How do I make my small room bigger?

Eliminate some of the furniture. Raise your bed and use the space underneath for some of the storage that you have in cupboards. Not sure how big your wardrobe is but do you have room to install a wardrobe system to maximize the space? Single beds are too small.

You could get a loft bed.

Mirrors make every room look larger.

It’s hard to say without seeing the room, but since you are suggesting removing some of the furniture… I’m going to agree. That will always help to make a room feel bigger. @omfgTALIjustIMDu suggested mirrors, and that is an excellent idea. A large mirror or a series of small mirrors hung on the walls will give the illusion of more space. Also, keep your window treatments light. Use light colors (like white or off-white) and lightweight materials for curtains. You say you don’t want to paint the walls, but that does make a big difference. If your walls are a light color now (say white or yellow) there is no sense in painting them. However, if the walls are any darker than that.. painting would have a huge effect on how big the room seems.

Fill it with furniture from a dolls house.

Eliminate clutter. Remove any posters from your walls, and clear the furniture tops of tchotchkes.

A double bed is 54” wide; a standard single is 39.” If you get a smaller bed, you will have a slab 15” x 70” freed up.

Since there is, I am assuming, only you sleeping in the bed, you can get rid of one of what we call nighttables (bedside cupboard?).

And light walls are dramatically better than dark ones. Since the room is tiny, why not bite the bullet and paint it.

I vote also for mirrors and very little clutter. One painting or poster you love.

Is there space under the dressing table to store things in boxes? You can also get sturdy boxes that slide under bed for storing seasonal clothing.

One thing to consider is to go digital. That CD rack? Rip them onto an external hard drive. DVD’s might be more tricky but it’s doable. That would free up two things off the bat that only serve one purpose.

Try as much as you can to make everything multi purpose. Also- look at how you’re arranging the space. If anything is at a diagonal- straighten it out. Diagonal in a small space that’s cluttered won’t gain you anything.

Instead of the dressing chest and bookcase- why not a larger bookcase that does double duty?

I think you have got some great tips. I would also go with mirrors and plants b/c they make a room look bigger. Raising the bed and using the under space. Getting rid of some furniture or getting more space efficient furniture. Also check your lighting which can make a difference in how big a room appears.

If you change your mind and decide to paint the walls, cooler colors make a room seem bigger and less claustrophobic. There are some wonderful shades of grey or blue that work really well.

Yes as Primobabe said get rid of unused clutter, it will make quite the difference and try not to buy small useless items. It clutters your room.

The most important thing is to have as few pieces of furniture in there as possible. It’s not just the size of the pieces, but how many. Also, no clutter. Conventional wisdom will tell you to paint the room a light color; I don’t always agree with that.

Throw away antthing you don’t use often.

If your furniture consists of separate, single-level units standing next to each other, how about replacing them with taller, multilevel units that have several different types of storage areas?

That way you can free up some floor space.

Don’t use a whole bunch of furniture. A crowded room looks so much smaller.

Painting a small room grey or blue, no matter how carefully chosen, is risky, unless the room is flooded with daylight.

And don’t forget the ceiling as the sixth wall. You can hang a few things from it.

In respect for my exterior views, the paintings I own and the feeling of being outside, I have always painted my entire house Navajo White (a close second to @dpworkin’s Linen White used in art galleries and museums.

You could try this approach

@jerv: I never cease to wonder at man’s ingenuity. That was amazing. Thanks.