How To Make Your Bedroom Feel More Spacious

August 30, 2017 2:37 pm

You spend about one-third of your life sleeping, so you want to feel comfy and cozy in your bedroom. However, a small bedroom can feel oppressive and claustrophobic, and not at all a fun place to spend time. Never fear! There are decorating tricks you can deploy to make your room look and feel bigger.

 

Go Monochrome

At first thought, painting walls white would seem like a good choice — brighten the room and open it up! White can be dull, however, and even make space feel no less confined. A better choice is to paint the walls a soft, restful color like light blue or green. But don’t stop there — paint woodwork, and even ceilings the same color or shades that are close in tone, which will blur the edges of the room and enlarge the space. Hang curtains at the windows that are close in color to the walls, and longer than windows to add vertical lines that draw the eye upward.

 

Reconsider Bed Placement

 

The bed is usually positioned at the center of a wall with space on both sides, but this can take up nearly all the usable space in a small room. Consider pushing the bed up against one wall to open up more space. If you are sleeping solo, go for a full-size bed rather than queen, or even a single or day bed. Arrange to throw pillows along the wall to make the bed look more like a seating area. Wheels or sliders under the bed frame will make it more convenient to make the bed.

 

Choose Subdued Colors for Decor

 

Avoid wild prints or cluttered florals for your bedclothes. Opt for solids in a soothing, tone-on-tone palette, and use the texture for contrast rather than color. For example, try an upholstered or metallic headboard, or a chunky throw at the end of the bed. Add a throw pillow or two in an unusual shape or with fun details like pleats or ruching. Decorator Nate Berkus says that adding some shimmer such as a metallic lamp or a mirrored tray on the nightstand will help bounce light around the room, making it feel bigger and brighter.

 

Declutter Surfaces

 

Don’t cover nightstands, bureaus, or chests with trinkets or even essentials. Store hair accessories, jewelry and such in drawers, or in decorative boxes. You can even use walls for hanging storage for necklaces, scarves, or hair ties, or use a pocket shoe organizer on the back of the bedroom door. Clean surfaces on furniture open up the space. You can also get lighting off the nightstand by hanging a reading lamp on the wall over the bed.

 

Take Advantage of Under Bed Space

 

The bed takes up the most real estate in the bedroom, large or small. In a small room, it is even more crucial to use the under bed space for storage so you can downsize or eliminate chests of drawers or other space-hogging items for holding your stuff. If your bed is at the center of the room, choose a platform bed with drawers underneath on all sides. For a bed against a wall, try setting it up on higher legs, either by selecting a tall bed frame or setting a standard bed frame on risers to create space underneath. Wicker baskets with convenient handles add to the overall look rather than detracting from it.

 

With these smart tricks, even the smallest room can be opened up, making a space that feels cozy rather than confining!