5 Expert Tips On How to Increase Bedroom Storage

APRIL 08, 2022

Whether you have a primary suite or sleep in a petite bedchamber, there are creative storage solutions for every bedroom size. Take a fresh look at organising your bedroom and discover functional and serene ways to store your precious objects and daily essentials.

How do you create a calm and clutter-free environment in your bedroom? Given that we spend nearly a third of our lives sleeping, it’s worth the effort to keep organised the most intimate space in your home. Learn how to arrange your bedroom with storage with our expert tips.

1. Ways to use storage to create a calmer space

When it comes to creating a serene ambience in your bedroom, the focus is often on texture and colour. Of course, these are the elements we love, from soft throws to sumptuous bedding. However, for those who love to walk into a calming bedroom, the first step is to remove any clutter.

Practical and versatile, tallboys and chest of drawers are some of the best furniture options. Even in a smaller bedroom, one quality piece will elevate your space whilst also offering a much-needed home for your belongings.

Rather than opting for lots of little baskets and boxes, investing in a proper piece, such as our Join Tallboy, will anchor a room and improve its organisation.

Styling Tip: Carefully placed larger storage allows your bed to be the star attraction, rather than ironically, the visual distraction of too many smaller storage devices.

2. Why traditional furniture storage is making a comeback in modern bedrooms

There’s no better time for those who love character and narrative in a bedroom to mix storage from different eras: new and vintage, formal and informal. Still, the guiding principle is quality over quantity and invest in handcrafted pieces.

Traditional furniture such as a dressing table, tallboy, armoire, and blanket boxes are great options for keeping the clutter at bay. Notably, the quality and craftsmanship of antiques are often superior to most contemporary equivalents.

Embrace your inner-curator and mix pieces that make functionality more characterful. Or update the idea of a classic bedroom suite reimagined by our Join range that helps a space to feel unified and serene.

Styling Tip: When it comes to characterful storage around the home, Martyn Fowler of Puckhaber Decorative Antiques says, “We have always leaned towards elegant pieces, and we tend to avoid chunky pieces. Instead, we love clean lines and original patination. We also like our pieces to show their age, especially when edges have been worn soft from years of use.”

3. Best stylish storage solutions from blanket boxes to baskets

To create a bedroom you’ll never want to leave, consider your room’s floorplan and how well-positioned storage can help its flow.

“I like storage with multifunctional uses, such as an ottoman chest that could double up as an upholstered seat at the end of the bed,” shares Rebecca Skelton, Maker & Son’s Lead Designer of Textiles & Homewares. “If storing items under your bed isn’t an option, look upward from the floor—you could stack rattan boxes or baskets on shelves instead.”

Play with scale and source items such as under-bed drawers or boxes that allow your layout to feeling clutter-free. Plus, consider non-traditional storage, such as a few antique blanket boxes, as seen in Sophie Conran’s home, which transforms the practical into an expression of her style.

Styling Tip: Sophie follows the same approach by adding textural cane baskets as a softer alternative for organising her belongings.

4. How to use shelves and furniture effectively in a bedroom

Make every surface count when it comes to your bedroom storage. From shelves to tabletops, your furniture provides an alternative to walls for displaying your favourite objects.

The depth of using different surfaces and ways of organising your items allows your bedroom to feel characterful yet calm.

Rebecca believes that deciding between large or small pieces of furniture depends on the shape of your room and what you are storing. “For example, I like to show off more exciting objects and books with open shelving, but I hide a lot of “organised mess” within my drawers,” she adds.

Furthermore, a floating bedside table, such as Join model, or a series of shelves, provides the perfect surfaces to showcase your art, candles and lights.

5. Best storage ideas for small bedrooms

When it comes to smaller bedrooms, you need to invest in versatile pieces to help declutter, organise and maintain your minimal space.

“To make the most of compact space, you should first assess the room’s shape and features,” Rebecca says. “If it has alcoves, utilise them by adding built-in shelving.”

“Choose a bed with storage below and maximise space around the bed by adding wall-mounted or smaller profile bedside tables—even better if they have drawers that act as an extra storage solution.”

Built-in wardrobes are also an excellent way to maximise space and can be built to bespoke requirements she adds.

Styling Tip: Consider a small chest of drawers to help store anything that might otherwise sit on a tabletop such as a lamp or smart phone. When furnishing a small bedroom, finding a side table with drawers, such as our Join bedside table. The combination works as both a surface and a place to store things, which is helpful when space is at a premium.