There Are Closets Bigger Than This Kid’s Room — Yet It’s the Most Functional Space Ever

Ever since Oxfordshire, United Kingdom-based content creator Katie of @kate.athome began growing her following, she’s used her platform to encourage people to “fall in love with the home they have and make the most of all their home has to offer, no matter how big or small.”

Case in point: her 5-year-old son Tommy’s tiny bedroom. And when I say tiny, I mean really small at only 6.5 by 7.5 feet. Tommy first started using the space as his nursery when he was baby. “It’s the smallest space I have ever had to work with, but I was determined to create something amazing for Tommy,” Katie says. “It had no character and looked pretty much impossible to work with; if anything, that made me even more excited to make it work.”

As he’s grown, he and Katie have made updates to the space so that it reflects and grows with him. For the most recent big-kid iteration, it was important to Katie that Tommy was involved in the redesign, too. For example, when she asked what color scheme he envisioned for the space, he replied “all the colors,” so that’s exactly what the pair went with.

While Tommy headed the color and artwork selection process (Don’t miss the personalized wooden pennant or large soccer field print!), Katie took control of the layout, as she had to think outside the box to find furniture that would fit in the small space. Instead of a traditional wardrobe, Katie opted for IKEA’s IVAR unit that she painted to add more color. Storage is definitely an issue in the room, but Katie helped solve that by purchasing a bed with storage underneath and hanging a high shelf topped with Dunelm toy baskets (they rotate toys often). There’s also a super cute Dunelm crayon-inspired storage basket.

The family rents their home, so Katie was limited in how she could add color — that’s why incorporating vibrant pops from toys, books, and artwork was so important. Overall, Katie didn’t want to hide or blend the toys or brightly colored items into the room; she wanted to highlight them. A small IKEA shelf shows off Tommy’s miniature characters, while upcycled IKEA spice racks serve as bookshelves.

She painted light yellow stripes on one wall and hung red-painted peg rails to display Tommy’s Jellycat collection.

“One of my favorite elements of his room is his lovely Tix&Mix magnetic wall arch,” Katie shares. “Again, it gave me a chance to bring in some more color, and it’s functional because it brings playtime onto the walls, which is ideal in this small space. The final touch was our wonderful wall stickers from Kid of the Village. They added so much character to the room and really finished it off beautifully!” 

Katie says her son enjoys spending evenings in the room reading and drawing. “I’m so proud of this little bedroom; what I love most about it is that it really is a space created with Tommy in mind,” Katie says. “When I walk in there, it just makes me smile knowing that this is the childhood bedroom he will remember. I feel like I’ve created a beautiful and functional space despite its size.”