After a tiring day, the bedroom is the most sought after space in a home, the area many times doubling up as a relaxation zone. But in many cases the small size of the room, given the urban space constraints, proves as a dampener, preventing such cosy indulgence.
It is then left to clever manipulation of the furniture and space to extract the maximum out of the room without making it appear cluttered or oppressive. To begin with, a sleek design incorporating simple lines can accommodate more functional items, yet appear neat and cheerful as compared to artistic grandeur. The trick is thus to keep the style confined to clean straight lines, with only the necessary and functional items brought in.
A predominantly pastel shade will add expanse to the small space as compared to dark colours with heavy patterns or floral designs. Cheer and colour can be brought in as highlights in the form of attractive cushions on the bed, an attractive, yet lighter drape for the windows. Colour and patterns can also be brought in through art on one of the highlight walls. Incorporating an exposed brick wall as a highlight zone or adding an industrial finish to the highlight wall can further distract the eye from the smallness of the room and add the element of charm to the space. Introducing a large mirror over the headboard also adds depth, giving the illusion of expanse.
Storage
Given the small size of the room, it is important to leave it clutter free which calls for ample storage space to tuck away items out of sight. Yet, the small size of the room invariably precludes the introduction of large storage spaces. This can be circumvented by using the vertical spaces aesthetically as well as the space under the cot.
For instance, in an extremely small sized bedroom, the entire storage can be placed under the cot, with the mattress placed over this storage space, with steps leading to it, almost in the form of a bunk bed. This leaves the rest of space in the small room free for movement and even for the placement of a writing desk if so required and reclining chair to put the feet up and read a book after a tiring day.
Here, the space occupied by the chair for the writing table can also be saved by designing the table more as a cabinet where the writing pad can be eased out and accessed while being seated on the bed. While not in use, the cabinet serves the purpose of merely storage.
If a seating for reading too cannot be accommodated because of the smallness of the room, this problem can be circumvented by turning the windowsill into an attractive seating nook. This is more so if the windowsill is large and overlooks an attractive green space. Charming cushions can be placed on the windowsill where one can stretch the feet and pore into a book against the green backdrop.
In a slightly larger room that can accommodate a fairly large wardrobe, drawers can be created under the cot while a part of the wardrobe can be freed to bring in the television set. The vertical spaces on either side of the cot can house open shelves to stack books and artefacts. Since side tables on either side of the cot take away precious floor space, these can be fitted in as a wall unit, with a small drawer underneath to place functional items.
