Basic platform beds have four legs and slats across on which the mattress can rest. They have been around for years and years and were first made popular by the Europeans. A ground-hugging bed along with low bedroom furniture can make a tiny room look roomier and give the illusion of high ceilings. This platform bed can be raised to include attached drawers or independent small storage boxes with wheels. This can help people save space by storing many things and cutting down on the need for extra cupboards or shelves.

Add four posts to the legs and voila – the platform bed can be turned into a canopy bed for a more classical and old world look. The simplistic design of platform beds means that they work out much easier on your budget and your extra cash can be used to buy a very good quality mattress and other bedroom furnishings. The concept of the basic platform bed is also used in waterbed models. Affordable platform beds are available at furniture stores and you can check out models, sizes and prices before ordering one.

Of course the main reason why a lot of people investing in new bedroom furniture go in for platform beds is that they can double as storage space. This is useful in setting up a bachelor pad, a baby’s nursery or the master bedroom. Purchasing storage beds needs a lot of research since you have to consider your storage needs and your existing bedroom space before making the purchase. Homeowners need not fear that they will lose out on the bedroom style when getting storage beds because furniture designers have come up with great modern, trendy designs for this very utilitarian product.

If you are designing a child’s bedroom, you can go in for storage beds that have a headboard with a built in book case. In addition, there can be storage space below a bed that can be used to store shoes, toys, games, drawing material and such. Since the drawers under the storage space is low-slung and can be easily accessed, kids can be taught to put away their things once they have finished playing with them. No longer can they use the excuse that the cupboard is too high for them to reach and therefore they cannot tidy their room.

Another advantage of platform beds in a kid’s room is that if it is high enough, it can be used to store an extra trundle bed on wheels. This is extremely useful for a sleep-over. Bunk beds very common in homes with many kids are also similar to a platform bed frame. Sometimes the bunk bed model can be used even in a single child’s bedroom with the sleeping area on top and the area below used as a study area, complete with table, chair and bookshelf. This is extremely useful in small apartments.

Platform beds also come in different models to suit adult bedrooms too. You have beautiful queen-size beds that can dominate the center of the bedroom complete with lovely mattress and furnishings along with matching side tables. Then there are twin platform beds that look good in smaller sized bedrooms. There are loft-style storage beds that can have features like a desk and book shelf that is useful for working people with single room apartments. Platform beds also serve to hideaway extra beds when the space under the bed is not used for drawers.

Now that we have seen the many uses of platform storage beds, let us see some of the common types of materials they are made from. Platform bed frames are mostly made from wood and the common types of wood used are:

– Domestic hardwood
– oak
– maple
– Domestic Softwood
– pine
– aspen
– Imported wood
– ramen
– rubber wood
– Steel
– Aluminium

Hardwoods like oak have a lovely dark earthy tone that look good in rustic style bedrooms. Softwood is used when designs and carvings are made on the frame of the platform beds. These woods can be left unfinished to allow the homeowners to stain them in their preferred colors. Softwood however may be easily scratched and dented especially when moving home. Sometimes both types of woods can be combined for better quality and long lasting bed frames. Imported woods are popular although they can be more expensive. Steel and aluminium bed frames are more affordable than wood frames and you need to decide on the material depending on your budget and style preferences.

Author Bio: Article by Sam Kiesel of BedFramesOnline.com, a website with the largest selections of bed frames online and king size bed frame for your bedroom needs.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: platform beds, storage beds