It is the lot of the city dweller that their bedroom shall be at least five times smaller than that of the country dweller. What we gain in bars, restaurants, endless Tinder matches and all-night public transport, we lose in floor space.
As a result, it's likely that your bedroom is really just a cupboard with ideas above its station.
Realistically, there isn't much you can do to increase the size of your room without a team of builders and one very angry landlord, but you can employ a few sneaky tactics in order to make the most of that small space and at least create the illusion that you're not bedding down in a mouse hole.
Here's a few tips.
Give your bed a lift
Under your bed is the BEST space to dump stuff you don't need constant access to, like winter clothes, suitcases and that "memory" box from your ex you can't quite bring yourself to throw away just yet.
But what if your bed is too low to the ground to get under? Get yourself a set of bed risers. Normally reserved for nanas and grandads who struggle to bend down as far as they used to, bed risers tend to look like they belong in a hospital but these bamboo ones aren't too shabby and no one needs to know you bought them from a website for OAPs.
Once your bed's high enough, invest in a nice set of under-bed boxes. The easier they are to get to, the more likely you are to use them.
Go shelfie mad
All those blank walls in your bedroom? Literally just storage space you haven't figured out how to use yet. One good tip is to run a shelf around the top of your wall – about a foot below the ceiling – and use it to store books and the like. This works especially well if you live in one of those old houses with higher-than-average ceilings, as you're not creating any clutter at eye level.
Alternatively, look for floating shelves (no brackets = less wall clutter) that are relatively shallow in depth and mount them in the corner of your room to take advantage of the awkward angle that stopped you from placing furniture there.
Create a double room
Find the biggest mirror you can get your hands on. Reflecting the room back at itself can make it seem more spacious and also catch more of the light – like this. Leaning mirrors can be expensive but if you do you homework there are one or two out there which cost a little less, like this one for £174 or even these ones for £99.
Suspend everything to save on floor clutter
Anything sitting on the floor is taking up valuable space and hampering your ability to stash stuff. Consider, then, hanging some furniture from the ceiling. (Bear with us.) Check out this hanging clothes rail from Little Deer which will increase your floor space no end. Also, if you're feeling super-adventurous, try DIY-ing this suspended bedside table in order to give yourself a place on the floor to stack books, shoes, or boxes.
Use science
Did you know, making one wall darker than the rest can help create a focal point – which basically serves its purpose by drawing your attention away from how teeny tiny the rest of the room is. If painting one wall of your bedroom isn't an option (thanks, renting!) then consider removable wallpaper instead (we're into this one). Make sure the rest of the room is painted a light colour for maximum effect.
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