You know the old saying, that ‘small is beautiful’? Well, tell that to the person sleeping in a room with barely enough to swing a cat. Sure, we’d all love a little more, but when things are compact, close and cosy, it’s only natural to seek solutions. And seek you shall, because you’ve come to the right place my friend; our 7 ideas to make your bedroom look more spacious.
Light Coloured Walls
When it comes to bedrooms, it is always better that you keep your wall tones and hues on the more mellow side of the colour palette. And that’s a place we simply love to hang out. While dark colours can be striking and give a luxurious air, for smaller rooms it’s better to stick to pastels and other light colours, reflecting brightness and giving an impression of roominess.
Darker colours usually absorb light, which makes your room look smaller. Light colours, on the flipside, reflect the light. Go further and colour code your bedding with your walls. A matching pillow or duvet would definitely make your room look succinct and spacious.
Space-Saving Furniture
When it comes to furniture, we usually look for the best-looking, aesthetically pleasing, with scant regard for how it actually fits within the space. While there are multiple options to choose from when coming to a decision, it’s highly advisable that you prioritise space-saving furniture if you’re short on space.
Multi-purpose furniture is a great investment and it also helps save space in such a way that your room looks bigger. As the guys at Archers Sleepcentre tell us, storage spaces that come housed within your bed frame, dressers that fold into side tables, trunks that provide seating and storage at the foot of the bed, are all great ways to save space and also keep your belongings cleanly out of sight.
Another way to save space is by using a small, simple stall as a bedside table and hanging your bedside lights on the wall. Indeed, setting up wall lights such as wall sconces or pendants on either side of the bed frees up valuable floor and bedside table space in smaller bedroom set-up
Similarly, TV beds represent another smart way to save space in the bedroom. By combining television and a bed in one design, this space-saving furniture can help you make the most of a smaller living space without any compromise on style or comfort. It allows you to enjoy cosy movie nights in bed, maximising your interior décor with its dual-purpose display. Not only do TV beds add aesthetic value to your bedroom but they also give you an underestimated level of luxury, even if you’re living with limited space.
Read: Ways to add more wardrobe storage space to your home
Think Outside The Bed
The bed is, of course, the focal point of the bedroom, hence the name and all that. But why not get creative in this most stagnant of features? Using a folding futon rather than a bed is a great way to get yourself a sofa during the day, as well as a bed during the night.
Murphy beds that actually come out of the wall are also a great way to maximise the floor space you need while slinging up hammocks is also a great way to lounge in your bedroom without taking up floor space. This elevation allows you to have a sofa, desk or chest of drawers underneath.
Alternatively, Ottoman beds are the kings of storage and can allow for additional pieces of furniture to store your belongings. Or, if you find you have no room to expand outwards, then instead look upwards and consider a loft bed that rises from the floor and is supported by four pillars.
Bespoke Furniture
The primary problem with freestanding wardrobes that you get from the store is that they’re simply not economical with space, whichever way you look at them. There’s all too often unused, unusable space around the wardrobe’s peripheries, and in bedrooms not blessed with lots of capacity, this can feel pretty wasteful. Fitted wardrobes, on the other hand, are an oh-so-simple way to boost your storage space, as they make use of every available centimetre.
It’s not just fitted wardrobes that save space. Floor to ceiling bespoke shelving, and neat, vertical cupboards are both additional great ways to maximise space in a compact room. More streamlined than freestanding storage, built-in furniture designed specifically for its room helps to put every single centimetre of space to use.
Built-In Shelving Around Your Bed
This is one of the most efficient ways to ensure maximum space, accessibility, and comfort in your bedroom. Because built-in shelving, shaped around the bed, not only gives you more space but also makes it seem as though the walls have enough depth, too. Built-in shelves are a great way to keep yourself organised, as well, keeping the space-sapping clutter at bay, but that’s not all; decorating your bedroom will be much easier minus the barriers and obstacles that mess presents.
We particularly love the Tiny Home Bed featured in Dezeen recently, where “graduate Yesul Jang has designed a bed with storage capacity for millennials with limited space in urban dwellings. The furniture piece features a raised bed with a storage space under the mattress covered by a fabric curtain.’’
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
Adding mirrors in your room against a bare wall is perhaps the ultimate interior design hack when looking to achieve a sense of roominess. This is because a cleverly angled mirror will help create the illusion of depth, height and light.
Optimally, it is best if you keep your mirrors floor-to-ceiling, should you have the vertical space to play with. Moreover, when it comes to mirrors, choosing a cupboard with an attached mirror kills two birds with one stone.
Consider also installing stylish mirrors with built-in storage to really maximise both the appearance and the actual presence of more space. Apartment Therapy suggests “floor-length mirrors that turn into mini clothing racks, and decorative bedroom mirrors that become secret jewelry armoires”.
Read: The best ways to allow more natural light into your home
Declutter
You can’t get your bedroom looking tight and tidy when you have piles of unused clothes, books and other ‘stuff’ everywhere. You need to look at the items that you’re storing in your bedroom and figure out where else they could go – the recycling centre, eBay and the bin to name but a few!
Be ruthless here; there’s no use in just moving items from one room to another. As Marie Kondo opines, if it doesn’t bring you joy, get rid.
The Bottom Line
Keeping your bedroom simple and balanced is the key to maximising the space within. Storage solutions, neat shelving and a general obsessive approach to organisation within your bedroom is the best way to keep things clean and roomy. Tidy room, tidy mind, and all that.