If you have a bedroom that’s “spatially challenged,” you’re not alone. In fact, this is a very common problem, even in homes where other rooms are more spacious. Of course, you could always remodel to add square footage. But if this isn’t in your budget or structurally possible, take comfort in knowing there are some clever design tricks you can take advantage of to make your bedroom appear larger than it really is.

Make Your Bedroom Appear Larger With These 10 Tricks

1) Think Vertically

You may not have a lot of horizontal space in a small room, so take advantage of your vertical space! Use the walls that lead up to the ceiling to distract the eye and make your room appear bigger. Vertical design options include:

• Built-in shelves on certain walls (also gives you some extra storage space)
• Taller bookcases or shelving units placed along walls
• Painting existing wall shelves the same color as your walls – this is an optical illusion

2) Put Up Some Mirrors

Speaking of optical illusions, the key to making smaller bedrooms look bigger is to effectively trick the eye. One of the most effective ways to do this is with mirrors. Sure, you might already have a full-length mirror you normally use to check out your outfit, but go even further and find clever ways to add more mirrors to your size-limited room.

This age-old decorating trick works because of the way mirrors reflect bounce light around a room. Fortunately, there are many ways to use mirrors in a smaller room – some of which include:

• Placing a large mirror behind the bed
• Hanging an ornate mirror above a dresser or chest of drawers
• Using smaller framed mirrors grouped together on one wall
• Choosing mirrored furniture, lamps, and other accessories
• Installing mirrored closet doors

3) Opt for Legged Furniture

Rooms tend to appear bigger when there is more visible floor space. A simple way to make more of your bedroom’s floor visible is to use furniture with legs. This mid-century design style can work well with both traditional and more modern furniture. Not every piece of furniture has to have legs, but try to have at least one large item with them, like your bed or dresser. The legs don’t have to be all that high off the floor to create the illusion of more space!

4) Coordinate Window Treatments with Your Walls

With a large bedroom, it’s perfectly fine to create contrast with drapes or blinds that are a different color. However, in a smaller space, contrasting colors can draw more attention to the fact that the room is smaller. When window treatments are the same color as walls, the eye naturally moves across space and perceives the area as being bigger. If you want to add some pizzazz to your room, consider putting textured wallpaper on one of your walls to create an accent wall. Just make sure it’s still complementary to your other walls and your window treatments.

5) Light Your Bed Up with Sconces

Add some more room to your cozy sleeping space by ditching your nightstands and using sconces on each side of your bed instead. Strategically placed sconces naturally draw the eye upward while also creating more of an airy, open look. If you want some flexibility with your bedside light, consider using adjustable sconces you can move to get light where you need it.

6) Mix Subtle Prints with Solids

Having a small room doesn’t mean you can’t include some prints in your decor. But to make your space look bigger, use smaller or subtler prints and a bunch of solids. With your bed, for example, you might use a solid bedspread or comforter and add some splashes of color with your sheets or throw pillows. Generally, it’s best to confine your palette to shades naturally blend – e.g., white, tan, and beige.

7) Keep Scale in Mind When Choosing Furniture

There’s no rule that says smaller bedrooms need to have small furniture just to look bigger. Still, you’ll want to find pieces that are appropriately sized and scaled for the space you have available. A California king bed, for instance, will look ridiculously out of place if it’s flanked by nightstands on each side in a small room.

You can still choose the bed size and style that’s right for you. However, go with one smaller nightstand instead – or do the sconce thing that was suggested above. If you do have one large piece in your room, choose a dresser or chest of drawers that matches the scale of your nightstand. Oftentimes, tall and narrow dressers work better in smaller rooms.

8) Cut or Hide Your Clutter

Nothing makes a smaller room look even smaller than clutter. Start by getting rid of excess knickknacks and accessories. You don’t have to live in an empty space though. A few art pieces and accessories strategically spread out and placed can give your smaller room some character without drawing attention to the lack of space.

Additionally, use some smart storage options to hide items you normally want to have handy, like your clothes and shoes. Storage solutions that tend to work best in smaller rooms include:

• Drawers built into a bed frame
• Storage containers that conveniently slide under the bed
• Wall shelves
• Corner clothes racks
• Abed with a headboard that has storage space
• A laundry bag or hamper on the back of your door
• Crown molding used as a shoe rack

9) Go with a Lighter Palette

You may have heard that white is a good color scheme if you want to make your bedroom appear larger. Yes, it’s true that white can have this effect, but this doesn’t mean you have to nod off to sleep in a space that feels like an operating room. Pastels, in particular, tend to work very well in smaller rooms.

Cooler colors such as lighter shades of green, purple, and blue also tend to create the illusion of more space. If you prefer to go with mostly white colors, consider mixing things up a bit with lighter shades of gray. Paint colors can have a similar impact. For instance, painting your ceiling white and using lighter colors on the walls can give you some subtle color differences while still making your room appear bigger.

10) Embrace Minimalism

One other way to make your bedroom appear larger is to embrace a minimalist look. This means only using furniture that’s absolutely necessary. This might also mean leaving the TV and other non-essentials in another room. Incidentally, this type of set-up is also recommended if you need to limit distractions to get a better night’s sleep.

Article was written by: Jessica, Editor of Marble.com

Article was edited by: Rhoya, Web & Digital Marketing Coordinator of Seattle Staged to Sell

All images are Seattle Staged to Sell’s designs.