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If your bedroom’s size is rather small, you might be wondering how you will be able to cram all the furniture you need, and store your clothes and other belongings.

Small studio apartments and most modern properties tend to feature smallish bedrooms.

But in reality there is no need to give up hope as with some creativity and common sense you will be amazed at what you can make out of your small bedroom.

Here are 8 top tips which will definitely change your mind and solve your problems.

Read on to find out more, or use a jump link below to skip to a desired chapter:

Table of Contents

1. Light Colour Scheme
2. Install a Wall Bed
3. Install a Fitted Wardrobe
4. Integrated Shelves
5. Store Items Up High
6. Minimalist Styling
7. Embrace Symmetry
8. The Magic of Mirrors
9. Conclusion

1. Light Colour Scheme

Keep it as light and as bright as possible.

The brighter the colour scheme you opt for, the bigger the room will appear.

So go for light colours such as white and beige.

If you are worrying that the light colour scheme might look plain, just add vivid or darker colours in the soft furnishings, such as the bedlinen and cushions, the carpet, and any key accessories like the bedside lamp.

2. Install a Wall Bed

The bed is the main and the biggest furniture piece in the room.

Naturally it is going to take up a good part of the room, especially since the room’s area is limited.

So if you have a small bedroom simply opt for a wall bed.

This will help to free up the valuable space in the room for other requirements during the day.

Nowadays there are several aesthetically pleasing but very practical wall beds, which will fold up against the wall easily, offering convenience as well as comfort.

3. Install a Fitted Wardrobe

Apart from the bed, the wardrobe will also take up a considerable amount of space.

So, when it comes to choosing the wardrobe for your small bedroom opt for a fitted wardrobe with sliding doors.

This will make sure that you make the best use out of the wall space available, while also avoiding wasting space in a restricted space whenever you need to open the wardrobe doors.

Also, make the best use out of the room’s height by going as far up as practically possible.

The height of the wardrobe will offer you more storage space for off season clothing and any other items you do not need to use often.

4. Integrated Shelves

Integrated shelves will give you greater convenience.

These types of shelves are versatile and ideal for small bedrooms as they will enable you to literally use up as much wall space as possible.

This will offer you so much more storage space!

5. Store Items Up High

As the floor space in a small bedroom is restricted you need to make the most out of the wall space.

So, make it a point to have as much storage space as possible up high.

This includes having a wardrobe which, if possible, goes all the way up to the ceiling, as well as installing floating shelves or units towards the upper part of the walls.

If your budget is not limited you could also opt for the more costly bespoke fittings.

6. Minimalist Styling

A minimalist theme is highly recommended for small bedrooms.

Simple designs or themes will make the room appear bigger.

So, apart from sticking to a light colour for the wallpaper or paint, make sure to go for light furniture.

The contrast in the colours should be attained from using bolder and darker colours in smaller amounts, such as in the bedside lamp, cushions and carpet.

When it comes to choosing a motif for the room, go for a delicate, pale one.

Good examples include flowers, leaves and simple shapes.

Bear in mind that soft, neutral colours will work wonders on small bedrooms.

7. Embrace Symmetry

Symmetry is an important principle when it comes to designing small bedrooms.

For improved visual balance, and more definition, it is recommended that you stick to a symmetrical concept when furnishing and decorating the room.

Sticking to symmetrical concepts will also help in offering an easy-on-the-eye scheme, as this goes hand in hand with minimalist designs.

It can also help to make your bedroom appear somewhat larger and more spacious.

8. The Magic of Mirrors

A mirror is a must-have in any bedroom.

However in a small bedroom you cannot devote a lot of space to a large wall mirror, as you should make better use of it for shelving, as discussed earlier.

Instead, you could opt for a full body length mirror that can lean up against the wall.

Alternatively if the wardrobe does not come with sliding doors, you could install a mirror on the inner side of one of the wardrobe doors.

On another note, if it is possible to have a mirror hung on one of the walls, make sure that you position it in a place where it can reflect the light that comes in from the window.

This will create the illusion that the room is bigger, apart from increasing natural light in the room.

Conclusion

There are all sorts of ideas that you could come up with when designing a small bedroom.

There is no need to worry about small rooms and their drawbacks, as in truth nowadays you will be able to find many innovative furnishings which will greatly maximise the space available.

From wardrobes with sliding doors, beds with storage space underneath, or wall beds, to floating shelves and desks, you will be amazed at the range of modern bedroom furnishings you will find in stores.

In some cases, you might worry about the costs involved to buy such furniture ready-made.

In that case, try to go for custom made or DIY furniture options, as at the end of the day it would most likely turn out to be considerably cheaper.

