Table of Contents >> Show >> Hide
- Meet the Urban Basics Queen Bed
- Why Urban Basics Works So Well in City Bedrooms
- Understanding the Size: Will It Fit Your Space?
- Materials, Construction, and Comfort
- How to Style an Urban Basics Queen Bed
- Pros and Cons of the Urban Basics Queen Bed
- Who Is the Urban Basics Queen Bed Best For?
- Living With an Urban Basics Queen Bed: Real-World Experience
- Final Thoughts
If your bedroom is roughly the size of a parking space and your closet is doing its best impression of a black hole, the Urban Basics Queen Bed might feel less like furniture and more like a life upgrade. This clean-lined platform bed is designed for city living: it fits a standard queen mattress, hides an impressive amount of storage in its base, and still looks calm and minimal instead of bulky and boxy.
In this guide, we’ll walk through what makes the Urban Basics Queen Bed special, how it compares with other modern storage beds, what to know about sizing and materials, and how to style it so your bedroom feels like an intentional retreat instead of a luggage storage unit.
Meet the Urban Basics Queen Bed
The Urban Basics Queen Bed is a low-profile platform bed made by Urban Green, a Brooklyn-based furniture company known for eco-conscious materials and simple, modern lines. It’s built specifically for a queen mattress (60 x 80 inches) and uses a solid platform baseno box spring needed. The star of the show: the storage. The base incorporates six soft self-closing drawers, three on each side, turning the space under your mattress into organized, dust-free storage instead of a graveyard for lost socks.
Overall, the frame measures about 63 3/4 inches deep by 81 5/8 inches wide, with a platform height of roughly 11–12 inches. That means the bed only adds a few inches around a queen mattress, making it a smart fit for small and mid-size bedrooms where every inch counts.
Key Features at a Glance
- Clean, minimalist platform design that works with modern, Scandinavian, or transitional decor.
- Six soft-closing storage drawers built into the baseideal for clothing, linens, or off-season items.
- Eco-safe construction with low-VOC, toxin-free stains and paints designed to support better indoor air quality.
- Sturdy build from local artisans, designed to handle daily use without wobbling or squeaking.
- No box spring requiredyour mattress sits directly on the platform for a streamlined, contemporary look.
Why Urban Basics Works So Well in City Bedrooms
In urban apartments, the bedroom usually has to multitask: it’s a sleep zone, dressing room, storage closet, maybe even a home office. A queen bed is often the largest piece of furniture in that space, so choosing one that pulls its weight is crucial.
Built-In Storage That Actually Replaces a Dresser
Each side of the Urban Basics Queen Bed houses three drawers with interior clearances around 20 inches deep by 23 inches wide and just over 5 inches high. That’s formal-sweaters-and-jeans territory, not “only fits a pair of socks.” You can dedicate drawers to:
- Extra bedding: sheets, pillowcases, and lightweight blankets.
- Off-season clothing: bulky sweaters in summer, linen pieces in winter.
- Workout gear or loungewear that doesn’t need hanging space.
In many small rooms, the six drawers can function like a second dresser. That can free up wall space, open room for a desk or reading chair, or simply make the room feel less cramped.
Low-Profile Silhouette = Visually Larger Room
Design pros often recommend low, clean-lined bed frames in compact rooms because they don’t visually chop the space in half. The Urban Basics Queen Bed sits close to the floor with a simple platform base. Pair it with a slim headboard (or even just a wall-mounted art piece) and your eye naturally travels across the room instead of bumping into big, chunky furniture.
That streamlined profile also plays nicely with other modern staplesthink simple nightstands, wall-mounted sconces, and neutral bedding. The overall effect is calm and uncluttered, which is exactly what you want when your window faces a busy street or neighboring fire escape.
Eco-Safe Finishes for Healthier Sleep
Another standout detail is the focus on low-VOC, toxin-free stains and paints. Many inexpensive beds use finishes that can off-gas over time, which is not ideal in a small bedroom where you spend 7–9 hours a night. The Urban Basics Queen Bed is offered unfinished or in a range of low-emission finishes, making it appealing to anyone trying to keep indoor air quality in check.
