs of kakhis, and 3 pairs of work slacks (black, navy, and olive) in the drawer I keep my pants in and it's basically full. Winter here is about 6 months long...we often get our first snow storm in october and last year it snowed on Memorial Day, So sweater weather probably starts in 3 weeks or so....I'm planning to also purge my sweaters when they come out of the basement.

hoffse · August 2014

Yeah I'm obsessed with that bed. It's really gorgeous, and the plans look entirely manageable, actually. I showed them to H last night, and he really wants to try building it too. We plan to take advantage of HD's Black Friday deals on tools.... we'll add that to the list of upcoming projects. It would provide a TON of extra storage in a space that is already going to be taking up some serious real estate anyway. I've seen storage beds becoming more common, but that one has always been my favorite. I haven't found another one that stores that much.

formerlyGDaisy09 · August 2014

@hoffse FYI I've just priced all the lumber, hardware, nails, screws, glue, filler, paint and primer for this project out at home depot...$700 was a slight underestimate...who knew drawer slides are like $8 each (would need 24 to do 12 drawers). It's $860...still a steal compared to PB, also less than the "inexpensive" pre-fab storage beds I was finding on Amazon...just so you can plan...it's probably a little more than half that price if you wanted 6 drawers instead of 12

We're going to buy the paint this weekend (labor day paint sale) and see what kind of deal my contractor buddy can get on the rest next week, and then go from there.

for now I'm going to do some underbed storage to just get that one dresser our of our room (play clothes will go under the bed). the cat tends to get into anything not in tupperware containers under the bed, she tears holes in vacuum bags and is not nice to those fabric zipper-storage things...but it's a temporary solution.

hoffse · August 2014

Gdaisy09 said:

@hoffse FYI I've just priced all the lumber, hardware, nails, screws, glue, filler, paint and primer for this project out at home depot...$700 was a slight underestimate...who knew drawer slides are like $8 each (would need 24 to do 12 drawers). It's $860...still a steal compared to PB, also less than the "inexpensive" pre-fab storage beds I was finding on Amazon...just so you can plan...it's probably a little more than half that price if you wanted 6 drawers instead of 12

We're going to buy the paint this weekend (labor day paint sale) and see what kind of deal my contractor buddy can get on the rest next week, and then go from there.

for now I'm going to do some underbed storage to just get that one dresser our of our room (play clothes will go under the bed). the cat tends to get into anything not in tupperware containers under the bed, she tears holes in vacuum bags and is not nice to those fabric zipper-storage things...but it's a temporary solution.

That's a really great price!

This will be perfect. We're probably going to go with memory foam when we replace our mattress this winter, so we need a platform bed instead of a regular frame. I was NOT looking forward to spending that money. But I'm seriously looking forward to this! Now we just have to figure out storage for the next few months...

formerlyGDaisy09 · August 2014

we L.O.V.E. our memory foam bed, we bought the box springs to go with it, so we've been using the plain-old metal frame for 2 1/2 years. we went with a Serta iComfort...and we love it.

when ever we build this we're probably going to keep the box springs so there is some circulation under the mattress...it'll mean the bed is like 3.5-4 feet high, but I love the look of high beds, especially if there is minimal other furniture in the room it shouldn't take-over too much.

edited because I struggle with typing

Bedroom storage

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