For instance, there is no need to spend a fortune to buy a ready-made floating desk.

You could make one yourself by simply installing a piece of plywood over shelf brackets!

Ultimately it is all a matter of creativity as affordable materials like plywood and MDF, and some simple tools could enable you to work wonders on furnishing your bedroom.

A high quality and useable table is something that very home can benefit from.

Making a table yourself is really simple.

You might never have thought about it, but it is far cheaper and more fun than buying a readymade table, especially when considering that it will only amount to a little time, basic tools and materials to build yourself.

The following article outlines how to go about it.

Read on or hit a jump link below to skip to a desired chapter:

Chapters

1. Tools & Materials Required
2. Preparation
3. Measuring, Marking & Cutting
4. Making the Legs
5. Cutting the Table Top
6. Attaching the Legs
7. Finishing & Painting
8. Conclusion
9. See It In Action

Tools & Materials Required

You will need the following supplies:

• sheet of plywood, with a recommended thickness of 19mm (¾ inch).
• water-based protective topcoat
• paint
• sandpaper
• screws
• wood putty
• glue
• ruler
• pencil
• cordless drill
• circular saw

Preparation

Gather the supplies and tools listed above.

Then use a space where there is enough room where you can work.

Remember that some cleaning up will inevitably be required since cutting wood is required.

Then decide on the preferred dimensions of your dining table and draw a plan with all the measurements marked.

Once the cutting is completed, it is recommended to seal the plywood with the water-based protective topcoat.

Measuring, Marking & Cutting

You will need to cut the plywood with the circular blade.

It is best to mark out the angles using a ruler and pencil.

In this way you will just need to follow these markings with the guide on the circular saw.

This will greatly reduce inaccurate cuts or any mistakes.

Once the cutting is completed, it is important to take the time to sand all the pieces.

This can be done with a 220 grit sandpaper.

Obviously if you use a fresh saw blade the cuts will be cleaner, however a light sanding is always recommended to ensure neater edges.

Making the Legs

The legs are an important part of the table.

Mark the areas where you intend to place the legs, as some will prefer not to place them right at the corners of the table top, but slightly inwards.

Make sure you measure well so that they are equally away from one another.

It is best to glue together four different sets of pieces, and to reinforce them with screws.

Clamp the pieces together.

Allow the glue to cure on the first set of pieces and then proceed to combine them together to form a leg.

Obviously this process will need to be repeated for all of the legs.

Cutting the Table Top

You will have decided on the size of the table before.

A DIY table can be as sturdy as a ready-made one.

You do not need to worry about the area of the table top as long as you use sufficiently thick plywood sheets and ensure that the assembling is carried out carefully.

Clamp down a straight edge and then start cutting strips off.

These will be put to good use as supports for the underside.

Assembling the inner support frame for the table is probably one of the most important steps.

To do this well it is best to use triangular pieces of plywood and glue them to the support strips you cut earlier.

Glue and screw these pieces to the inside corners of the table’s legs.

Then, also glue the pieces you had cut off from the top corners to one another so as to create a couple of triangular braces that will serve well as additional supports for the table’s frame.

Glue them together and screw them for additional sturdiness, and then screw to the inside of the frame.

At this point, since the pieces were triangular, you might happen to notice gaps.

In that case simply plug these gaps with scrap pieces that you will surely have gathered during the cutting of the inner frame.

Attaching the Legs

Once the base has been completed, you can then glue and screw the inner frame pieces, which will connect the legs together, to each of the legs.

At this point you will have the lower part of the table completed.

Finishing & Painting

The last step is to glue the tabletop to the base of the table.

At this point we can say that the table is ready to go.

All you need to do is to glue the table top to the base, and while doing so it is best to use weights so as to hold down the table top tightly to the base while you allow the glue to cure.

Any holes that were left by the screws should be filled up with some wood filler.

Allow it to dry, and then sand it until it is flush with the plywood.

This will ensure a neater result.

It is also best to take the time to smoothen off the edges with the sandpaper, as well as round over the edges a bit.

In case you opt to paint your table, then that is the final step.

Obviously prior to painting, make sure that the sanding is all completed, and that you wipe off all the parts with a moistened cloth so as to remove any dust residue that will have been left after the sanding.

It is best to give two coats of paint for a neater result.

Using a roller should give a smoother, streak-free finish.

And there you have it. Your DIY dining table is all done!

Conclusion

As you may have noticed you do not require any expensive tools and materials to build a dining table out of a single sheet of plywood.

Besides, as long as you follow the guide above, you will not need to worry about not being able to complete it successfully.

Anyone can manage to build a dining table as long as the steps above are followed carefully.