Understanding the Size: Will It Fit Your Space?
A standard queen mattress is 60 inches wide by 80 inches long. Most queen frames extend a couple of inches beyond that footprint; the Urban Basics frame lands in the typical range at roughly 63–65 inches wide and just over 81 inches long. That means you’ll need to consider not just the mattress size but the extra inches from the frame and drawers.
Rule of Thumb: Leave Room to Walk
Before ordering, measure your bedroom and aim to leave at least 24–36 inches of clearance on the sides and at the foot of the bed. That walking space is what makes the room feel usable rather than “bed with some walls attached.” If you plan to open the drawers fully, make sure you have enough clearance between the bed and any dresser, wall, or radiator.
Drawer Clearance and Layout Tips
The drawers pull out from both sides of the bed, so consider:
- Centered placement: If the bed sits in the middle of the room, both sides are equally accessiblegreat for couples who share storage.
- One side against a wall: In tight rooms, you might push one side close to the wall and rely mostly on the other three drawers. That still gives you significant storage, but plan which side you prefer to access daily.
- Rugs and runners: Use a low-pile rug or runner that doesn’t catch the drawer fronts. High shag rugs and rolling drawers are not best friends.
Materials, Construction, and Comfort
A queen bed frame is more than just a pretty rectangle. You want solid support, quiet operation, and a design that won’t feel dated in two years. The Urban Basics Queen Bed focuses on those fundamentals.
Sturdy Platform Support
Because it’s a platform bed, the mattress rests on a solid base rather than thin metal rails. That helps:
- Reduce sagging over time (especially with foam or hybrid mattresses).
- Minimize motion transfer if one person tosses and turns.
- Eliminate the needand expenseof a separate box spring.
The sturdy base also means less squeaking and shifting over the years, which is essential if you’re in an older building with bouncy floors.
Soft-Close Hardware and Daily Use
The drawers use soft self-closing mechanisms, so you don’t get that jarring slam at midnight when you’re hunting for pajamas in the dark. They glide in, catch, and quietly pull themselves shut. It’s a small detail, but in a small home where every sound is amplified, it makes a difference.
Eco-Conscious Finishes
Urban Green offers the bed unfinished or in various low-VOC stains and paints, which are formulated to release fewer harmful compounds into the air. For families, allergy sufferers, or anyone trying to reduce chemical exposure, that’s a major plus. You can also customize the look: lighter finishes for airy Scandinavian vibes, deeper tones for a moodier, more dramatic bedroom.
How to Style an Urban Basics Queen Bed
Even a minimalist bed can feel cozy and personal with the right styling. Here are a few ways to make the Urban Basics Queen Bed the star of your room without overwhelming the space.
Choose a Headboard Strategy
- Wall-mounted headboard or panel: A slim upholstered panel adds softness without adding bulk to the floor footprint.
- Painted accent wall: Skip a physical headboard entirely and use a deep, soothing color behind the bed to frame it visually.
- Low-profile wood headboard: If you love natural materials, a simple wood headboard echoes the bed’s clean lines without clashing.
Keep Bedding Simple but Textured
Because the frame itself is streamlined, bedding is where you can play:
- Stick to a mostly neutral palettewhites, creams, grays, soft bluesso the room feels open and restful.
- Add interest with texture: a quilted coverlet, a chunky knit throw, linen pillow shams.
- Limit the number of decorative pillows; you want easy bedtime, not a daily pillow workout.
Work With Vertical Space
The bed is low and horizontal, so use vertical elements to balance the room:
- Wall-mounted sconces or pendant lights instead of lamp-heavy nightstands.
- Artwork hung slightly lower than usual to visually connect with the head of the bed.
- Tall but narrow storage (like a slim wardrobe or bookcase) to save floor space while adding storage.
Pros and Cons of the Urban Basics Queen Bed
Advantages
- Excellent storage capacity with six deep drawers that can truly replace a dresser in smaller rooms.
- Clean, timeless design that won’t feel trendy or dated in a few years.
- Eco-safe finishes and solid construction ideal for health- and quality-conscious buyers.
