A storage bed is simply a bed that comes with storage. There are two types or you can get a combination of the two. The first type of storage bed is a bed with drawers in the frame of the bed. Typically, the drawers are under the slats that support the matress. The number of drawers can range from one to as many as twleve (at least 12 is the most I've seen).

The second type of storage bed is where there is storage in the headboard. Ususally, this type of storage is more like shelves for books than compared to drawers for clothes or items you don't want exposed.

The nice thing about storage beds is that they can be big space savers when you don't have room for a dressor. They can also offer some flexibility in choice of whether you would like a large bed like a King or a smaller bed, but have room for the dressor. By combining the two, you can take more space for the bed since the dressor is in the frame.

The other nice thing about storage beds is that they can offer a second dressor if you already have one, but need additional storage. It seems like older houses typically came with small closets and having two dressors can help prevent closet stuffing.

There are negatives of beds with storage. First, they can be very heavy and difficult to move. Second, the beds are stypically solid all the way to the floor which makes cleaning under them harder. You can find raised storage beds, but they may have to be custom ordered. The third negative is price. They tend to be expensive to buy new. Much more expensive than a headbored and a dressor separately for similar quality. But, used storage beds for sale can be much less expensive (That's what I purchased). To find a used bed, I recommend watching your local craigslist.

Venezia storage beds are high quality handbuilt beds that blend steal and wood with a modern design. The beds come in all sizes and offers flexibility in the number of drawers based on the model. One of the challenges with Venezia is that there isn't much information about them online. You may have to find a local dealer like Soma Sofa in San Francisco to answer questions about them. One of the really nice things about Venezia is that they will custom build storage beds to your requirements. Besides models based on the number of drawers, they also offer the Rialto. The Rialto offers larger pieces of wood and tends to look less busy. Plus it has six very large drawers. The canopy and the abode models are very similar. They have a mosaic like headboard and drawers, but the canopy model has a large square brushed steal frame for hanging a curtain or cover over.

The West Elm Storage-Bed resembles a captains bed a bit. It has six large drawers and comes in a dark brown wood color. It can be used with a box spring and mattress or only a mattress. This is a middle of the road for a headboard and drawers at $1,800 new. If you aren't sure that you want a storage bed, the hardboard may be purchased separately and then the drawers could be added later. Unfortunately, this bed isn't available in the stores. So it's difficult to know how well the drawers function, but from examining other West Elm products that they do carry in the stores, the quality appears acceptable.