A while back we started our small spaces series. After our posts on ideas for making big space in small bathrooms and small kitchens, we took a break in the series. I was reminded of the series once again, thanks to a post request from a reader. And so today, we are back with these fantastic ways to make big space in your small bedroom.
11 Ways To Make Big Space In Your Small Bedroom
Like with our other space saving posts, we are going to look at everything that goes into a bedroom one at a time, and then see how we can use it to add more space to our room.
The biggest piece of furniture in a bedroom is, quite obviously, the bed. So why not start making space right there.
(1) Under The Bed
We all know about making space under the bed by using hydraulics to lift the mattress or having storage drawers under the bed. So we won’t get into that in this post.
But what if you were to raise the bed a little higher. You might be able to get in a couple of more drawers under it.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
Raising the bed on to a platform can give you a whole lot of space under it for drawers and cabinets.
You could add drawers into the steps climbing up and even make space for a study table.
If you raise the bed higher still, that gives you the entire floor space beneath it to use as you please.
You could use it as a study or work station, as seen above. Or a space for relaxing and entertainment as seen below.
(2) Around The Bed
Next comes the wall behind the bed. If it’s large enough to put your bed against it, it is probably the largest wall in your bedroom. So if you can make good use of it, then you can automatically make a whole lot of big space in your small bedroom.
Running simple shelves across this wall can give so you so much additional space. This is also really easy to do even if you don’t want to do a major bedroom remodel. Use simple metal brackets and place glass or wooden shelves across them.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
You could organise this better using a grid that will divide your storage into compartments.
Add drawers at the base to make a good side table and also give you more closed storage.
Or go the whole hog and use the wall behind your bed to fit in your wardrobe.
Again, for those of you not looking to do any major work I absolutely loved the idea of this metal rack placed across the bed. You could get something similar made in wood too, and it would serve as added storage and double as a side table. It’s great for rentals too, since you can carry it with you wherever you go.
(3) In The Headboard
The headboard seems like too small a space to make a big difference, but it’s usually the little things that add up. Having a simple shelf in your headboard along with some added storage on the sides can make up for side tables, if you don’t have enough space for them.
You could add pull out racks on either side to make full use of the length of the headboard.
Or individual drawers to make them easier to use.
Sliding shutters along the front can double up as a back rest yet allow you to use the entire length of the headboard.
Or a backrest that folds down can allow for a lot of space for books, accessories or even extra cushions.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
(4) Foot Of The Bed
Once the head is taken care of we can begin adding useful space to the foot of the bed. A good sized trunk is a great way to add some extra storage. You could use it to store your extra pillows, cushions and blankets.
Shelves at the foot of your bed are a great place to store your books…
… or pretty much anything you need that extra space for.
You could use storage boxes and baskets to keep your things organised and looking neat.
Adding a sideboard to the foot of your bed is an amazing way to add so much storage space to your small bedroom.
A taller side board also works as a room divider if you want to separate your sleeping area visually from the dressing or seating area in your bedroom.
(5) Storage In Your Side Tables
Use chests of drawers as side tables on either side of your bed, and you will have so much added storage in your bedroom.
You can go as wide as the space you have on your bed side, and as high as about six to eight inches above the mattress.
(6) Use Your Side Tables For More Than One Function
In a small bedroom having one piece of furniture double up for more than one function saves a lot of space. Do you remember how we added these mirror cabinets above the bed side tables in our neutral bedroom to also use this as a dressing area?
Adding mirrors will always make your room look larger.
And will also make a strong style statement.
You can also place a study table next to your bed to make your side table also serve as the study area.
Combine this with built in shelves around the bed that we discussed earlier, and you have a proper study unit in the space of a side table.
Do you remember how we used the space beside the bed to give a study area to our pretty pastel bedroom?
Combine both, to make the space even more multi-functional and useful.
Add a mirror above your study table next to your bed to serve as your bedside table, study and dressing area. Isn’t that great use of space?
(7) Folding Tables
Folding tables are a good idea for adding temporary work surfaces in a small space. You can open them out when required and fold them back when not in use so that they don’t get in the way.
Use it as a study area or a counter for any kind of work. Add a mirror inside in place of the pegboard and you can use it as a dressing table too.
(8) Multifunctional TV Console
Like what we said for bedside tables, your TV console doesn’t have to be just a decorative shelf. Depending on the space you have, use a side board to place your TV.
A large chest of drawers works the same way. Plan on what you’re going to store there to choose between one and the other.
For example, the residents of our pretty pastel bedroom wanted drawers in their TV console to store medicines, sewing material etc, and so we selected this TV unit for them.
(9) Behind The Door
Another area which goes unnoticed is the space behind the bedroom door. If there is a wall behind the door, then what you can use this for will depend on how much space you have between the wall and the door when the door is open.
If you have at least eight to nine inches, this makes a great space for you to store your shoes.
Hang baskets behind the door to make space for all the little things that you don’t know where to keep.
Or add single hooks on to which you can hang bags for storing various items. I love how the bags are labelled here to separate the toys.
If the gap between the wall and the door is narrower, use the back of your door to organise and store smaller items, like craft material.
Or even your child’s small toys.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
You could even make a bookshelf behind the door. Though this might mean that you have a thicker and heavier door.
Another great idea is to use the wall behind the door instead of the door itself. See how this bedroom door doubles up as a shutter for the bookcase?
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
(10) Around The Door
Often you have rooms with doors and windows or odd columns on almost every wall. This leaves only the wall with the bedroom door itself suitable to hold your storage. Make best use of it by using all of the area around the door.
Source (I could only trace this pic to Pinterest. Any help to credit the rightful owner will be welcome)
You can add open shelving going right around the door and plan the spaces, shelves, hanging rods, study and dressing table according to your requirement.
Or go in for a closed wardrobe all around to keep your things organised and dust free.
Using mirrors on the shutters helps the storage to look lighter and easy on the eyes.
(11) Along The Ceiling
And finally, when you’ve used all your space and still need more, go up to the ceiling. A single row of shelves along the ceiling gives you a lot of additional space. Since it is above your regular line of vision it doesn’t look too heavy either.
You could run the shelf around the room if you require more space.
Or even go for additional rows of shelves.
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And so, starting from the bed itself and going right up to the ceiling, we’ve used every inch of space in our small bedrooms. Even using a few of these ideas should help you increase storage space in your bedroom by a whole lot. So let’s get down to making big space in our small bedrooms.
In case you missed the earlier posts, you can catch up on the rest of our small spaces series here.
Until next time,