- No box spring needed, which saves money and keeps the silhouette modern and low-profile.
Potential Drawbacks
- Requires careful room planning: You’ll need enough clearance to open the drawers comfortably on at least one side.
- Heavier and more substantial than a basic metal frame, so moving it around frequently isn’t ideal.
- Price point: As a solid, storage-rich bed from a specialty maker, it sits above the lowest-budget framesbut you’re paying for materials, storage, and design that last.
Who Is the Urban Basics Queen Bed Best For?
This bed shines for:
- City dwellers with limited closet and dresser space.
- Minimalists who want a clutter-free, un-fussy bedroom with hidden storage.
- Eco-conscious buyers who care about low-VOC finishes and solid construction.
- Guests or youth rooms where you want serious function in a relatively small footprint.
If you prefer very tall beds, ornate carved headboards, or the ability to slide big plastic bins underneath, this may not be your perfect match. But if you want sleek lines, real storage, and a calmer bedroom, the Urban Basics Queen Bed fits the brief beautifully.
Living With an Urban Basics Queen Bed: Real-World Experience
So what is it actually like to live with a storage-heavy platform bed in a real, slightly-chaotic urban home? Imagine a typical city couple: two people, one queen mattress, one small bedroom, and a shocking number of sweaters. Here’s how an Urban Basics-style setup changes the daily routine.
First, the nightly “where do we put the extra blanket?” problem more or less disappears. Instead of draping things over chairs or cramming them into an overstuffed closet, you slide open a drawer, toss in the blanket, and gently nudge it closed. The soft-close hardware does the restno rattling, no “oops, slammed it again” moments that wake up the person already half asleep.
Mornings get calmer too. One drawer becomes the workout drawer: leggings, gym shorts, sports bras, socks. Another is reserved for pajamas and loungewear. Without trying very hard, you’ve given each category of clothing a “home.” Over time, you stop losing items to the mysterious under-bed void because, well, there is no void leftonly drawers.
The storage also quietly shifts how the rest of the room looks. That extra low dresser you thought you needed? Suddenly, you don’t. Removing it opens up wall space for a full-length mirror or a small desk, and it gives you more visual breathing room. The bed becomes the clear focal point of the room instead of one of several bulky wood pieces squeezed together.
Cleaning day is less dramatic, too. Because everything is integrated, there are fewer random bins or boxes to shift around. You can pull out the drawers a bit, vacuum along the base, wipe the drawer fronts, and call it good. No crawling on the floor to retrieve flattened shoe boxes or lost T-shirts that migrated under a traditional frame.
Over months and years, the benefits multiply. Seasonal swaps become easier: winter bedding and heavy sweaters live in the lower drawers during warm months and rotate with lighter pieces as the weather changes. Guests have a place to stash their clothes when they visit, without you having to empty half your closet. If a child or teen uses the bed, the drawers can be divided into “school stuff,” “sports gear,” or “extra sheets,” teaching organization in a way that feels effortless.
Most importantly, the bedroom feels more intentional. Because the Urban Basics Queen Bed hides so much storage, the surfaces you see every daynightstands, dresser tops, the floorstay clearer. And even if you’re not naturally tidy, it’s easier to maintain that sense of calm when there’s a straightforward place to put things away. You’ll still have the occasional chair-buried-in-laundry moment (you’re human), but your baseline level of clutter stays much lower.
All of that adds up to a simple but meaningful experience: you walk into your room at the end of a long day, see a low, well-made bed with crisp bedding and no chaos piled around it, and your shoulders drop half an inch. That’s the real promise of the Urban Basics Queen Bednot just extra drawers, but a small, everyday feeling of space and control in the middle of city life.
Final Thoughts
The Urban Basics Queen Bed brings together three things urban bedrooms desperately need: compact footprint, serious built-in storage, and a calm, uncluttered look. It won’t magically give you a walk-in closet, but it will help every square inch of your room work harder while still feeling light and modern. If you’re ready to trade “pile of stuff under the bed” for “secret six-drawer storage powerhouse,” this might be the piece that transforms your bedroom from cramped to considered.