With all the social media stuff about living a minimalist Zen lifestyle and throwing out every item that you own apart from a tiny collection of essential, you might not agree with the statement above. However, having less stuff just makes it easier for you to be organised it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are. In fact, if it is organisation that you are after it’s much better to follow the more pragmatic and realistic tips below.

Is a minimal style bedroom the most pragmatic solution?

Wardrobe

One way of keeping your bedroom as organised as possible is to take a long hard look at your wardrobe space. Yes, it may not be pretty, in fact, all the contents may have a habit of spilling out to greet you whenever you open the doors, but it is necessary! After all, the wardrobe is where we keep the majority of our items and is usually present even in the smallest of rooms. With that in mind, it makes sense to optimise the organisation of such a space.

To make your wardrobe more organised, you may have to say goodbye to your old closet and hello to a new one. In fact, installing a fitted wardrobe in a smaller room or difficult location is a fantastic way of making the most of the space that you have, something that can make it a lot easier to be organised.

Then there is the option of forgetting a wardrobe together and going for a super trendy clothes rail instead. Now, there are quite a few benefits to this sort of clothes storage. One is that it encourages you to be ruthless with your clothing as you can see everything you have all the time, making it super easy to identify which items you never use and then get rid of them.

Also because a clothes rail is such a visual element of a bedroom it is placed in, it’s hard to keep it messy and unorganised because it can make the whole room seem that way too. Another great motivation for keeping things as tidy and systematic as possible.

Under bed

Next, a hugely important space for organisation in the bedroom is the area under the bed. In fact, it’s a great place to stores things that you don’t use every day like bedding for another season, or in the kids room large plastic tubs of toys can be tucked quickly away to create a much less cluttered look.

Of course, there are several choices of how to store items under the bed, Some folks use canvas boxes or cubes, while others pick things like this crushed velvet bed that has built-in storage drawers underneath. Some people even go for the newer style Ottoman bed where the entire mattress lifts up to reveal storage space underneath. Although, I have heard that it can look easier than it is to get items that you need from the latter type of bed frame, especially if you need to lift the mattress up while there are other things on top of the bed.

One of the best things about under bed storage is that if you choose a valance to fit around the bottom of the bed, it’s utterly impossible to see that there are drawers or boxes under there. Something that makes it a fantastically neat way of storing items that you don’t need to access all of the time.

Shelves

The shelves that you choose for your bedroom often depend on the size of the space. After all, some bedrooms aren’t big enough to fit in free-standing shelves or bookcases and need wall mounted options instead.

Of course, you also need to decide how you will use the shelving in your room too. Will it be purely for display purposes, or will you be using it to organise and store your items as well?

If you are going for solely display shelves, then it’s vital to remember not to over clutter them as this can make your room look small and untidy. It’s also important to make an effort to dust them regularly, otherwise, you can end up with a real dust and dirt trap, not a situation you want occurring in the place that you sleep every night.

If you are going to use the shelving in your bedroom for storage as well as display, then you need to consider how you will keep items organised and tidy.

One way is to create fabric boxes that sit by themselves while keeping their content safe and separate from your other items. There are even some shelving units that are built in a cube structure with removable boxes that can be coordinated to the decor of your room. Just remember that whatever you choose it must work both practically and aesthetically in your bedroom space.

Desks or dressing tables

Not all bedrooms have desks or dressing tables in them, but many do. Students often need a desk in their room as it is their only private space in the house in which they live, while many people like to sit down at a dressing table to do their hair and prepare their appearance of the day.

There are several factors to consider when choosing a desk or table for your bedroom. The first is whether it coordinates with the rest of the furniture you have. To help with this many furniture suppliers do stock matching ranges that are built in the same style.

Although, you may prefer to go for a more eclectic look and pick a table or desk that isn’t so matchy-matchy, a tactic that can particularly work well in a carefully arranged bedroom space.

Lastly, it is wise to remember that whenever you introduce a horizontal surface to a room, the temptation is to use it for storage and fill it with stuff. However, this can be a big mistake concerning a desk or a dressing table because it ruins the look of the said item, makes your room look messy, and discourages you from using it in the manner that is intended.

With that in mind, try a pick a desk or table with a draw where you can keep all of your essentials, or choose a chair or stool that has added hidden storage space.

Bedside tables

Ah, the bedside table or nightstand as Americans call them. They are a convenient piece of furniture of organisation, as they tend to be where we keep our phones on charge, our alarm clocks, and even our water for when we wake up in the morning.

However, much like a desk, they can be magnets to clutter that is not needed. In fact, if your bedside table has no draws this can get to a ridiculously level where you cant even use it to hold the essentials that you need every night.

To resolve this problem, there are several options to consider. One is to store a fabric box or basket underneath your bedside table and use this for items that do not need to be on the surface. The second is to get a cabinet with drawer and a door, so any clutter you may wish to hide can be safely and neatly tucked away.

The third option is to eschew the bedside table altogether, and yes I know this is getting into minimalism territory! However, bear with me, as you still get to keep all of your stuff, but store it down the side of the bed with a pouch and pocket system instead. Something that will give you a minimalist look without you having to get rid of nearly of your possessions! Smart!