Ways to make a small room look bigger and better

Sometimes a small bedroom can feel more like a cave than a cozy refuge.  If a space lacks natural light, smart storage and the right color palette, it can feel cramped and uncomfortable. But with the right techniques, even the smallest bedrooms can look bigger.

The perfect example would be a little room which has it all: the bed (with extra storage underneath) almost making the space look like a sitting room instead of a bedroom that doesn't take away its cozy vibe. A wall-mounted nightstand and light fixture that maximizes every inch of floor space. A classic acrylic chair providing necessary seating but that visually disappears.

Here are helpful tips that can help turn your bedroom, office, storage room or attic into a comfy space.

Add built-in shelf

Shallow built-in shelf can help you gain storage and maintain floor space, which acts as bedside table, eliminating the need for extra furniture.  In addition, recessing the bed in the middle of the shelf can prevent from encroaching on much-needed floor space.

If you go with built-in shelf in your small bedroom, try taking them all the way to the ceiling to make the ceiling look longer.  And paint the back wall in a contrasting color to create layering and depth.

Go for mirrored closet doors

Using a mirror to double your room's visual square footage is a trick that's been used for centuries.  In a small bedroom this often means replacing your closet doors with mirror.  The effect tends to work best when you can take the mirrors from floor to ceiling and wall to wall.

Use a daybed

A daybed can help create the illusion that the room is more of a small sitting area, instead of a small bedroom that's been taken over by a bed.  Daybeds often have storage built in underneath another bonus for a small room.

Paint the ceiling

Paint the ceiling in the same hue as the wall which can help to erase the shadow lines that visually define a space.  A white ceiling against a dark wall immediately shrinks a space. When the walls and ceiling are of the same color, it's harder for the eyes to tell where the room's parameters start and end, so the room looks bigger.

Install pendants

Don't take up bedside table space with bulky lamps and oversize shades.  Install pendant lighting instead.  Hanging pendant lights from the ceiling creates a focal point which provides task lighting on each side of the bed.  Just remember to measure carefully and hang them low enough so you don't have to get out of bed to turn them off.

Put up wall shelves

A table stand can take up a lot of floor space in a small bedroom.  A wall shelf on one side of the bed or on both can give a small bedroom more open and extra floor space, while giving you all the room you need for nighttime essentials.