For those times when a room space has dreary or badly lit tendencies, it becomes doubly important to decorate the room with a strong focus towards minimising the unpleasant characteristics and emphasising those that are desirable or have potential to be so. After all, small can equate to tight and unpleasant or can be the epitome of cosy and cute! Dreariness usually comes about as a result of poor natural or artificial lighting, inappropriate or dowdy paint colours and small windows or windows that overlook dismal views. But with a little work and imagination all of these pitfalls can be rectified for a charming effect whatever the challenge.

A great start point is to measure the room and transfer those measurements to graph paper, noting the location of the door, window, switches, niches or anything else that is permanent before creating a to-scale cut out of the bed which you can move around to determine how many placement options are available. In a small room this is unlikely to be too many, but it is nonetheless a useful exercise which may throw up different possibilities. If space is particularly tight consider investing in a metal daybed or wooden equivalent, or downsizing to a smaller bed, but one in which you can still be comfortable. Modern or traditional beds in 4ft sizes are particularly popular these days being a sensible step up from a 3ft single and also offering just enough space for two people in guest rooms. Use your bed selection as inspiration for the room décor theme. Traditional iron beds might inspire you to consider a country charming theme, whilst more contemporary modern bed styles lend themselves well suited to more minimalist room schemes with a light airy colour theme.

Pick room colours with consideration for an inspirational fabric which will provide harmonious contrast. For a country theme the predominant colour is likely to be cream or white with fabrics in shades of delft blue, yellow, faded green, dusky pink or peach. Fabrics with a gentle pattern or motif are fine and floral themes work well. Use the fabric for window dressings and bed throws for continuity and charm.

For a more contemporary colour approach select a modern palette that favours textures and monochromatic colours. Avoid shades that are drab or dull and consider adding one or two large statement pieces of art to bring an element of drama to the room. The trick with this approach is to layer different versions and textures in the same colour family together to create a cohesive minimalist theme without too much visual clutter or frippery.

Pay particular attention to wall quality before even lifting a paint roller as wall defects become amplified in smaller rooms, particularly after a fresh coat of paint. Paint skirtings and dados a bright fresh white and correct a poor window view by creating a window box full of seasonal plants to brighten up the dullest vista. Stained glass windows or window accents might perform a similar job, whilst careful selection of sheers, blinds or drapes will liven up the dullest day.

Maintain the colour theme within the room and whenever possible use closets or under bed storage solutions to keep clutter at a minimum. Keeping  obstacles out of the room space is important in any small room if it is to be comfortable and airy. Small rooms also have the advantage of allowing budgets to stretch to more expensive better quality furnishings and accents as only a few are required. Most quality furniture retailers these days specialise in attractive furniture designed for smaller spaces, but a bedside table mounted directly onto the wall is a pretty simple DIY project, perhaps with a bedside lamp hung from the ceiling to minimise wires and create interest. Likewise position art to attract the eye upwards, and incorporate additional sources of artificial light to supplement natural light deficiencies.