Which UK Ottoman Bed Gives the Deepest Storage for Its Size?

An ottoman bed is supposed to make the area beneath a mattress work harder, but “extra storage” says little about how efficiently that space is used. Two 4ft6 frames can occupy almost the same floor area and still provide noticeably different clearance beneath the slats.

That matters with bulky items. Duvets, pillows, winter bedding and zipped storage bags use height quickly. A shallow compartment may cover most of the mattress area, but a few extra centimetres can determine whether bedding sits comfortably below the closing platform or needs compressing.

This comparison uses four broadly similar upholstered ottoman beds from DHS, Dreams, Dunelm and Argos. All four are double frames with lift-up storage, upholstered finishes, headboards and sprung slats. The question is how much storage depth does each frame provide while using roughly three square metres of bedroom floor?

How Can Storage Depth Be Compared Fairly?

The cleanest comparison would use verified litres for every bed. Retailers do not publish capacity consistently. Argos gives a 590-litre figure for the Halstead, while the other models mainly publish storage depth or dimensions. Comparing one measured litre capacity with another retailer’s description of “spacious” storage would create false precision.

Because all four retailers do not publish internal storage length, width and total litre capacity in the same way, this comparison does not claim to measure exact storage volume. Instead, storage depth is used as the common published measure. With the four external footprints already very close, it shows which ottoman storage bed provides the greatest vertical clearance beneath the mattress platform.

Across these four double frames, the external floor area ranges from about 2.94m² to 3.02m². That is a difference of less than 3%, making the group useful for comparing storage depth without one model simply winning because it is substantially larger.

Comparing Four Similar UK Double Ottoman Beds

1. DHS – Linen Double Ottoman Bed
Model: Linen Double Ottoman
External Size: W145 × L204cm
Approx. Footprint: 2.96m²
Published Storage Depth: 27cm
Lift Type: End Lift
Link: dreamhomestore.co.uk

2. Dreams – Yardley Double Ottoman Bed
Model: Yardley Double
External Size: W148 × L204cm
Approx. Footprint: 3.02m²
Published Storage Depth: 22cm
Lift Type: End Lift
Link: dreams.co.uk

3. Dunelm – Side Lift Fabric Double Ottoman Bed
Model: Side Lift Fabric Double
External Size: W145 × L203cm
Approx. Footprint: 2.94m²
Published Storage Depth: 23cm
Lift Type: Side Lift
Link: dunelm.com

4. Argos Home – Halstead Double Ottoman Bed
Model: Halstead Double
External Size: W145 × L206cm
Approx. Footprint: 2.99m²
Published Storage Depth: 22.5cm
Lift Type: End Lift
Link: argos.co.uk

The DHS Linen ottoman double bed frame measures 145 × 204cm and publishes a 27cm storage depth. Dreams’ Yardley is 148 × 204cm with 22cm of internal storage. Dunelm’s Side Lift Fabric model measures 145 × 203cm and lists a 23cm-high storage area. Argos’ Halstead is 145 × 206cm with an internal storage height of 22.5cm.

The room-space differences are small enough that storage depth becomes the more useful point of comparison. DHS provides 4cm more published depth than the Dunelm model, 4.5cm more than the Halstead and 5cm more than the Dreams Yardley.

Among these four similarly sized frames, DHS has the deepest published storage area at 27cm. It is not the smallest bed overall: Dunelm is 1cm shorter, while Argos is the only retailer here to give a clear litre capacity. The narrower finding is that the DHS double ottoman storage bed provides the deepest published cavity while remaining inside the same compact footprint band as the other three.

When Does an Extra 4–5cm of Depth Matter?

Storage depth matters most for soft, bulky objects. Spare pillowcases will fit almost anywhere. A folded duvet, thick blanket, guest pillows or vacuum storage bag is different. Those items fill vertical space long before a compartment looks full from above.

This is why “full under-bed storage” does not tell the whole story when comparing an ottoman storage bed. It describes where the compartment sits, but not how much vertical clearance is available for bulky bedding.

The same principle applies to other sizes. Small double ottoman beds are often chosen where floor width is restricted, so deeper storage can help a smaller frame work harder. With king size ottoman beds, the under-bed area grows, but so does the bedroom footprint. The useful question remains the same: what storage is gained for the space permanently committed?

Opening direction also matters. The DHS, Dreams and Argos models compared here lift from the end. Dunelm opens from the side, which can be more practical where the foot of the bed sits close to a wall, wardrobe or other furniture. A deeper cavity does not automatically make an ottoman bed the better choice for every room.

Storage should also remain usable. Bedding needs to sit below the closing platform rather than being forced against the slats or lifting frame. The practical advantage of extra depth is therefore clearance, not permission to overfill the bed.

On storage depth, the published measurements give a clear result. Dunelm takes the smallest floor area by a narrow margin. Argos gives the clearest stated total capacity. Dreams keeps a compact end-lift format. DHS combines a 145 × 204cm double bed ottoman footprint with the deepest published storage depth in this four-model comparison.

That does not make one frame universally better. It shows that similarly sized double ottoman storage beds can provide noticeably different amounts of vertical clearance beneath the mattress. When bulky bedding is the main reason for choosing an ottoman, published storage depth deserves to be checked alongside the bed's overall width and length.