Small-space living can be a real challenge, especially when you own a lot of clothes, technology, sports or musical equipment. Whether you live by yourself in a one bedroom flat or share a 4 bedroom house with your family, there’s just never enough space to store all your belongings!

With busy lives and demanding schedules, it’s easy to fall behind on tasks; neglecting the organisation of your living space. Perhaps there’s a pyramid of clothes on the chair after a long working week and now there’s a shedload of washing. Or maybe it’s the shoes scattered in the hallway in your attempt to wind down from Wednesday’s exhausting gym session. Whatever it is, we’ve all done it and we know how stressful mess can make us feel!

Did you know that the appearance of clutter in small bedrooms can harm our mental well-being; affecting our mood and behaviour? Clutter has been scientifically proven to reduce productivity as it causes us to feel anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed.

Now that seems exaggerated but it’s true! That’s why we’re sharing our interior tips for making the most of your small living space so that you can live a stress-free, clutter-free life!

Guilty!

When faced with limited space, many resort to rolling up clothes, squishing them to full capacity in the drawer. We often store seasonal wear in suitcases in the loft or under the bed; switching garments when required... that’s if we remember to do so. These items at the bottom of the stack tend to be forgotten and as a result we inadvertently spend more money to replace things we’ve buried.

Simple things can be forgotten, like swimming trunks or an Xbox game, to more valuable items such as watches and electronics! Essentially, we’re spending more than we need to and it’s about time we start saving our cash by keeping more organised!

Storage Solutions

Initially, you will need to have clear out; disposing of as much stuff as you can live without. Assess your belongings at the beginning of Summer and then again at Winter – if it didn’t offer value last year, will it this year or the next?

Sealed vacuum storage bags are a great solution for stowing clothes when there’s limited available space. Not only do these bags keep items fresh without risk of mould and carpet moths, they assist to maximise space in your home!

Simply place your garments in the bag, extract the air with the hoover, and slide into the wardrobe, under your bed, or into a suitcase! The process is quick and easy with minimum fuss. We suggest organising your clothes by season, storing winter bits away during the summer months and vice versa.

Stick on hooks can be positioned to the internal side of bedroom, wardrobe and bathroom doors as a storage solution for holding towels, dressing gowns, coats, bags and belts! It can also be used as a solution for organising work ties on the inside of the wardrobe door. (Clever thinking for a swift morning routine!) The self-adhesive backing enables fuss-free installation without penetrating surfaces. Depending on your personal preference, choose between the brushed satin finish and the highly reflective polished finish.

Space – How to Create the Illusion

There are plenty of tricks you can tackle to create the illusion of space in confined areas. Space perception is triggered by sensory information; sight, touch, hearing and smell.

Keep colour palettes light and neutral, adding small pops of colour with fresh flowers and cool toned, pastel bedding. To break up the colour, feature black door handles on rose. The elegant wing shape of the lever will appear delicate whilst adding a striking finishing touch to an interior. Embrace the monochrome aesthetic!

For your curtains choose a light and airy material, such as sheer polyester in white or pale grey. The idea is to maximise light intake and reflect the beams with light coloured fabrics. To accentuate both natural and artificial light, place large unframed mirrors across one entire wall; creating a unique and phenomenal feature.

Limit furniture to the necessities: bed and bedside table, wardrobe and drawers. Create large expanses of floor space by placing furniture up against the walls, keeping the central area free to move around freely.

Limit the amount of texture in the room, opting for smooth fabrics like silk, satin and cotton for the bedding. Keep windows open at night to generate healthy air flow and exhibit living plants to boost mental and physical well-being. Keep decorative pieces to a minimum, ensuring that bedside tables and drawers are free from clutter.

TIP - Practice putting items back into their designated place to break from the routine of putting things down on the closest surface.

To keep the room smelling fresh and lightly fragranced, place lavender bags in drawers and hang up fresh cotton or peony scented sachets in wardrobes, closets and cupboards. This trick can help reduce emotional stress and calm your nerves. Typically, citrus scents can help you feel more energized whereas Jasmine is notable for easing depression.

Considered an economical alternative, get the fresh scent by keeping windows open on sunny days when neighbours are out mowing the grass… unless you have chronic hay fever, then you may want to keep windows shut!

We hope to inspire your refurb projects and showcase a variety of high-quality products that excel in both aesthetic and performance. For more interior inspiration on styling a smaller bedroom, check out our previous blog Upgrade Your Dated Kitchen for Less!