Hide Under-Bed Storage Clutter With A Stylish DIY

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A lack of storage space can be an issue, especially if you live in a townhouse or an apartment. You can always stuff things in a closet, build additional shelves, or buy cabinets, but sometimes that's not enough. The dead space under your bed is a great place to store boxes, even if you have to elevate your bed frame with risers. However, with the boxes visible beneath your bed, this solution may throw off the aesthetic of your room and make your bedroom feel less organized. You can always cover this eyesore by installing a bed skirt, which you can make on your own using pole wrap.

When people imagine bed skirts, or dust ruffles, they might envision a cloth that hangs around the base of the bed to prevent dust bunnies from crawling beneath. This is one type of bed skirt, but you can also make one from flexible sheets of fluted wood. This might give your room more of a unique, mid-century modern aesthetic. An Instagram user, @tulipsforthetable, offers an excellent tutorial for this project, covering which materials to use and how to complete it. 

You will probably need to take a trip to your nearest home improvement store to stock up on tools and materials. The most expensive material is the pole wrap, which can vary in price based on brand and size. On Amazon, you can purchase a 48-by-96-inch KELIXU Natural Bamboo Wall Panel for $60. (If this is too pricey, there are a few bed skirt alternatives that won't break the bank.) This flexible wood paneling is reinforced with fabric, allowing it to wrap easily around corners. You'll also need a box cutter or a circular saw, a pencil, a measuring tape, a nail gun, an acrylic paint or wood stain, and adhesive Velcro tape.

The first step is to measure the distance between the floor and the bottom of your bed frame to determine the height of your pole wrap. Mark that height, minus a quarter inch, on the fluted wood, and ensure the slats on your pole wrap are vertical before cutting it with your circular saw (or box cutter if you don't have one). At this point, you can paint or stain your pole wrap. If you're artistically inclined, you can paint colorful patterns. Next, assuming that your bed frame is made out of wood, nail one end of your wrap to its base. If your bed frame is made of metal, simply attach it with Velcro.

The next step, no matter the material of your bed frame, is to line its top edge with the rougher, hook side of the Velcro. Then, attach the fuzzier Velcro loop side to the top edge of your pole wrap. You will have to cut other sections of pole wrap to surround all three sides of your bed's exposed base. When you need to get something out from under your bed, simply pull the pole wrap free and then reattach it to the velcro strip that runs along the frame.

There are also several bed skirt alternatives to look into. For instance, if you're not into capturing the retro 1980s trend that's coming back, you can make a chic minimalist alternative to a bed skirt with solid wood panels. Or place more attractive rolling wooden drawers, such as WISUCART bamboo under bed storage containers, under your bed to eliminate the need for a skirt entirely.