Thursday, April 11, 2013

It Can Be Done: Small Bedroom with Big Furniture

There are a number of situations in which you might find yourself stuck with the always tricky task of trying to fit a handful of large pieces of furniture into what looks like a teeny-tiny, little bedroom. Maybe you've just moved to a new place and you had to downsize, or perhaps you have inherited a lot of nice furniture but found that it’s simply too big.

It is always going to be a struggle to fit it all in, especially if you’re trying to stop your room looking all cramped and crowded! We have a few tips to help you with your Tetris-like furniture rearranging task, but here’s one for before you start – make sure the pieces don’t completely fill a side of the room (if that’s at all possible), as having an entire stretch of wall covered is one of the worst things for making an area seem over-crowded.
Photo isn't mine
Starting Off – Time to Plan
First of all, walk into the room and just take a look around. This works best when the room is completely empty, so go ahead and do that if there’s stuff still inside. You’re going to need it emptied out anyway, if you want everything to fit in nicely, so you might as well do it now.
Looking at how much space you have, decide how much of the furniture really needs to go in this room, and how much you think you can squeeze in. Do you really need that elaborate Queen Anne dresser? Yes, it’s gorgeous, but it’s massive and unwieldy – if you find that you’re struggling when the dresser is involved, get rid of it.

You can even whip out a tape measure if you want to, though this isn’t strictly necessary.

Decision Time – Bed
The bed is the most important thing – it’s called the bedroom, after all. Decide where it will go before you do anything else. Don’t obstruct any doors, and put one end against the wall. You’ll want at least two feet of space on each of the other three sides, if that’s doable.

Decision Time – Smaller Furniture
Next, it’s crunch time for any smaller pieces, like nightstands and drawers. If you are pushed for space, you only need the one nightstand, and it’s best not to squeeze it between the bed and the wall. Whether your furniture is custom-made or from internet sites like www.2furnish.co.uk doesn’t matter – more stuff means more clutter, it’s as simple as that.

Other bits should go against the shorter walls if you can manage that, especially if they’re more tall than wide. Wider pieces are better suited to the long walls.

Decision Time – Storage and Bits & Bobs
Get some under-bed storage boxes, if you have any space down there – they save on clutter in a big way! If you have a laundry basket, put it somewhere else, as they’re simply not essential. The bathroom is a good alternative.

As for pictures and mirrors: the former make the room feel smaller, whereas the latter make it seem bigger. Do with that what you will!

8 Smart Readers SAID::

Trendy Cyndie said...

What a neat idea! thanks for letting me know about placing items correctly in a small room

Tamara @ Mommyland said...

These are awesome tips thank you so much. My daughters room is crammed Ill try these to help her room

Melinda Dunne said...

Thanks for the great tips! My living room upstairs is small and is crowded I need to change the furniture to something that fits better but it will have to wait until I get the money.

Anonymous said...

My old house was tiny, I miss that. I need furniture for a larger room and am having a hard time adjusting to the bigger room.

Nova said...

I could agree with you more, there is not impossible if you make things possible, as long as you know the lightning and the colors that goes with each furniture and wall it will be great

Makoy said...

I have this dilemma actually and thanks to your tips, I can do better when I move in to my new place in May.

jheylo said...

great tips. Well, we have tiny master bedroom too and we barely fit furnitures in there. Ugh! it's always a dilemma especially in my kids bedroom

Becca Wilson said...

Thanks for the tips. We have had a situation like this before and felt so crowded in our little space.

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