Bed Siderail Storage Shelves

by Ana White

Here's an easy way to add more storage to a bedroom, without taking up any space. Instead of bed siderails, build your own storage shelves.

These storage shelves simply attach to the headboard and footboard. At 12" tall and 15-1/4" deep, there's plenty or room for baskets and bins.

Materials and Tools

Headboard and Footboard
2 - Shelf Help towers with Height = Mattress height, Width = 13-1/2", Shelves = 4, Bay = 0, Depth = 15-1/4"
2 - 1x2s in length of the mattress
1x3 or 1x4 furring strips for the mattress slats
1x4 or similar for center support legs
Drill and 2" screws, or Pocket Hole Jig and 1-1/4" screws
18 guage Brad Nailer or stapler and 3/4" fasteners
Circular saw for cutting slats and back plywood and slat system

This template is just for the storage shelves. You'll need to add a headboard or footboard. Here's a link to our free Farmhouse Bed plans.

Configuration

You'll want to order this as a vertical configuration, and then rotate it on install, so that the top and bottoms are continuous. Here's the configuration as shown for a

full or twin size. For a queen size, simply set overall height to 80".

Click here to access the Shelf Configurator.

You can customize the heights of the shelves, or add or remove dividers - this is smart if you have specific baskets or bins you are using.

Assembling the Shelves

Attach the shorter pieces to the longer pieces. You can use 2" self tapping cabinet screws, 1-1/2" brad nails and glue or pocket hole screws.

Cut 1/4" plywood to fit the back and attach with glue and 3/4" brad nails.

Supporting the Center

We recommend adding center support to the backs of the storage shelves. You can either screw 2x4 or 1x4 boards on as shown in the diagram, or measure and cut "feet" that are hidden underneath and screwed to the bottom of the shelves.

Slat System

To support the mattress, a simple slat system can be added right on top of the storage shelves. 1x2s on the outsides finish out the edges. This also creates an air gap between the mattress and the shelves.