How Has Bed Storage Evolved? Where Did It All Begin?

The Birth Of The Bed Base

Bed storage bases were first developed to raise the mattress off the floor level. In practical terms, it meant less bending to get in or out of bed and was a more hygienic way of letting the mattress breathe to dispel odour and moisture and keep it fresh.

This soon became apparent with the new development of raised mattresses, and people discovered that the space underneath was, in fact, a handy way of keeping items hidden away from sight. Yet, it was still readily available if required!

The Under Bed Drawer

Within the bed base, pullout drawers were added to the space under the mattress. They were usually made from timber with small wheels on the underside so people could pull the drawer out with all their stored items, choose what they required, and then push it back under the bed again.

The Drawers were seen as a more practical way of keeping the space under the mattress tidy and helped reduce dust build-up on the stored items.

Pictured: Silentnight Miracoil Ortho Divan Bed.

The Divan Set is Born

As the appetite for under-bed storage grew, bedding manufacturers developed a divan bed base with integrated storage drawers.

This became known as the divan base, and as the product became more popular, the number of storage options increased to create a range of storage solutions to cater to all requirements.

More Storage Options

Initially, the divan base was manufactured with one pullout drawer on either side, but the manufacturers soon realised this left a lot of unused space in the bases' void.

Therefore, a 4 drawer option was manufactured with 2 drawers on either side of the bed. This became the most popular storage option, with the drawers ideally suited to store away pillows, extra bedding, and clothes.

The development of 4 drawers did create one problem, which became apparent when people added bedside drawers to either side of the bed. The drawer access at the head end of the bed became problematic as it meant moving the drawers to gain access or moving the bed, which was not ideal!

This led to the development of the Continental drawer. In basic terms, it should include a half drawer on each side of the bed, allowing the drawer to open in front of the bedside table and create regular access.

Over the years, more storage drawer options became available, including the slide store; a simple sliding door on the divan side allowed access to the complete void of the base and was perfect for children's beds, creating extra toy storage!

Contemporary Ottoman Design

The next generation of bed storage solutions has come in the form of ottoman lift storage. This new technology works with gas pistons that gently lift the mattress and base top upwards, like a car boot, and allows full storage use of the bed base.

Once finished, a simple push on the mattress slowly closes the base with minimal effort.