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Ditch These 7 Things to Make Your Bedroom Feel Bigger
Feeling squashed in your sleep space? Some careful design choices could make your small boudoir feel roomier
If your small bedroom seems more cramped than cosy, it could be time for a rethink. The removal of a few key items and layout elements, as well as more flexible design decisions, could unlock your teeny room’s potential, making it feel more spacious and restful.
Also in this series: Ditch These 5 Things to Make Your Bathroom Feel Bigger l Ditch These 7 Things to Make Your Living Room Feel Bigger
Also in this series: Ditch These 5 Things to Make Your Bathroom Feel Bigger l Ditch These 7 Things to Make Your Living Room Feel Bigger
2. Table lamps
While we’re on the subject of bedsides, it’s worth considering an alternative to the standard table lamp. Even the smallest version can take up precious room on a mini surface, but a little creative thinking can provide a solution.
Keep your bedside table clear by going for a hanging pendant like the one in the previous image, or a wall light like the simple design in this bedroom by Indie & Co. As well as the practical element, a wall or pendant light either side of the bed can add some personality to elevate the space.
While we’re on the subject of bedsides, it’s worth considering an alternative to the standard table lamp. Even the smallest version can take up precious room on a mini surface, but a little creative thinking can provide a solution.
Keep your bedside table clear by going for a hanging pendant like the one in the previous image, or a wall light like the simple design in this bedroom by Indie & Co. As well as the practical element, a wall or pendant light either side of the bed can add some personality to elevate the space.
3. A solid bed base
With the subject of floor space in mind, your choice of bed can have an impact on the feeling of flow at ground level in your bedroom. The bed takes up a lot of space, and a solid base can look bulky and consuming.
If possible, choose a frame with legs, as this will give the room a lighter look. The bed in this scheme by Simpson & Voyle has space below it, which helps to create an airier feel.
Planning to revamp a room – or more? It’s easy to find and hire interior designers through Houzz.
With the subject of floor space in mind, your choice of bed can have an impact on the feeling of flow at ground level in your bedroom. The bed takes up a lot of space, and a solid base can look bulky and consuming.
If possible, choose a frame with legs, as this will give the room a lighter look. The bed in this scheme by Simpson & Voyle has space below it, which helps to create an airier feel.
Planning to revamp a room – or more? It’s easy to find and hire interior designers through Houzz.
4. Inflexible bed placement
We often assume the bed needs to be positioned on any wall other than the chimney breast. After all, isn’t it best to put a wide piece of furniture next to an uninterrupted surface? Well, sometimes the answer to this is yes, but sometimes it’s actually no. In fact, by being flexible about your bedroom layout, you might create more space.
In this room, the bed has been positioned right on the chimney breast, and the team at Consult by FD have made the most of the alcoves either side. Shelves provide useful display space, while two wider bedside drawers could double up as a desk or dressing table.
We often assume the bed needs to be positioned on any wall other than the chimney breast. After all, isn’t it best to put a wide piece of furniture next to an uninterrupted surface? Well, sometimes the answer to this is yes, but sometimes it’s actually no. In fact, by being flexible about your bedroom layout, you might create more space.
In this room, the bed has been positioned right on the chimney breast, and the team at Consult by FD have made the most of the alcoves either side. Shelves provide useful display space, while two wider bedside drawers could double up as a desk or dressing table.
5. A lack of symmetry
Balance and harmony removes visual clutter from a room and makes it appear more spacious. With that in mind, symmetry is your friend if you want your small bedroom to feel bigger.
We can see this trick at play here, in a compact room designed by Studio Schubert. There’s just enough space for a bed and two narrow bedside tables in this bijou spot, but it doesn’t looked cramped. The paired plants and pendants, as well as the grid of photos, have created a pleasing balance that gives the illusion of space.
Balance and harmony removes visual clutter from a room and makes it appear more spacious. With that in mind, symmetry is your friend if you want your small bedroom to feel bigger.
We can see this trick at play here, in a compact room designed by Studio Schubert. There’s just enough space for a bed and two narrow bedside tables in this bijou spot, but it doesn’t looked cramped. The paired plants and pendants, as well as the grid of photos, have created a pleasing balance that gives the illusion of space.
6. Underused areas
In a small space, it pays to look for storage solutions in every area of the room. If you see a spare piece of floor or wall, think creatively about how you can make use of the redundant spot in order to free up space elsewhere.
A good example of this is the area either side of a bed, which is often filled with bedside tables and nothing else. The team at Brooke Copp-Barton Interiors have maximised this bedroom by installing a matching pair of wardrobes either side of the bed.
The cabinets tone with the colour of the walls to create a harmonious look, while the cleverly placed storage allows other walls in the room to be used for something else or kept empty to give an uncluttered outlook from the bed.
In a small space, it pays to look for storage solutions in every area of the room. If you see a spare piece of floor or wall, think creatively about how you can make use of the redundant spot in order to free up space elsewhere.
A good example of this is the area either side of a bed, which is often filled with bedside tables and nothing else. The team at Brooke Copp-Barton Interiors have maximised this bedroom by installing a matching pair of wardrobes either side of the bed.
The cabinets tone with the colour of the walls to create a harmonious look, while the cleverly placed storage allows other walls in the room to be used for something else or kept empty to give an uncluttered outlook from the bed.
7. A standalone dressing table
It’s useful to have a place to store make-up and hair brushes, but a freestanding dressing table can take up quite a bit of space in a room. An alternative idea is to combine yours with other storage, as the team at ALL & NXTHING have done here.
Wall-to-wall cabinets provide loads of clothes storage, leaving room to insert a neat vanity area. This has allowed other walls in the room to be kept free, creating a calm feeling of space.
Tell us…
Which of these would you swap in your small bedroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
It’s useful to have a place to store make-up and hair brushes, but a freestanding dressing table can take up quite a bit of space in a room. An alternative idea is to combine yours with other storage, as the team at ALL & NXTHING have done here.
Wall-to-wall cabinets provide loads of clothes storage, leaving room to insert a neat vanity area. This has allowed other walls in the room to be kept free, creating a calm feeling of space.
Tell us…
Which of these would you swap in your small bedroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Leaving areas of the floor clear can help to give the illusion of space in a room, so any way you can swap items that sit on the floor will be a good thing.
A double bed with two tables either side, for example, can take up quite a bit of width in terms of floor area, so consider wall-mounted units instead to give a lighter feel.
The bedside shelf here, in a scheme by Slightly Quirky, has a handy drawer below to ensure the surface remains uncluttered.