life in a tiny apartment.

Tip #54: Take advantage of under-the-bed storage bins.

1) In a tiny apartment the space under your bed is a vast swath of useable territory that should be conquered and exploited.
2) You’ll likely always have a bed under which to stash things, so the storage won’t be obsolete when you move.*
3) If you don’t invest in storage bins or bags the likelihood that the space beneath your bed will become a final resting space for errant socks and dust bunnies and crumpled college sweatshirts grows exponentially.
4) Storage bins designed to fit under beds are worlds easier to use than the array of cardboard boxes and garbage bags and overstuffed gym duffels you might currently be using.

In my humble opinion, under the bed storage units are not all made alike, and it’s worth doing a bit of research before investing. The most important thing is that the containers actually fit where you want them to. Until recently, the boxes that we kept under our bed could only slide out from the side. With only a few inches of clearance on either side of our bed, this meant needing to lift the foot of the bed in an Atlas-style maneuver that left your shoulder bruised and your neck pinched. When you keep your linens under the bed, it’s nice to be able to access them without needing She-Ra around to do the heavy-lifting.

We gave our old boxes to the super of the building next to ours (neighbors helping neighbors!) and bought a cloth bag from Muji instead. It slides easily in and out from the foot of the bed, and it unzips all the way around for easy access. For storing things like James’s text books and our ever-handy extension cord collection, we have three clear plastic boot boxes from The Container Store. They’re slim and simple and they stack easily for moving purposes. Most importantly, they clear the bed frame.

While I’m giving unsolicited advice, I’ll say two last things: 1)These things come in lots of colors. You’ll never regret going with something neutral. 2) Steer clear of under-the-bed plastic drawers. They’re cumbersome to move and they become easily warped and bent. Better to stick with a classic and sturdy box instead.

*If you’ve gone the route of shipping palette on the floor, this might not be the post for you…sorry.