A box bedroom. Nearly all of us have one but how do we design them to be practical yet beautiful? Whether your box room is a bedroom, nursery, home office or walk-in wardrobe, they can be tricky little spaces to design and get right. We’ve shared our expert design tips and knowledge to help you unlock your box bedrooms full potential.

Paint
Built in furniture
Use the height in the room
Wall mounted furniture
Multifunctional furniture
Mirrors
Lighting
Stairs bulkhead in box room

Paint

Your box bedroom is most likely quite compact, therefore it's important to avoid making it feel any smaller. Steer away from feature walls in box bedrooms. A feature wall will bring the wall forward, resulting in the room feeling smaller. Painting the room in one colour will make it feel bigger as it blurs the edges between each wall. If you’re opting for a dark and moody look, it will make the room feel snug and cosy. If you’re brave enough, paint the ceiling for the ultimate cosy vibe. Painting the ceiling will give the illusion of more height, rather than having a white box above you that brings the ceiling down. Definitely paint the ceiling if your room is neutral, you won’t even notice - trust me! If you’re needing storage in your box bedroom such as wardrobes, paint them in the same colour as the walls, they will blend into the room and become almost invisible rather than feeling intrusive and bulky in the room.

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Built in furniture

Built in furniture can be the perfect option to get the most out of your box bedroom. You won’t need to spend hours searching for the perfect free standing wardrobe that just about works with your dimensions. Built in furniture allows you to design your storage to your exact requirements, without compromising. It’s known for being pricey, however it doesn’t need to cost the earth. If you’re not afraid of some DIY, there are some great IKEA hacks using pax wardrobes that you can do which make them look fitted without the hefty price tag.

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Use the height in the room

It's not all about the floor and wall space, look up and take advantage of the height in your box bedroom. If you’re using the space as a childrens bedroom, then a sleeper cabin bed with a desk or toy storage underneath is a great option to free up the floor space and it can make for a fun bedroom space too! If you need plenty of storage space, take your wardrobes right up to the ceiling, if you’re going for built-in wardrobes or look for tall free standing wardrobe options. You can even explore modular style furniture where you can design it yourself from places like IKEA OR Tylko to make it bespoke and for what you need.

Wall mounted furniture

Try to avoid chunky furniture as it will swamp the room. Being able to see underneath furniture gives the illusion of space, that’s why wall mounted furniture works so well in smaller spaces such as box bedrooms. If you’re using the room for a bedroom, explore floating bedside tables. They're great if you don’t need a bedside table with lots of storage and work well with a contemporary style as they are quite sleek and minimal in design. Other furniture pieces that are ideal for a box bedroom are wall mounted desks/dressing tables and beds with legs rather than a divan base.

Multifunctional furniture

Using multifunctional furniture in box bedrooms works brilliantly to get more out of the space. If you need a dressing table but you also work from home, your dressing table can double up as a desk. Ottoman beds are perfect for hidden storage. If you have lots of bedding, shoes, clothes or anything really you can store them in here out of sight! If you’re using your box bedroom as a spare bedroom, that has occasional use then a sofa bed may be a better option taking up less space but also providing a comfy seat and bed for your guests.

Mirrors

Mirrors bounce the light around a room and make it feel larger, which is perfect for smaller spaces. If you’re adding wardrobes to your box bedroom, consider using one of the doors as a mirror or placing a round mirror above a chest of drawers rather than a piece of art. We would avoid going for anything too small here; it won't have the same effect as a large mirror would. To avoid mistakes when hanging a mirror in your box bedroom, read our blog ‘5 common mistakes to avoid when hanging a mirror’

Lighting

You may have heard this before that lighting can really make or break a room and it's so true! Considering the lighting in a room can really make a difference to the final result no matter how big or small the room is. If you don’t have enough space on your bedside tables, go for wall lights instead to free up the table space. To draw your eyes up go for a statement light fitting, just because it's a box bedroom it doesn’t mean you can’t be a little extra with the ceiling light. Don’t skimp on the size either, opt for a large light to make the most impact and to make the space feel larger.

Stairs bulkhead in box room

A stairs bulkhead can be a bit of a head scratcher at first as they take up alot of room in a space that’s already limited. However, with the clever use of carpentry you can incorporate the bulkhead into your design easier than it may first appear. One idea we particularly like if you have a square bulkhead is creating a bed around it, similar to a cabin bed. You can add storage underneath, it's perfect if your box bedroom is for a child and they need toy storage within their bedroom. If you have a slanted bulkhead that’s less intrusive in the room but still makes for a complicated layout then look at built-in wardrobe ideas. Choose one that goes from wall to wall and will hide the bulkhead within them and provide you with valuable storage space.

If you want to avoid costly design mistakes in your box bedroom, take a look at our affordable online interior design packages to give you all the help you need. Whether you’re considering a full redesign or a refresh, we can take the stress away, and give you the confidence to move forward. Our online interior design packages are a flat fee and we can work to any budget large or small, saving you money along the way and ensuring you get the results you want and expect!

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