Small Space Living: Creative Ideas for Small-scale Kids’ Rooms
When the room is tiny as well as its inhabitant, think creatively to help your little one get the most from their space
Not all kids are lucky enough to have big, airy bedrooms. Often, the smallest room in the house goes to the smallest family member. While a nursery only really needs a cot and perhaps some storage, an older child’s room will, ideally, also be somewhere in which they can spend time playing, reading and making. So how do you cram a mass of functions into a space that’s tight on square footage? These clever kids’ rooms point the way.
Buy one, get one free
Three siblings need to share? No problem! This style of double bed with a single bunk above crams a lot of sleep space into a small room. Look out for designs that also function when dismantled, so that when children no longer want to share, you can take the system apart and use the beds individually.
See other clever compact bedrooms
Three siblings need to share? No problem! This style of double bed with a single bunk above crams a lot of sleep space into a small room. Look out for designs that also function when dismantled, so that when children no longer want to share, you can take the system apart and use the beds individually.
See other clever compact bedrooms
Convert a corner
You might think there isn’t sufficient space for a desk and art materials in your child’s room, but this scheme demonstrates how to make the most of a corner. By hanging a simple rail system with buckets suspended from it, this area becomes a fully functioning creative space. All that’s needed is a small square table, which slots in neatly, with stools that can be stowed underneath it. It’s a clever solution that makes fantastic use of a corner, but eats into very little floor space.
You might think there isn’t sufficient space for a desk and art materials in your child’s room, but this scheme demonstrates how to make the most of a corner. By hanging a simple rail system with buckets suspended from it, this area becomes a fully functioning creative space. All that’s needed is a small square table, which slots in neatly, with stools that can be stowed underneath it. It’s a clever solution that makes fantastic use of a corner, but eats into very little floor space.
Build around the bed
Storage designed specifically for the space will make use of every nook and cranny and allow you to tailor it to your child’s needs. This wall of built-in units cleverly wraps around the bed, utilising dead space up by the ceiling. It has cupboards above, a wardrobe on one side and open shelves on the other, but might equally have been designed to incorporate a desk.
Check out these storage superheroes for kids’ rooms
Storage designed specifically for the space will make use of every nook and cranny and allow you to tailor it to your child’s needs. This wall of built-in units cleverly wraps around the bed, utilising dead space up by the ceiling. It has cupboards above, a wardrobe on one side and open shelves on the other, but might equally have been designed to incorporate a desk.
Check out these storage superheroes for kids’ rooms
Big up the walls and ceiling
Drawing the eye away from the limited floor footprint and up to the walls and ceiling helps create an illusion of space. So rather than paint these surfaces in white, treat them to dramatic wallpaper and a handful of patterns, and then leave the desk and bedding plain and neutral.
Drawing the eye away from the limited floor footprint and up to the walls and ceiling helps create an illusion of space. So rather than paint these surfaces in white, treat them to dramatic wallpaper and a handful of patterns, and then leave the desk and bedding plain and neutral.
Put up plenty of hooks
In a small bedroom, hooks are your friends. Hang them on the back of the door, as here, and on walls, too, and you will use them for more than just coats and hats. A lot of kiddie kit comes on a string – from binoculars to torches and magnifying glasses – while simple drawstring bags, hung on hooks, can hold masses of teddies and toys, helping valuable floor space stay clutter free.
In a small bedroom, hooks are your friends. Hang them on the back of the door, as here, and on walls, too, and you will use them for more than just coats and hats. A lot of kiddie kit comes on a string – from binoculars to torches and magnifying glasses – while simple drawstring bags, hung on hooks, can hold masses of teddies and toys, helping valuable floor space stay clutter free.
Tuck under the eaves
A bed fitted under the eaves of a loft room might not work for a fully grown adult, but for a child, this kind of sleep space is cosy and cabin-like, with just enough head room so he or she can sit up in bed and read. Tucking the bed in like this leaves vital floor space free for storage, a desk or a cool hanging chair.
A bed fitted under the eaves of a loft room might not work for a fully grown adult, but for a child, this kind of sleep space is cosy and cabin-like, with just enough head room so he or she can sit up in bed and read. Tucking the bed in like this leaves vital floor space free for storage, a desk or a cool hanging chair.
Add a mirror
Using a mirror in a small-scale room to boost the sense of space and light is a well-known trick that works equally well in a kid’s room. For safety reasons, make sure the mirror is securely attached to the wall, and not simply propped against it. A string of fairy lights draped over it adds a fun touch.
Using a mirror in a small-scale room to boost the sense of space and light is a well-known trick that works equally well in a kid’s room. For safety reasons, make sure the mirror is securely attached to the wall, and not simply propped against it. A string of fairy lights draped over it adds a fun touch.
Fake it!
Murals are not everyone’s cup of tea and they can be expensive to commission, but this fantastic example illustrates how they can turn a flat wall into a 3D adventure land, and make a small room feel epic!
See more great kids’ wall decorations
Murals are not everyone’s cup of tea and they can be expensive to commission, but this fantastic example illustrates how they can turn a flat wall into a 3D adventure land, and make a small room feel epic!
See more great kids’ wall decorations
Wall mount lights
A good reading light is essential by a child’s bed, but table lamps take up space. So use wall-mounted lights to bypass the need for a bedside table with a light on it. This then makes it possible to squeeze a bed into a very narrow spot, as here.
Have you made great use of a small room in your house? Share your tips in the comments below.
A good reading light is essential by a child’s bed, but table lamps take up space. So use wall-mounted lights to bypass the need for a bedside table with a light on it. This then makes it possible to squeeze a bed into a very narrow spot, as here.
Have you made great use of a small room in your house? Share your tips in the comments below.
Raising the child’s bed off the ground immediately liberates a bed-sized chunk of floor that can be used for play. There are lots of raised beds available to buy, with valuable storage, play or desk space incorporated, or you could have a bed made bespoke to suit your space.