The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Small bedrooms often look congested and crowded, as they lack floor space as well as storage space. Bedrooms are meant to be cozy, comfortable and relaxing, however, the clutter caused by over-sized furniture gives the room a suffocating feeling. How we wish our bedroom was bigger!
Most of us pay little attention to proportion and purchase furniture that fits into our bedrooms, not realizing that proportion also plays a very important role. Nevertheless, there are several ways in which small bedrooms can be made to look more spacious and bigger. With proper lighting, wardrobes, bed, mirrors, etc. the small bedroom can be decorated in a way that makes it look very appealing and elegant.
Furniture that Fits
Purchasing the right kind of furniture for a small bedroom is crucial, because the furniture purchased can either make or break the look of a room. Because the room is small, it is important to remember bulky furniture, no matter how gorgeous it looks, will just make the room look cluttered. So, while considering bedroom furniture, it is important to purchase smaller units. Then again, it is important to remember not to fill the room with lots of tiny pieces of furniture. This will again give a cluttered look. Thus, it is essential to purchase a few pieces of furniture, whose size is in proportion to the size of the bedroom, so that it will balance the look of the room.
Go Queen-size
In general, we are to limit the pieces of furniture in a bedroom, however, a bedroom cannot do without a bed and closet, so these come under the non-negotiables. Nevertheless, what has to be taken into consideration is the size. You cannot have a king-sized bed in a small bedroom. It would just make the room look smaller. The more floor space a bed occupies, the smaller the room will look! Allowing the sheets to fall off the sides will also give a more spacious feel to the room.
Metal-framed Beds
It is also advisable to use beds made of thin metal frames for small bedrooms. This is because thin metal frames provide more visual wall space and give the feeling of a spacious room. Bulky beds take up more of the floor area and reveals lesser wall area, giving a feeling that the room is crowded. You could also go for the Hind's bed which can be folded into half and bolted. However, before purchasing any bed, check if the bed fits properly into your bedroom.
Folding beds or murphy beds are common space-saving alternatives, which fold away into the wall. Varieties of murphy beds are available, which when folded resemble parts of closets from the outside. However, if you are the kind who doesn't want to do away with your double bed, then you could go for a 'platform bed'. Platform beds are beds which are low in height and appear to be bigger in the room. They also come with storage space, and are good options for small bedrooms.
Built-in Closets or Wardrobes
As far as the closet is considered, it would be best to have in-built closets, which save floor space. If you choose to have standalone wardrobes, it's best to use tall ones, which not only use more vertical space, but also provide more storage space. Using taller cupboards or closets, helps utilize space well. Sliding doors for the wardrobes will also be a good idea. Having mirrors placed on the doors of the closets will help make the room look more spacious.
Kids' Bedrooms
Kid's bedrooms have to done-up creatively. As far as beds are concerned, bunk beds are ideal if you have two or more kids. Bunk beds save a lot of floor space and also provide storage facility. You can also get loft beds, which have desks below them. This saves space. Then there are futon beds, which appear like sofas throughout the day, and can be extended to form a bed at night. To save floor space, you can be creative and construct shelves around the bed itself. This will not only give you storage space and floor space, but will also give a stylish look to the room.
Mirror Effect
Mirrors when placed on the walls, add an illusion of more space in the room. Usually offices, salons, dentist's clinics, etc. make use of this strategy to give a more spacious look to their offices. One can adopt the same concept inside the bedroom as well. Instead of placing a frame on the wall, you can place a large decorative mirror. However, make sure the mirror is facing the opposite side of the light source, as this will maximize the amount of light reflected in the bedroom, thereby making the room look spacious. Instead of one large, decorative mirror you could also have a few, small decorative mirrors mounted on the wall. Try any shape you like and make a mirror collage of your own on the wall. This will accentuate the spacious feel of the room. Nevertheless, while choosing mirrors for small bedrooms, choose simple, sleek mirror frames because decorative frames will give a crowded look to the room. If you don't want to hang a mirror on the wall, you could also have a large mirror on the wardrobe.
Wall Hangings
It's best not to place picture collages on the walls in small bedrooms, as this will make the room look smaller. Single, large frames are better than several tiny frames put together. Opt for a lovely picture frame and place it on the wall. Moreover, buy picture frames with simple and elegant frames, as too fancy and decorative ones will again give the room a crowded look. Make sure the color of the frames go well with the rest of the bedroom décor, or else this small addition can mess up the room. You can also get a picture of your family enlarged and framed on the wall. This will be a good option instead of a collage of several small frames. Or else you can have a picture collage made and then have it framed, so in one frame, you can have a look at all those wonderful times you spent with your family. If you do not wish to place a frame on your wall, then you can opt for wall stickers, which also give fantastic finish to the room. However, go for subtle designs as elaborate ones can cause the room to look cluttered.
