The Guide: Making the most of small kids rooms

Kids often prefer small spaces

© IKEA

Feel you're letting the kids down because their room is on the compact side? Forget the guilt. Many children prefer the secure feel of a small space, and it gives you the opportunity to think creatively.

Start by establishing how big the window is, where it falls in the wall (and what storage you can get under or around it), the space the door needs to open properly and how deep furniture can be so your child won’t feel hemmed in. A fire engine cabin bed, (£149.95) from Ebay, creates a perfect den under the bed. The old way is to lay down pieces of newspaper the same size ‘footprint’ as the furniture you’re considering; our brilliant 3D Room Planner is the modern version.

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Vienna Oval Lampshade, Amethyst, 28cm
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Lights up:
Pick a fantastic feature lampshade for the middle of the room - the vienna oval lampshade in amethyst, (£25) from John Lewis, is a great hit of bright colour. Keep the rest of the lighting attached to walls though, so lamps aren’t cluttering up surfaces or unnecessary bedside tables. Reading lamps should curve over the pillow - try the focus wall light with dimmer (£95) from Heal's. Keep curtains short or choose simple blinds – floor-length curtains take up vital wall space.
Classic Tallboy
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Go vertical:
Footprints of furniture should take up as few square inches as possible, so go upwards, picking a tallboy or slimline wardrobe like Mothercare’s antique pine Jamestown wardrobe (£269.99) or the White Company’s Classic Tallboy (£350) rather than an unwieldy chest of drawers.
Kuboaa Wallpaper Rhododendron K3RH03
£55
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Add Clutter:
Interiors expert Martin Waller of Andrew Martin says pretending a small room isn’t small is not the way forward. Instead, tiny rooms benefit from high impact decorative objects like wall mounted picture frames (£49) from Home Contrast, for their favourite photos, plus deep or bright colours on walls. The rhododendron print wallpaper (£55) from Wallpaper Direct is a vibrant graphic print that won't date.
Mary Mary Flower Pegs (Set of 3)
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Get storage smart:
Fit slide-out drawers under junior's bed. Many beds now come with matching or in-built storage that keeps the room looking tidy, or try storage boxes as there are loads of different shapes and sizes to choose from. Pretty hat boxes are also great for storage and kids can access these and chuck in their toys at the end of the day. Wall pegs or hooks like the Mary Mary flower pegs (£10) from the Great Little Trading Company are a fun way of hanging shirts, dresses and jackets.
Mika Metal Twin Bunk Bed Navy
£129.99
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Up High:
Always a winner with kids, bunkbeds have lost their cheesy 70s connotations. Even if your child doesn’t share a room, most kids enjoy the adventure of being up high with the advantage of a spare bed for sleepovers. Try the Mika metal twin bunk bed, (£195.99) from Tesco. Alternatively, you can have a single bed with wardrobe, desk, drawers and climb-up ladder included.

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Giant Poppy Wall Stickers
£29.99
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Go Decorative:
Don’t be overly tempted to keep things all-white, which can look cold and unloving in a small room. Consider shots of bright colour by way of accessories like robot wall stickers (£12.50) from Aspace or giant floral poppy stickers (£29.99) from Not on the Highstreet that creates a colourful focal point to a wall.