BDI Tanami: Everything You Need to Know About This Storage System
The BDI Tanami is a line of premium storage furniture from BDI (Boca Design Inc.) that focuses on a clean, minimalist aesthetic with functional multi-purpose storage. The Tanami collection is designed primarily for living spaces like home offices and media rooms, but its modular nature and enclosed storage style have made it relevant to anyone building a clean, organized workspace, including those setting up a finished garage, bonus room, or dedicated hobby area.
If you've come across the BDI Tanami name while researching storage options, I'll cover what the collection actually includes, how it's built, who it works best for, and what the real-world trade-offs are compared to standard storage options.
What the BDI Tanami Collection Includes
BDI designs the Tanami as a modular system, meaning you can combine pieces to build a customized storage configuration. The main pieces in the collection typically include:
Tanami Storage Credenza: A low-profile horizontal storage unit with enclosed cabinets and open shelf compartments. Typically runs about 68 to 72 inches wide and 30 to 32 inches tall, with a depth around 18 to 20 inches. The credenza format is designed for living rooms and offices where you want concealed storage at a height that works as a media console or entry storage.
Tanami Bookcase: A taller vertical unit with adjustable shelves, available in open or with door-panel variations. Designed to pair with the credenza for a unified wall of storage.
Tanami Lateral File: An enclosed file cabinet unit that matches the rest of the collection aesthetically, with hanging file drawers for legal or letter-size files.
The entire collection uses wire management channels built into the structure, which matters if you're using it in a home office or for AV equipment.
Materials and Construction
BDI builds the Tanami collection using a combination of powder-coated steel frames and thermally fused laminate panels. The finish is available in Natural Walnut (a warm wood grain) and Satin White options depending on the model year. The doors typically use push-to-open mechanisms rather than visible pulls, which keeps the exterior clean-looking.
This is furniture-grade construction, not garage-grade. The laminate surfaces handle indoor humidity and normal temperature ranges well. Exposing a Tanami credenza to a non-climate-controlled garage would damage the finish relatively quickly. Temperature swings, humidity, and condensation are hard on thermally fused laminate over time.
How the Tanami Compares to Garage Storage Systems
The BDI Tanami is a different category from the metal cabinet systems typically used in garages. Here's the honest comparison:
Where Tanami Wins
Aesthetics are genuinely different. A Tanami credenza looks like furniture, not storage. If you have a finished garage that functions as a home office extension, a media room overflow, or a hobby studio, the Tanami gives you storage that fits the visual standard of a finished interior space.
Build quality relative to price is strong. BDI furniture consistently gets high marks for its fit and finish. The adjustable shelves have accurate cam lock adjustment, drawer slides are full-extension, and the push-to-open doors work reliably.
Wire management is thoughtful. Built-in routing channels keep cables behind panels instead of trailing across the floor, which matters if you're running electronics in the space.
Where It Falls Short for Garage Use
Load capacity is lower than metal garage systems. A Tanami credenza shelf handles typical office or display loads, roughly 25 to 50 pounds per shelf. A heavy-duty garage metal shelving system handles 250 to 400 pounds per shelf.
It's not moisture or temperature tolerant. Standard garage conditions, even in an attached garage, typically have enough temperature swing and humidity variation to stress laminate furniture over a few years. You'd need to climate-control the space to protect a Tanami investment.
Price is in a different range. BDI Tanami pieces run $600 to $2,000+ per unit. For garage-specific use cases, that same budget buys significantly more functional heavy-duty storage. If you're looking for the Best Garage Storage, purpose-built metal and heavy-duty shelving systems deliver more capacity per dollar for typical garage environments.
Who Actually Should Consider the Tanami
The Tanami makes sense for these situations:
Finished bonus room or basement: If you've converted garage space into a finished room and want storage that looks like furniture rather than utility shelving, the Tanami fits.
Home office with extra storage needs: The combination of filing drawers, adjustable shelves, and cable management handles office-plus-storage use well.
Media room storage: The credenza proportions match a TV stand scale, so you can combine media storage with concealed general storage in the same piece.
Garage converted to a home gym or studio: A climate-controlled converted space where aesthetics matter alongside function.
For a non-climate-controlled standard garage, I'd point you toward steel cabinet systems instead. They handle the environment and offer more load capacity for similar money.
Dimensions and Fit Planning
If you're considering the Tanami credenza for a specific space, the standard footprint is:
- Width: 68 to 72 inches
- Depth: 18 to 20 inches
- Height: 30 to 32 inches
This is a significant footprint. Against a 10-foot wall, it takes up about 60% of the wall width. The 20-inch depth means it projects meaningfully into the room but is still shallower than most standard desks.
The bookcase units are typically 36 to 40 inches wide and 72 to 78 inches tall, designed to stack visually with the credenza even though they're separate pieces.
BDI offers a free configuration tool on their site where you can layout your space virtually with actual product dimensions. If you're serious about buying, spending 15 minutes there before ordering saves you from a costly return.
Availability and Purchasing
BDI Tanami pieces are available through authorized BDI dealers and through several major furniture retailers online. Pricing fluctuates and older color options sometimes go on clearance as BDI refreshes the collection. Full retail for a credenza plus bookcase runs $1,500 to $3,500 depending on configuration.
The pieces ship via freight delivery in flat-pack format and require assembly. Assembly is generally described as straightforward with BDI's cam lock and connector system, typically taking one to two hours per piece.
Return logistics on freight-delivered furniture are expensive. Measure twice and confirm your space before ordering. BDI's customer service is well-reviewed for resolving issues with damaged panels and missing hardware.
FAQ
Is BDI Tanami good quality? Yes, BDI is consistently rated as a quality furniture brand in its price range. The construction uses solid materials and the engineering of the adjustable systems and wire management is thoughtful. For indoor use in a stable temperature environment, it holds up well.
Can I use BDI Tanami in a garage? Only in a climate-controlled finished garage. The laminate panels and furniture-grade construction aren't rated for temperature extremes, humidity, or garage conditions. In a standard unfinished garage, the finish would likely crack or delaminate within a few years.
How does BDI Tanami compare to IKEA storage? BDI Tanami is considerably more expensive than IKEA Kallax or Besta-style systems, but the build quality, integrated wire management, and push-to-open hardware are noticeably better. IKEA systems work fine for lighter loads. BDI is a better long-term investment for heavier use.
What finish options does Tanami come in? Historically the Tanami has been available in Natural Walnut and Satin White. Specific availability depends on the current product year. Check BDI's current product listings as colorways occasionally change with collection updates.
The Bottom Line
BDI Tanami is high-quality furniture-grade storage designed for finished interior spaces. It's an excellent option if you're building out a home office, media room, or finished living space that needs organized, good-looking storage. For a working garage in typical conditions, it's the wrong tool. The load capacity, moisture tolerance, and cost-per-cubic-foot don't compete with purpose-built garage storage systems. For that situation, steel cabinets and shelving rated for garage environments will serve you much better and cost less.
Know what your space actually is before you buy.