With rental spaces getting tinier and more expensive with every passing year, one of the typical decorating dilemmas is avoiding a cramped and cluttered look.
A smaller room can look cozy and comfortable, plus it’s also easier to organize and keep neat. It can be a lot of fun to decorate and is a great test of your creativity.
You can make it appear much bigger than it is, with the clever use of color, strategic placement of furniture, the right accents, fabrics, and lighting.
Small Is Beautiful
Urban land prices in major cities across the world have spiraled out of the reach of large sections of society. Space sharing and multi-use living-working spaces have become the norm.
Given this scenario, it’s smart to think about solutions rather than worry about moving into a larger space before you can really afford it.
Tight spaces have several plus points. They are certainly cozy – and that’s not just a euphemism for “cramped” and “cluttered.” What you save on rent can be splurged on fabrics, a few unique pieces of furniture or art, and good quality paintwork and fittings. You spend less time looking for things because these spaces are easier to organize and keep neat.
One of the nicest things about a tiny room is that it’s easy and quick to clean. You just need a few minutes in the day to get everything back in order and sparkling clean. Remember, you’ll be saving a packet on heating, cooling, and power because smaller spaces require less of everything.
Finally, small spaces are easy to personalize – all you need is a few deft touches that reflect your unique personality.
Decorating A Small Bedroom To Make It Look Bigger
While approaching a small bedroom decoration project, you’ll need to strike a fine balance between making it look cozy and like a den or cave.
Small bedrooms pose a big challenge because there are certain things that you can’t do without in a bedroom.
The biggest challenge that you could face when trying to make your small bedroom appear bigger is the one thing you can’t avoid – and that is the bed! No matter how you rearrange the furniture, play with colors, and hide your storage spaces, it’s essential to get the right-sized, comfortable and sturdy bed – that’s a non-negotiable!
Take a look at some smart hacks that professional decorators use to make that small bedroom appear much bigger than it is:
- Color It Light: Nearly everyone understands this principle – light colors reflect light while dark hues absorb it. Using lighter colors in a small room helps to open up space and make it brighter. But that doesn’t mean you need to think “operation theater” when you’re choosing your color palette. Be creative and pick one or two bright hues, preferably from an artwork, for a few accents in the room, such as cushions. You can also work with different shades of one color, such as blue or lavender, and move up and down the color spectrum with your drapes, paintwork, soft furnishings, and accessories. Paint the trims and molding in a lighter color than the walls to pull the walls back visually. Cool colors such as green and blue give the room more depth. On the other hand, if you crave something unusual, opt for a black and white scheme. Grab attention with a single focal piece of sculpture or art and work from it.
- Think Vertical: Use the vertical spaces in your room effectively for shelving, all the way up to the ceiling. Just make sure that the paintwork matches the wall color. You can get adventurous and paint the ceiling in a dark color. These two techniques help to pull the eyes upwards, providing the illusion of height and space.
- Minimize Clutter: This can be one of the biggest obstacles when dealing with small bedroom decoration. One of the key aspects of small bedroom design is to analyze the available space and buy pieces that do double-duty. Ottomans/benches/window-seats/beds with storage facilities are a great idea to stow your stuff. Keep the essentials: drapes, bed, reading lamp, and some seating. Totally avoid bedside tables and substitute with a multi-utility shelf that can hold your favorite books, glasses, and phone. Another great trick is to buy furniture with exposed legs – it makes the room easier to clean and look bigger.
- Do It With Mirrors: Get a good-quality, large vanity mirror and create a little make-up niche in a corner. You can also use angled mirrors to create the illusion of space and to brighten the room both day and night. Mirrored cabinet doors can also give you depth and are great when you’re dressing up to go out – they provide a full-length image. Use full-length mirrors in areas that don’t normally get much light or angle them towards a window with a great view.
- Drapes: Full-length drapes in whispery-light material are a great way to create space illusion. They draw the eye up and down, opening up a small window to make it appear larger. Heavier fabric drapes, along with sheers, can be used for privacy and to cut light when you don’t want it.
- Shelves: If you have open book-cases or storage shelves, make sure they’re on a higher level in the room. This helps to give the optical illusion of a higher ceiling. The only thing you need to worry about is to keep them neat, well-organized, and not too crowded. If you have a series of objects on them, color coordinating them is a great idea for more visual comfort.
- Play With Shapes: Stripes are a great idea to fool the eyes into thinking there’s more space. Vertical and horizontal stripes, chevron patterns, and zig-zag stripes in subtle, neutral shades that match your wall paint can make your small bedroom look larger than it is. A big no-no is prominent shapes on the floor. Avoid conspicuous patterns on the floor from parquet, carpets, and rugs. These will trap the eyes at a low level, making the room seem cramped. Select clear glass or acrylic for shelves to maximize the feeling of space. Keep your book-cases narrow and just right for the width of the books.
