Small bedroom storage ideas: how to make the most of the space you have
One of the biggest headaches in a small bedroom is, of course, where to put all your stuff. Clothes, shoes and bedding all need a home, preferably far out of sight to avoid a cluttered feel, but storage can be hard to carve out in a tiny space. Small bedroom storage ideas will ideally include bespoke joinery such as built-in wardrobes and chests, or even a beautiful box bed with drawers and shelves that come as part of it. Of course this can be rather hard on the budget, so if you're looking for more affordable solutions, clever systems from IKEA can be brilliant, and we've also seen some very stylish arrangements using curtains to conceal hanging space without closing off the entire room. Sometimes it's also a case of being clever with the freestanding furniture you choose. Instead of insisting on matching bedside tables, try a compact chest of drawers on one side of the bed to increase clothing storage. Ottoman beds are also a lifesaver, especially for storing spare duvets, pillows and seasonal items.
This gallery showcases the best small bedroom storage ideas from our archive, and is full of options for tailoring your tiny space to suit you.
Alexander James1/10Devoting a full wall to floor-to-ceiling wardrobes is probably the tidiest way to get plenty of storage into a small bedroom. It can also liven up the colour scheme if it's painted a different colour from the walls. We love this example in a Notting Hill flat by Studio Peake, where the joinery is painted in ‘Camo 7’ by Papers and Paints. The hanging rail along the top of the cabinets is a great touch.
Sarah Hogan2/10Designer Jane Taylor has ingeniously incorporated storage into the small bedroom of her Chelsea flat. Wardrobes and cupboards are concealed behind panelling made by Sympatico Joinery, which is painted in Zoffany's ‘White Clay’. Shallow cubbyholes in the panelling next to the bed function as bedside tables.
Christopher Horwood3/10Instead of buying a standard bedside table, scour antique markets or online sources such as Vinterior, Ebay or The Saleroom for a small chest of drawers that is the right height to serve as a bedside table. (ideally no more than 70cm). This elegant George III mahogany chest of drawers with blind-fret canted corners and ogee feet stands next to the bed in a Hackney coach house by Evelina Mamedovaite.
Owen Gale4/10One of the guest bedrooms in Georgina Cave's house has a bed with drawers designed by Georgina to maximise storage. The handmade patchwork quilt was designed and sewn by Anouska using leftover scraps of fabric from the eiderdowns she makes. The blind fabric was sourced from Namay Samay and the rug from Warris Vianni.
Paul Massey5/10Low, gabled ceilings can make fitting furniture almost impossible. In this chalet by Todhunter Earle, custom-built shelves fit to the gables and storage boxes act as drawers (try Muji for similar), while a rail for clothes is concealed behind a simple curtain.
Paul Massey6/10We've long been fans of this similar arrangement in a bedroom at this Cap Ferret villa. Instead of building wardrobes into these spaces, which would make the room feel smaller, simple curtains conceal hanging space, while shelves with baskets on top provide storage for bedding and other necessities.
7/10From the same Cap Ferret villa, another clever idea: a concealed wardrobe with a sliding door is perfect for smaller bedrooms, where traditional hinged doors can cause an obstruction to walkways.
Helen Cathcart8/10The main bedroom in designer Paul de Zwart's Kensal Rise home cleverly combines decorative details with storage. A chest of drawers built into the alcove is made from the same material as the wall cladding. The two 'Leggera' chairs from Giò Ponti add colour.
Davide Lovatti9/10The Mallorcan house of the late Gilly Newberry of Bennison Fabrics features built-in wardrobes with a clever design twist; the wardrobes frames a door through to the en-suite bathroom. The panelling adds visual interest. For even more storage, the wardrobes could go all the way to the ceiling, but we rather like the little shelf on top.
James Macdonald10/10Interior designer Diana Sieff has made clever use of space in the attic of her converted Methodist chapel in Oxfordshire. When partitioning off the en-suite, a handy cupboard was built in to the dividing wall.