Always exercise caution when cutting the wood pieces, and try to be as precise as possible so as to avoid any mistakes that could mess up the final result.

Other than that you can have a nicely designed dining table at a fraction of the cost you would have had to pay for a ready-made one.

See It In Action

This DIY tutorial is based on the awesome instructional video by HomeMade-Modern.com

Go check out the video on their YouTube channel and see just how easy it is to make a beautiful dining table from a single sheet of ply!

Most households tend to have one thing in common – not enough storage space!

There's just too many items to store into cupboards and closets and consequently, untidy piles of items start to accumulate in all the wrong places.

For those who are keen to keep everything organised and out of sight, practical storage solutions are a must.

For this reason, floating shelves are a godsend.

They can help to alleviate this problem without breaking the bank, without taking up additional floor space, which more often than not tends to be very limited.

Building your own floating shelves is fairly straightforward, and even a beginner in DIY can do a great job.

Here are some guidelines on how to go about making floating shelves using MDF boards, which are practical and affordable.

Read on to find learn more, or use a jump link below to skip to a desired chapter:

Chapters

1. What You Will Need
2. Building the Floating Shelves
3. Helpful Tips & Ideas
4. Conclusion

What You Will Need

You will need basic tools and supplies which will easily be found in any hardware store, including:

• Hammer Drill
• Screwdriver
• Wall Plugs & Screws
• MDF Boards
• Support Timbers
• Tape Measure
• Sandpaper
• Spirit Level
• Paint (optional)

Some of these may be substituted for other tools as may be noted hereunder.

Building the Floating Shelves

Step 1: Planning & Measuring

Start by measuring the space where you intend to install your shelves.

Consider what you will be placing on them so as to decide the space you should leave between one shelf and another.

This is important so that you won’t end up with unutilised wall space, and you would be maximising your storage space on the shelves.

Based on this, you can then calculate how many shelves can fit in that wall space, and their sizes.

Mark the top line of each shelf with a spirit level, and take note of the items you will need based on the number of shelves you will be making.

Bear in mind that for each shelf you will be needing two support timbers for the length and the width of the shelf, and obviously an MDF board in the desired size.

Step 2: Gathering Supplies

Next start gathering the supplies and the tools you will be needing.

As you may see from the list above there are no particularly costly tools and supplies can easily be gathered.

Step 3: Cutting

Supporting timber pieces are important as they will make your project safer and sturdier.

Each shelf will need four pieces, one on each side, and if you wish an additional one in the middle to provide extra support.

This is especially important if you will be placing rather heavy items on the shelf.

Cut your timber pieces according to the number of shelves you decided to build.

MDF boards will probably have been cut for you at the store where you bought them, so there is no need to worry about getting them.

Step 4: Attaching the Support Structure

Floating shelves are best built with a support structure.

The top of this structure should be in line with the top of the upper shelf.

Start by screwing the first part to the back wall of the alcove, always making sure that it is level.

Next start to fit the sides, and finally the front strip will be attached.

It is a good idea to pre-drill the holes in the timber as this will help to avoid any splitting or countersinking.

This process will need to be repeated for each shelf.

Think of this as the frame for your floating shelves.

Step 5: Final Fitting

Then fit the shelf cladding by screwing the bottom cover of the shelf to the supporting structure.

Place the top parts over and screw them for additional safety.

Finally screw the front panels to the shelves.

Step 6: Painting the Shelves

A coating of paint is optional.

Some people opt for this so as to have the shelves complement the rest of the furniture in the room where they are installed.

Others may stick to the natural look of MDF.

In any case make sure to fill in any holes and sand lightly so as to make your shelves look smooth and finished off nicely.

Helpful Tips & Ideas

Since it is a good idea to measure the angles at the sides and the back in relation to the front, it is a good idea to have an adjustable square at hand.

This will ensure more accuracy and ultimately a neater result.

Use the machined edge of the MDF board first as this will be flush to the front batten.

There are different thicknesses of MDF sheets that you could buy.

There is no need to go for really thick ones unless you are going to place considerably heavy items on the shelves.

You might wish to enquire which thickness is most suitable before buying.

It is really helpful to use the top sheet for each shelf as a template for the bottom one.

Attaching the boards to the battens can be done by glue and clamping or by using a nail gun.

Clear any excess and fill in any gaps by using some decorator’s caulk.

This will make things neater.

In the case of any countersunk screws, particularly at the front of the shelves, you can use some filler to hide them off.

Then sand lightly to make it smoother and more flush.

Alternatively, you might wish to attach pine strips to that thickness so as to cover off any defects more neatly.

If you opt for painting the shelves always sand them first.

Keep some wall paint at hand so as to touch up any parts which might have ended up marked while you were installing the floating shelves.