Lighting
Small bedrooms should have soft and gentle lighting. Installation of lights close to the bed would give the room a more spacious appearance. You could also go for dimmers situated at one or two points in the room. Avoid stand-alone lamps, instead mount lamps on the walls. This will save space in the bedroom and provide more free floor area. For bedtime reading, you could have a lamp mounted on the wall with a thread hanging down for convenient on and off. Versatile lamps in the ceiling are also good options, however make sure they don't come in the way of other objects. Ambient, accent and fluorescent lighting have an elegant and soothing appeal and can be utilized in small bedrooms. Choosing proper lighting will give your room a warm, glowing and inviting appeal. People will feel the comfort right from the moment they step into the room. So make sure you pay special attention to this aspect of bedroom decoration.
Hues of Paint
Bedroom styles can be modern or vintage, depending on one's preferences. Irrespective of the style, it's important to maintain light shades of paints on the walls. Shades of white and gray will look good in modern bedrooms. On the other hand, shades of cream will look nice in vintage style bedrooms. Shades like white and cream give the room a refreshing look in the mornings, and a comforting feel at night. Light shades reflect the light falling on them to deeper parts of the room, thereby creating an illusion of more space. Darker shades on the other hand will make the room look smaller. It's also advisable to avoid using more than one color for the wall. The more the colors, the more crowded the room appears. One can also paint horizontal or vertical stripes on the walls, to give the room a wider or taller look respectively. Same rules apply for wall paper. For the ceiling, use white which will give the room a sense of height.
Bed Linen and Draperies
Choose plain-colored bed sheets or those in light pastel shades. This will give the room a more spacious feel. Moreover, limit the sheets to a single design pattern, as mix and match colors make the room look crowded. While making the bed, let the folds of the bed cover flow down on all sides of the bed. This will help the room look longer. As far as the curtains are concerned, small bedrooms should have light-colored curtains. Choose curtain holders that are of the same shade of the walls. The material of the curtain should be light and airy, which will permit light to enter the room during the day. Try to avoid heavy curtains in small bedrooms as they give the room a crowded feeling. Moreover, thick curtains will not permit the entry of light, thereby making the room look darker during the day.
Floating Shelves
Since space constraint is a major issue in small bedrooms, where does one place one's showpieces, books, picture frames, trophies and other souvenirs. No, you don't have to put them away, just because there's no space for bedside tables! Get floating shelves, which are in fashion. They not only add to the stylish look of the room, but also contribute to storage space. These shelves come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and are quite inexpensive. Buy shelves that will go with your wall color and furniture. The size should not be too large, such that it occupies the whole wall. The floating shelf should enhance the look of the room, not clutter it. Nevertheless, floating shelves do have their cons as well. Things placed on floating shelves collect dust easily and have to be dusted regularly. Moreover, one can hit one's head or shoulders on such floating shelves, if they are placed too low. So think this through, find a suitable set of floating shelves and place them at an appropriate place in your bedroom.
Wall-mounted Television
Placing the television in the bedroom is not such a good idea in the first place. Several studies that have been conducted on sleep disorders, state that placing the television in the bedroom affects sleep patterns. Moreover, placing television sets in children's bedrooms is seen to have a link to child obesity. Thus, it is always better to place the television in the living room. Nevertheless, if you still wish to place one in your bedroom, try avoiding the box televisions. Bulky box televisions take up a lot of space and give the room a crowded feel. Moreover, they are almost outdated now. It is best to get a flat screen television which can be mounted on the wall. Since it is flat and sleek, it doesn't rob the bedroom of space and also gives the room a sophisticated look. But if you have a box television and don't wish to go in for a new one, you could mount it at a corner of the wall, in such a way that you can watch television while lying on the bed.
Flooring
When it comes to flooring, most people prefer carpets, primarily because carpets are more comfortable when one is barefoot. Especially in winters, carpets are a blessing to have in the bedroom. Moreover, carpets enhance the aesthetic look of the room and are cozy. However, even though carpets give the room a cozy look, they also participate in making the room look smaller. For small bedrooms, it is better one avoids carpets and opts for laminate flooring instead. You can even go for tiles, which also give a more spacious look to the entire room. Replacing the carpet with light colored hardwood floor is also a way to increase the visual space in the bedroom. You can place small rugs on the floor if you miss your carpets too much. However, if you are sure you want only carpet in your bedroom, choose a light-colored carpet, which mostly matches the color of the walls. But, this will increase carpet maintenance.
Utilizing Corners
It is important to look around the bedroom and identify spaces that could otherwise have been wasted, especially at the corners. Room corners are often considered as useless and thus, neglected. However, if utilized properly, room corners can accentuate the look of the room. Moreover, they can be solutions to lack of storage space for books and other articles. There are various types of corner shelves to choose from:wood, metal, and glass. Depending on which suits your bedroom best, get one. Moreover, spaces under the window sill can also be made into stylish seats. Cozy corners are always welcome!
Don't forget that an untidy room always gives a congested look. So make sure the things are stored neatly at their respective places. It's not about how much you have, on the contrary, it's about what you can do with what you have. So, even if your bedroom is small, by arranging your bedroom in an appropriate way, you can give it an elegant look.
