Making the most of a ‘shoebox’

A reader with an expanding family is seeking advice on turning a small utility room into a bedroom for a twenty-something daughter who has just returned home after living away at university followed by 12 months of travel. Since she left her twin brothers, who used to share, now have bedrooms of their own.

 “I have this shoebox I have been using it as an ironing room and a place to store junk but now I really need it as an extra bedroom,” she says.

 “The problem is that it’s rather poky and every idea I have for making it into a pleasant bedroom seems to fail because of the lack of space.”

 The first thing to do is clear the room of all the furniture and junk you have collected there. You will probably be surprised at how spacious it looks when it is bare.

 Step two is work to a plan. Furniture in a small bedroom should be kept to a minimum. Bedside units can take up a lot of space and if you can get away with one, rather than one on either side of the bed, so much the better.

 Mirrors can be of great assistance on the wall above the bed. They will draw the eye up, away from the confines of the floor plan, and will reflect light, better still if that includes the view from a window. The headboard should be as light and unobtrusive as possible.

 Apart from that your mini-bedroom needs an unusual focal point to take the mind off the lack of space. Perhaps your daughter can provide something from her travels. If not, an intriguing idea which doesn’t take up space is feature doors on the wardrobes.

 Old or unusual doors can give a room instant personality, and you can have fun looking round antique shops or junk yards to see if you can find the perfect fit. If that isn’t an option have some made to your requirements, perhaps with stained glass panels or ornate door knobs – let your imagination run free and what you thought was little more than a large cupboard can be transformed into an interesting and inviting room.

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