Small bedrooms are a tricky part of the house to decorate. They can often either end up cluttered and busy or blank and boring.
In larger bedrooms furniture is the obvious way to add interest and fill space and people don’t tend to shy away from decorating big walls. But for smaller bedrooms, good decorating techniques are less obvious.
If you have a small bedroom and are stumped for decorating ideas, look no further. We’ve come up with 7 easy ways to make the most of a small bedroom.
1. Splash a little colour around
Often, when people want to give the illusion of space they bring out the white paint. And while this is generally a good idea, starving a small room of any colour at all will leave it looking bare and unwelcoming.
Bring 1 or 2 colours into your room through coordinated bedspreads, rugs and cushions. By keeping to just a couple of shades you can bring some life into the room without making it too busy. You could also use a feature wall to achieve this effect. Just make sure you keep the colour(s) bright and cheerful.
2. Build around the bedhead
Building around the bedhead can be a great way to include functional shelving in your room without cluttering it up. Building shelving up from bedside tables and over the headboard can create a lot of useful space on an already occupied wall. This leaves the other 3 walls of the room clear and open. Just remember to keep the shelves over the bed fairly high to avoid any bumps!
3. Be creative with lighting
Lots of bedrooms include bedside tables with handy lamps but this isn’t always possible in a small room. If you want to provide bedside lighting but don’t have the space, consider fitting individual or combined wall lights. Or if these won’t work, reading lights that clip onto headboards are another option.
4. Go multi-purpose
In a small bedroom often you don’t have space for all the furniture you need. This is why it makes sense to choose multi-purpose furniture. Get a bookcase that doubles up as a headboard or a desk that fits under a children’s bunkbed. This will keep the room a useful and comfortable space without making it cluttered.
5. Don’t under-decorate
Like whipping out the white paint, another thing people tend to do in small rooms is avoid adding decorations. While going over the top on decorations will naturally clutter up any small space, leaving a bedroom under-decorated will make it seem dull and lifeless. Adding a few pictures, decorative light furnishings or ornaments will make any small room seem stylish and interesting.
6. Use mirrors
Mirrors are a classic way to make a room seem more spacious. While it’s an old-fashioned trick, it has a proven track record. Just make sure the room is classy, simple and tidy. A double image of a messy room won’t do it any favours!
7. Copy the hotels
Lots of hotels have small rooms but they’re so well-decorated that guests barely notice. Hotel interior designers tend to go for lavish soft furnishings, like padded headboards, plush throws and coordinated cushions and pillows. Doing this gives the room interest and personality without using up all the space.
So if you’ve got a small bedroom in need of some TLC, what are you waiting for? Using our tips should help you turn it into an attractive, welcoming space and make the most of it.