How to make the most out of your small bedroom I live in a studio flat. The bedroom that I inhabit is approximately the square footage of an average sized walk-in-closet. When I first moved in, I stood in that room with my tape measure scowling and trying to calculate how I could have possibly picked such a small space for myself.
The estate agent referred to it as “cozy” – and, let’s face it, “cozy” is really just agent-speak for “you will have to suck in your gut just to close your wardrobe door.” However, small bedrooms can be quite amazing. They force you to think outside of the box and allow you to design and build a functional space. Functionality is key in a small bedroom.
They teach you how to layout furniture to create more space than may actually exist. More importantly, they force you to get creative with your decorating.
I have spent the last three years perfecting my little shoebox into a cohesive and – most importantly- livable space.
Let me clarify. When I say livable, I don’t mean just decorating to your taste. I mean FUNCTIONALLY livable.
My bed now floats inches off the ground. I know, everyone says to elevate your bed, but hear me out. I found a metal bed frame that lifts my bed 24 inches off of the ground. (Don’t worry, I measured this with my trusty tape measure myself- I spent way too much time crawling through IKEA one glorious Sunday acting like a furniture detective.) Underneath my bed I keep four sizable storage boxes on wheels that easily slide out from underneath.
Two of these boxes contain out-of-season clothes, one contains extra bedding, and the final box is my notorious “someday-I-might need-this” box (hint: I never do) and lastly my gift wrapping station. Rolling wheels were essential to keeping these storage boxes functional. If they didn’t have wheels, I guarantee these boxes would become black holes that my clothes would vanish into and I wouldn’t ever take the time to dig through every.single.piece.of clothing just to find that one jumper I want to wear.
Believe me, I know this from experience. When I first moved in I used storage boxes without wheels and somehow ended up buying two sets of identical Christmas decorations because I was too lazy to dig through and find out if I already owned them. Wall-mounted bedside tables were a GAME changer.
When you have such limited space, every bit of floor space is crucial. Floating shelves with small drawers hanging about a foot from the edge of my bed. It’s the perfect height to keep my glasses, phone charger, and endless presence of a water glass within arms reach.
It also allows me to vacuum under my bed without having to play tetris with my furniture each week. Mirrors. Ah, mirrors.
Don’t sleep with out one. Hang a mirror on the wall opposite your window to help bounce light around the room and create the illusion of more space. Where you hang this mirror is vital.
I first hung mine directly opposite my bed. Bad idea. All I could think about was how horrific I looked sleeping.
Don’t judge. Moving the mirror to allow it to reflect the natural light from my window was perfect. Closets.
Closet space is always something I had to carefully strategize. I have custom-built closet with sliding doors that never line up. You know the kind, they autumn off the track if you look at them wrong.
Rather than continuously battle with these doors, I took them off completely and placed a tension rod across the opening and hung a curtain over it. Sure, it looks a little bit DIY, but it can actually look quite intentional if you grab a nice fabric. Better yet, I can now see everything at a glance rather than playing a game of roulette as to which side my work attire is hiding on today.
Maximise your vertical space within your open closet. Hang multiple rods at different heights. One lower for shorts and skirts and another higher for long clothing.
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Those suckers with multiple shelves? Fill them with folded clothes, shoes, and accessories. You now have everything visible and accessible.
Lighting. This could probably be its own blog post because good lighting alone changed my bedroom from my old house to my current one. Central lighting can be harsh and unflattering in a small room.
Try to have as many diffused light sources as possible. I took down my ceiling light and replaced it with 3 various lighting sources; string lights around my headboard (yes they sound nerdy and dorm-room like, but the warm toned LED ones are actually quite chic), a small table lamp on one of my floating shelves, and a floor lamp in the corner that bounced light off the ceiling. It creates such a better layering effect and makes the room feel so much bigger.
Colour schemes. Paint colours are something you really need to consider when dealing with a small space more so than any other room in your home. I painted three walls a warm, soft white and painted the wall behind my bed DARK NAVY BLUE.
It creates a focal point and adds depth to the room without making it feel closed in. Yes, you can use dark colours in small rooms, you just have to be strategic with it. Painting the wall behind my bed dark blue makes the other walls seem farther away creating the illusion of more space.
Invest in multi-functional furniture. My bedside “table” is actually just a small stool that I can pull out and use for extra seating when guests come over. The trunk at the foot of my bed stores winter clothes but doubles up as an extra seat and surface to fold clothes on.
Remember that floor lamp I was talking about? It came with a small table attached to its base – perfect for setting a book and tea cup. Window treatments.
Don’t underestimate the power of window treatments. Heavy curtains made my room feel smaller and more closed off. Leaving my window bare made me feel too exposed.
Ultimately, I ended up going with white linen curtains and hanging them as close to the ceiling as possible. Make sure they drape slightly past your window frame on each side. This technique will make your window (and your room overall) look larger.
Storage is king. I literally had to edit down every single piece of furniture to its functional purposes. Yes that includes the ceramic bowl on my dresser.
It holds jewellery but also adds to the aesthetic of my room.
Hooks behind my door hold bags, scarves, and that robe I actually wear. A skinny bookcase squeezed into the corner of the room, stuffed with books on every shelf except the top – which I keep my plants on.
Yes, you can have plants in a small bedroom. My final tip? Small bedrooms can actually be more cozy than large ones.
There is something about having everything you own be super organised in a small space that is incredibly comforting. Once everything has a place and that place can be reached with ease, life seems simpler. You unwind easier in the evening because you know where everything is and your mornings aren’t as rushed because you don’t have to play find-my-keys-in-a-hole-of-clothes every.single.day.
None of these tips are expensive either. The bed frame was the most pricey item I bought at £180 and almost everything else I already had or came from the high street/online retailers. Making the most out of your small bedroom isn’t about having endless amounts of money to decorate it.
It’s about changing how you view the mechanics of a small space and being open to breaking the rules of bedroom furniture layout.
