Small apartments are more popular than ever since living in them has many benefits. First, they are easier to find and cheaper. No matter how charming and cozy small apartments may look, they have a simple problem–lack of storage space. If you want to save space in your home and have a lot of storage space for your belongings, you should consider creating a closet in your bedroom. No matter how much space you have, you can always think of a simple and original idea that will brighten up your home. Take a look at some simple steps to making a closet in a small bedroom.
Step one–measure the room
To finalize any DIY furniture project in your home, you will have to know how much space you are dealing with. This means that you’ll have to measure the height and width of the walls but also consider hidden corner space. The good thing about building a closet in a small bedroom is that you can experiment and customize it. For example, you can create a closet that goes up to the ceiling, using the most out of the room’s height.
Measuring your bedroom will help you create a plan for your DIY project and make a list of materials you’ll need to buy. Before you go shopping, don’t forget to take pictures of the room so you can have a better visual idea of the project.
Choose materials for a closet in a small bedroom
Once you measure your bedroom and calculate the budget for the project, the next step will be to choose the material for the closet. No matter which material you choose, you should think of the best way to cozy up your new home. For example, wood is perfect for classic-looking furniture, while the wire is a bit more contemporary. For this project, you will have a few options to choose from:
- Plywood—this is probably the cheapest option and the easiest material to find. Plywood is easy to clean and cut, and it’s light in weight. You can buy it in various colors or paint the boards yourself.
- Melamine is an organic compound that is often used for building a closet in a small bedroom. If you decided to make a custom closet by yourself, but plywood is not fancy enough for you, this is the best material to choose.
- Wood—When it comes to wooden boards, there is no real competition. This is the sturdiest and the longest-lasting material for creating a closet in a small bedroom. For this project, you can find ready-made boards or cut and sand them yourself.
- Wire/metal—This material allows you to create a modern-looking bedroom. If you want a contemporary closet that will not draw too much attention, you can create a custom closet or buy one in the furniture store
Think of custom solutions
Making a plan for your new closet might take you more time than actually building one. Once you start writing down ideas, you should think about your needs. Small rooms are never easy to furnish since bigger pieces of furniture can (visually) take up too much room. If you want to create additional storage in your new home, write down the number of items you want to store in the closet.
Keep in mind that not all of your clothes might fit in this one. Think of custom solutions for small closets that have adjustable drawers or shelves.
Use the height of the walls
In larger rooms, people usually build closets with standard dimensions. However, a closet in a small bedroom can be asymmetrical or even have a few pieces. For example, if you have a window in the middle of the wall, you can always build shelves and drawers around it and use the height of the walls. Creating a tall closet will save you a lot of space while making the best use of the wall surface.
If you want to create a tall closet in a small bedroom, you should focus on the hanging poll that will be perfect for dresses or suits. Underneath the hangers, you can place narrow shelves for socks, underwear, or shoes. Keep in mind that taller closets should not be too wide unless you want them to take up all available space in your bedroom.
Make use of corners
One of the best things about DIY furniture projects is that you can customize the pieces to your liking. If you don’t have much space in your bedroom, you should consider hidden corners for building your closet. The best example of this is a loft bedroom. Diagonal roofs in lofts have less space for a standard closet. You can easily use the top corners of the wall for installing customized drawers.
Try looking for decorative baskets in Ikea or similar stores—they will be a perfect addition to your closet. You can find them in various colors and sizes and store smaller pieces of clothing inside.
Insert adjustable shelves and drawers
Since a big closet will not work in a small bedroom, you will have to think of creative solutions. Lack of space in small apartments is a common problem, especially in cities like NYC. Tiny apartments are becoming more popular, but they require renting an outdoor storage unit. Although there are many benefits of this, most people still try to keep all of their stuff indoors. If you want to build a small closet and avoid renting the unit, you should consider a unique approach.
The first thing you should focus on is the size of the shelves and drawers. You can make them more narrow to save space in the room. A better way to expand drawers is to make them deeper, or even better – adjustable. For example, you might need to store winter boots or beach accessories in the bottom drawers. If you can adjust their height during the year, you will save a lot of storage space in your home.
Consider building an open closet
For people with a busy lifestyle and a love for contemporary design, an open closet could be an interesting solution. Instead of putting away your clothes on the chair after work, you can just fold them and put on right on the shelf. With an open closet, your room will feel “lighter” and more spacious. If you don’t have too much natural light in the room, the lack of closet doors will make your closet look like a part of the décor. Build custom open shelves and racks, or look for them in the stores like Ikea and The Container Store.
Additional solutions for a small bedroom closet
If you are not sure which closet design is perfect for your small bedroom, you can always look for ideas online. We see more modern solutions like customized hooks for hanging clothes, hidden drawers under the bed, and similar solutions. Some people even use foldable baskets or store their seasonal clothes in air-tight plastic bags. If you live in a small apartment and need more space for your clothes, all you need to do is be creative and think of alternative solutions.
No matter the size of your budget and the amount of time you have for this project, you can create a cozy-looking closet in a small bedroom. Choose a design you like, choose materials for your closet pieces and measure the room before the project starts. This is one of those DIY projects you can be proud of, and it’s not too expensive to do!
