These tips and tricks can help make even a tiny bedroom feel more spacious.
You may live in a tiny apartment you found for a price that was too good to pass up or maybe you live in an apartment that’s fairly spacious overall but has a small bedroom. In any case, having a small bedroom may seem like a challenge, but it isn’t the worst thing in the world.
The way in which you arrange the room, even if it’s very small, can make it look and feel bigger — you just need to know how to arrange it the right way. That being said, there’s no single “right way” for how to arrange bedroom furniture, and you can do it based on the size and shape of your bedroom. Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Keep function in mind
Think first about how you use your bedroom. If you have a bedroom that doubles as a work-from-home office space, think about how much room you need comfortably around your desk and chair —you don’t want to feel cramped or not be able to move around when needed.
Or, maybe you like to check out your look in a full-length mirror, so you’ll want to take into account how much room you need in front of the mirror to get a full glimpse of your outfit.
2. Use only the essentials
When you’re limited on space, sometimes you need to come to terms with the fact that you can’t use all of the furniture you want. Use only the furniture you absolutely need and try to reduce clutter in your room. Yes, an accent chair and an ottoman would be nice, but if you don’t absolutely need it, then it’s best to not have it in there.
Usually, you need a bed, nightstand and maybe a dresser, but apart from that, you’ll need to really assess your needs for additional pieces depending on the actual size of the room. You can also use space-saving furniture pieces, such as a fold-out wall desk, to keep the furniture to a minimum while still being functional.
3. Utilize the walls
Keeping things off the ground can help you maximize the space in your bedroom and even eliminate furniture pieces. Instead of a standalone bookshelf, you can use wall shelves. Rather than put a flower pot stand on the floor, hang your potted plants from the walls and ceiling. Do what you can to keep floor furniture to a minimum by moving appropriate pieces to the walls.
4. Map it out
Before you start shuffling things around to see what works, try mapping it out on paper. Measure out the length of each wall and the dimensions of your furniture, then draw the room size to scale and cut out pieces of paper that are a scaled length and width for each piece of furniture. Once it’s drawn and you cut out the pieces, you can move them around on the paper to see how things might fit.
You can also use an app or website that lets you design a room, such as SmartDraw, and use your room and furniture dimensions. That way, you won’t push the furniture to one spot, decide you don’t like it, then do more work to push it to another spot.
5. Work with the biggest pieces first
The largest pieces of furniture obviously take up more space in the room, so they are first priority when arranging the furniture in your bedroom. Your bed is probably the biggest piece to work with — and it will likely be the main focal point of your bedroom — so start there. Choose where you want to put your bed, then arrange the other furniture around it, like nightstands and dressers. The last thing to worry about is small pieces, like decorative figures, clocks, small potted plants, etc.
6. Wait to purchase new furniture
Shopping for furniture is fun and exciting, but it’s best to hold off on buying anything new for your bedroom until you have it mostly planned out and arranged. You might find a floor lamp that you really like at the store, but it also will take up space in your room and it might make the room feel a little crowded. Arrange your existing furniture first, then if you have room or a need for anything else, you can go find it after.
7. Use a rug to your advantage
Despite what many might think, adding a rug to your bedroom can make it look bigger —as long as it’s the right size and placed properly. Having a rug that runs partly underneath furniture will create clean lines and draw attention to the appropriate places in the room while having a rug that’s disproportionately small and has lots of empty space around it can actually make the room feel smaller. Don’t be afraid to use a larger rug that covers more space and goes under the bed a foot or two.
8. Play with the lighting
Natural light is typically the most effective way to make your room look bigger and you can play around with it by adding mirrors. Placing a mirror adjacent to a natural light source like a window will help to bounce the light throughout the room.
If you don’t have a lot of natural light, that’s OK, too. Placing a couple of floor lamps, table lamps or sconces in opposing corners of the room can effectively disperse the light and reduce dramatic shadowing. If you have an overhead light, you may want to consider switching out the fixture (if possible) for something that’s more cohesive with your room’s style.
Test your options for how to arrange bedroom furniture
There’s not a right way to arrange your bedroom, as small as it is. You may need to test out a few different layouts before you find the perfect one for you. Be creative with the space you have to work with and have fun deciding how to arrange your bedroom furniture!
Source: rent.com