5 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Fit in Your Small Bedroom (But Totally Can)
If you’re faced with a teeny, tiny bedroom, you may be wondering how you can possibly fit in all the stuff you need—bed, nightstand, storage, clothes. The good news is, you don’t have to sleep standing up to squeeze everything in. Here are a few small space solutions for fitting in the things you need but thought you didn’t have room for, as well as some suggestions for where to get them.
A nightstand
No space for a traditional nightstand? Do not despair. All you really need your nightstand to do is hold a lamp, and your phone, and maybe a glass of water—all things a little shelf, mounted to the wall next to the bed, can easily take care of. This bedroom from Yatzer makes use of a small task lamp, but if you’re looking to free up some nightstand real estate, you can opt for a wall-mounted lamp instead.
This extraordinarily tiny bedroom, from Hemnet (via La Maison d’Anna G) is too narrow even for a shelf. Fortunately, there’s a windowsill—and in its place, the wall-mounted shelf to the right of the bed could easily do nightstand duty.
A desk
Sometimes it’s nice to have a quiet place to work that isn’t your bed, or the couch. But fitting a desk into a teeny bedroom can be a tall order. One solution? Combine the roles of desk and nightstand, as seen in this space from The Everygirl.
A wall-mounted desk can save a great deal of space, especially if you can combine it with a windowsill, as in this room from StyleMutt Home.
→ Small Space Solutions: The Wall-Mounted Desk
A canopy bed
There’s nothing quite so dreamy as a canopy bed—but fitting one into a really small room (or even getting it into the apartment) can be a real challenge. You can get the look (without getting a new bed!) by using curtain hardware, or even plumbing fittings, to hang sheer curtains from the ceiling, as seen in this DIY from One Kings Lane.
- Dream On: Modern Canopy Beds for Every Budget
- 4 Corner Post Bed Canopy Mosquito Net, $22.99 on Amazon
- Luxury Bed Canopy Mosquito Net Curtains, $19.95 on Amazon
You can also use a hook attached to the ceiling to hang a mosquito-net style canopy, as seen in this photo from Foster House. It still adds a bit of a romantic feel, without taking up a lot of space.
Bookshelves
Maybe your roommates are getting ornery about all the books you have in the living room, or maybe you just love the idea of sleeping surround by books. Whatever the case may be, there are a few different ways you can add bookshelves to your bedroom without taking up too much extra space. I’m a big fan of wall-mounted bookshelves, which, as in this example from Planete Deco, can be mounted so they don’t take up any space at all. (Just make sure to properly anchor them, especially if they’re going to be hung above the bed.)
If the idea of hanging shelves on the wall makes you a little nervous, try this trick from Ashley’s San Francisco apartment: use a bookcase or two as a headboard. Sure, the lower shelves won’t be so accessible, but you can use these for out-of-season storage.
A closet
If your bedroom has no closet, or only a teeny-tiny closet that just won’t cut it for all your stuff, there’s a way to get around that, too. This solution, from a small London apartment, is particularly elegant: place wardrobes on either side of the bed, with even more storage above (which creates the added bonus of creating a cozy nook for sleeping).
The clever folks at A Beautiful Mess created this open closet system, a smart solution for a bedroom that doesn’t have enough storage space (provided you keep your clothes relatively neat and have matching hangers).
If you already have a dresser, you could hang a hanging bar above it, as in this interior from My Scandinavian Home, and create extra hanging space without taking up any floor space at all.