About two years ago I outgrew my college furniture and got a second-hand bed frame with four built-in drawers, two on each side, for under-bed storage. It’s a design that’s less useful in practice. The problem is that if one side of your bed is against a wall, or if you put night stands next to your bed, two out of four drawers will be pinned shut at all times.

When I moved to my current apartment I left the drawers behind. The newly opened space looked nice but felt like a missed opportunity.

The solution I found was Christmas lights. 30 feet of warm white LEDs held in place by outdoor light clips. I strung the lights around the inside perimeter of the bed frame, being careful to keep bulbs from touching the carpet.

interior

In these pictures you can see the lights up close and a roller drawer slide where one drawer used to be. The lights are unobtrusive to the point of almost being invisible when they’re off.

side view

The effect is great. It pairs perfectly with my overhead projector when I watch movies in bed. I plug in the lights whenever I want to create a cozy, romantic atmosphere.