Last week I was lying in bed (procrastinating from marking Year 9 homework I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear) and it dawned on me – our bedroom no longer feels INCREDIBLY small. Despite being roughly 120 square foot; around the size of many people’s living rooms – we seem to have nailed that elusive sweet spot of functionality vs. space for the two adults that use this room on a daily basis. Our bedroom was a disaster area before we moved into this Victorian Conversion Flat in Easton.
Previous owners had stupidly decreased the already minimal space even more with an oversized dark wood wardrobe spanning half the wall space and carpet that looked gritty enough to clean your teeth with. Fast forward six months or so and my girlfriend moves in. Suddenly there was two people’ belongings cram packed into a room only big enough for one.
Expectations were it was going to take a long time (and bank) to work out what works and what doesn’t. Here are some of the things we learnt along the way… Don’t get a King Size Bed Unless You Have Enough Room We decided to treat ourselves to a new King Size Bed fairly early on.
Mainly because we’re both tall and assumed we needed the extra space.
However on delivering said bed, the lads nearly fell about laughing when they saw our bedroom doorway. “You’re having a laugh, mate?” He said. But trust us, try and fit it. They did eventually, but at the cost of us not being able to physically move around the room.
As in I had to climb over the bed to get to the window. My girlfriend couldn’t stand up straight to access the wardrobe. We lasted three weeks before admitting defeat and selling it on Facebook Marketplace at a MASSIVE loss.
Queen Size was better, but positioning it was key. The bed we bought to replace it was leaps and bounds better. But deciding where to put it was like waiting for water to boil.
All of those Interior Design Blogs say to place your bed centred on the longest wall in the room. Newsflash. That is NOT helpful advice if you have a tiny bedroom like ours.
We even tried it out originally just because we have complete blind faith in what the internet tells us to do. Anyway the positioning didn’t allow us to access the wardrobe properly and also meant we couldn’t both easily reach each side of the bed. Everything about the room just felt off balanced.
Now the bed is positioned slightly off-centre. Enough that we can fit one regular nightstand and allow enough room to access the window on the other side of the room. My brain hasn’t quite adjusted to the room not being symmetrical but hey, If it works, it works.
Skip the Nightstands Ah nightstands, what a lesson. We picked up these cute little wooden ones that matched from a local Furniture Store. Complete overachievers.
They took up so much room and we kept knocking into them. Back they went on Facebook Marketplace. We replaced them with these Floating Shelves.
And boys.. these COSTCO Floating Shelves were basic as IKEA can make them. At £8 each, they hold everything we need them too (phones, books etc) and we can slide storage bins underneath! I keep my phone chargers and ear plugs in mine, my girlfriend stores some mystery items in hers that I will never question.
Military Precision was required for Storage. Lets start with the wardrobe. Ours is a Skinny Victorian Wardrobe that is taller than it is wide.
Which is great by the way. We installed a second hanging rail halfway down, essentially doubling up on hanging space for shorter items like shirts. OH and get yourself some of these Fabric Shoe Organizers that clip to the back of the door.
LIFE CHANGING for closet space. We keep belts, scarves, ties and any other annoying items that would usually take up drawer space in ours. The top shelf has Clear Storage Boxes for things we don’t currently wear but dont want to store in the attic (seasonal clothing etc).
I label everything. My brain requires things to have labels or else I won’t remember. Under-bed storage was a given.
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We opted for a Bed Frame with Built-In Drawers. Which honestly aren’t the best. The runners on the drawers stick a lot and one of the drawer fronts is warped.
If I were to do it again, I would probably just get a basic bed frame and slide some storage bins underneath. Cheaper, and way more versatile when you need the odd large storage option. Make the Walls Do the Legwork Hang.
Everything. We have a TV mounted on the wall (Sunday morning Netflix is NOT OPTIONAL) floating shelves for books, jewellery storage, you name it. Even found some of these adorable Shadow Box Items that mount on the wall and hold earrings/necklaces next to the dresser.
No more wasted drawer space. Looks cute too! Go Tall and Skinny vs Low and Wide on Dressers Our dresser is Tall and Skinny rather than Low and Wide.
You gain more storage vertically without sacrificing too much floor space. We use the top of our dresser as a Vanity Area complete with Mirror and things we use daily. Keep Bathroom items in the Bathroom too.
No need to have multiple drawers with makeup and toiletries when you have limited space. Don’t underestimate the importance of Lighting. That naked bulb in the middle of your ceiling may be cheap and cheerful but it makes the whole room feel smaller and sterile.
We have String Lights around the headboard wall (yes, like college kids. But sexier.) as well as a small lamp on the dresser and bedside lamps clipped to the Floating shelves. Multiple sources of lighting really opens up the room and makes it feel bigger and more inviting.
Plus when one of us wants to read and other wants to sleep, we have options! We kind of accidentally picked the Best Paint Colour for us. Plain white was our plan until the place we ordered it from messed up our order and we got a soft grey-blue instead.
Rather than wait another week we thought sod it and went for it. Best decision ever. It makes the all-white ceiling look higher and creates a calming effect without being boring.
Majority of our Bedding is kept white and cream with some Navy accessories popped in for good measure. Avoid busy patterns where possible. Clashing colours and busyness = chaos in a small room.
Hang Window Treatments As High and Wide As Possible I didn’t realise how much of a difference this would make until after we hung our curtains. We hung them blackout curtains as high up to the ceiling as possible and pulled them wider than the window itself. Instantly it tricks your eye into thinking that the window (and room) is a lot bigger than it actually is.
They’re also open during the day allowing as much light in as possible, making the room feel bigger and less cramped. Lesson Number Three Years Of Living Together Has Taught Us… If it doesn’t have a function, or isn’t beautiful ENOUGH to live in your space, GET RID OF IT. That decorative bowl that served no purpose other than looking pretty?
Gone.
The chair that became a pile of clothes every night? In the living room where it actually gets used.
Extra throw cushions that ended up dumped on the floor every night before bed? Donated to charity. When you live in 120 Square Feet, EVERYTHING needs to have a purpose or be damn beautiful.
There have been so many changes since we first moved in I can’t even keep up. We’ve reached the point now where we stop seeing the room as small. It’s just…. ours.
It works for us. It holds everything we need and more importantly, it feels like a home not a box we were cram stuffed into. Good design isn’t always about having the biggest space, sometimes its about making the smallest space work for how you actually live.
