How to create more space in your bedroom

Save space with wardrobe sliding doors and 4 other tips

If you have a small bedroom, the lack of space can often be frustrating. You are forever having to squeeze through gaps between furniture, and there is never enough room to store everything properly. And there seems little point in trying to do much with the decor of your room when space is the fundamental issue.

If either of the above describes you, don’t despair. There are ways that you can learn and improve your DIY skills.

But the good news is that small can be beautiful. No matter how small your bedroom, there are various things that you can do to create more space, and also decorate your room in a way that highlights its good features.

Here are five tips on how to create more space and enhance the appearance of your small bedroom:

Go minimalist

The first priority in getting a small bedroom to look good is to go as minimalist as you can. There is simply no room for clutter, and it makes the logistics of living in a small bedroom more difficult than they need to be. 

So be resolute and reduce the amount of furniture, surface items, clothes, shoes, accessories etc until you end up with what you really need and have the space for.

For helpful tips on doing a major declutter of your wardrobe, check out our article Declutter your wardrobe ready for summer.

And bear in mind that to keep your small bedroom looking its best, you need to keep up to date with decluttering so that only what really needs to be in the room is there. Otherwise, things could very quickly get out of control, leaving the room looking chaotic and cluttered again.

Install sliding wardrobe doors

One amazing asset for a small bedroom is wardrobe sliding doors. Not only are these incredibly space saving but they can totally transform the look and feel of your bedroom.

The key advantage of wardrobe sliding doors is that they do not need space in front of them for the doors to open. So you are immediately regaining valuable floor space back in your bedroom again.

But did you know that you can also get wardrobe sliding doors custom made? So if your bedroom is not only small but is also an awkward shape, you could install a custom made fitted bedroom wardrobe that makes the most of every inch of space in your room. Then add stylish wardrobe sliding doors and your small bedroom suddenly becomes both beautiful and practical.

To find more about how to find custom made wardrobe sliding doors check out DIY Homefit’s Sliding Wardrobe Door designer to plan the perfect wardrobe doors for you. You will be able to specify the size of doors, number of panel divisions, and the materials you want the doors to be made from, and can choose from ten frame styles and finishes.

Make the most of vertical space

Another useful tip for a small bedroom is to make the most of vertical space. We’ve already explained that fitted bedroom wardrobes can be created to use every inch of space, and this includes vertical space as well as horizontal. After all, why have wasted space on the top of a wardrobe if it can be incorporated into the wardrobe itself?

But don’t stop there. If you have wall space, why not put it to good use by installing shelves or floating cabinets so that you can store items away from the floor. Also make the most of hooks on walls and behind doors to hang clothes, bags, and other accessories. Just be careful when using vertical space and hooks this way that you make the items look visually appealing rather than a messy heap of stuff!

Ensure every item of furniture earns its place

When discussing a minimalist bedroom earlier we referred to furniture as one of the items to be decluttered. And when you have a small bedroom you really do need to ensure that every item earns its place. Otherwise it is just taking up space for no good reason.

If you have fitted bedroom wardrobes, bear in mind that they can be designed to incorporate a dressing table area, or shelves, or drawers – whatever combination works best for your room. So the only other essential furniture item you need in the room is a bed. You may want to position this in the centre of the longest wall in your bedroom to allow for some symmetry in the room. And if this means that there is no room for bedside cabinets then there are alternatives such as floating shelves.

Your bed also has the potential to provide valuable additional storage space. This may be in the form of space under the bed, storage drawers in the divan base, or an ottoman style bed where the mattress lifts up to reveal a storage area underneath. Any of these options are excellent for storage. The only note of caution is that if you are storing items under a bed, not only can they get very dusty, but it’s a good idea to place a stylish bedspread that covers the whole bed area down to the floor so that all the stuff underneath is not visible.

Which leads on to our next tip – the decor of your bedroom . . . . 

Be clever with your decor

Whilst the way you decorate your bedroom won’t actually change the size of it, it can make a dramatic difference to how spacious the room feels. Here are a few tips that can work wonders:

• Emphasise the vertical height of the room. For example, hang full length curtains or vertically-striped wallpaper, both of which can give the room an exaggerated sense of height. 
• Use a similar tone throughout the room i.e. walls, ceiling and floors. This creates a seamless look and blurs boundaries between different aspects of the space.
• Go for paler colours in the room. Not necessarily white, as this can sometimes be too stark, but pale neutrals, pinks, blues or greens can all make the space look and feel bigger.
• Make sure that there is at least one large mirror in the room. This both reflects light around the room and gives the illusion of more space. Either hang a large decorative mirror on a wall or – even better – go for mirrored wardrobe sliding doors as these can visually double the size of your bedroom.

‘

We hope that this article has given you some ideas as to how to create more space in your bedroom. For more inspiration about different style options for your bedroom, why not take a browse through our gallery of bedroom pictures to see how DIY Homefit can help.

And remember to check back here soon for more home and lifestyle tips from DIY Homefit.