a bedroom with a bed and a large window

15 Useless Items Making Your Bedroom Feel Cramped

Your bedroom should feel like a comfortable retreat, but unwanted items can easily take over the space. When your room feels cramped, it’s often because of things that aren’t truly needed.

Identifying and removing unnecessary items can help open up your bedroom and make it more inviting. This article will help you spot what might be crowding your space without adding value.

Oversized bed frames

a bedroom with a bed and a large window
Image Credit: Medea Dzagnidze / Unsplash

If your bed frame takes up most of the room, it can make your bedroom feel cramped. Large, bulky frames reduce the free space you need to move around comfortably.

Choosing a smaller or simpler bed frame, like a platform or one with slim legs, opens up the floor area. This change instantly makes your room feel less crowded and more inviting.

Heavy solid dressers

Teak Wood Clunky Dressers
Image Credit: Andrea Davis / Pexels

Heavy solid dressers take up a lot of visual and physical space in your bedroom. They can make the room feel tight and harder to navigate.

Choosing lighter or more open furniture, like dressers with legs, can instantly open up the floor area. This creates a more airy and inviting atmosphere in your room.

You don’t have to give up storage, but consolidating or swapping bulky pieces helps clear the cluttered feeling.

Bulky armchairs

A victorian armchair in a room with a white free standing lamp
Image Credit: Eran Menashri / Unsplash.

Bulky armchairs can quickly take up a lot of space in your bedroom. They often make the room feel more cramped, especially if your bedroom is already small.

Choosing a low-profile or slimmer chair can help free up visual and physical space. This way, you maintain comfort without overcrowding your room.

Extra unused chairs

pile of laundry clothes on chair, laundry to be cleaning and folded
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Extra chairs take up valuable floor space without adding much function. When they sit unused, they make your bedroom feel crowded and cluttered.

You can create more room by removing these chairs or relocating them to another area. This simple change helps your space feel open and easier to move around in.

Large storage cubes

Father and daughter sitting on the floor, organizing toys together, wicker storage baskets in a shelf unit, wooden toy blocks on a tray, minimalistic nursery décor
Image Credit: Tatiana Syrikova/Pexels.

Large storage cubes can quickly take up valuable floor space in your bedroom. While they offer plenty of room for items, having too many or very bulky ones can make the room feel tight and cluttered.

If you use them, pick clear or light-colored cubes to keep things visually lighter. Also, consider placing them under your bed or in closets to free up walking space.

Cluttered open shelves

family photo frame on book shelves
Image credit: Sevda Afshar / Unsplash

Open shelves can make your bedroom feel busy if they’re packed with too many items. When everything is visible, it creates a sense of disorder, even if the space is organized.

Try to limit what you display and store less-used items elsewhere. Using closed storage or drawers can help keep your shelves looking cleaner and your room feeling more spacious.

Too many decorative pillows

Modern bedroom with a large bed, wooden furniture, white bedding, soft carpet, ceiling fan, and natural light from windows
Image Credit: Curtis Adams/Pexels.

Having a few decorative pillows can add warmth and style to your bedroom. But when there are too many, they can take up valuable space and make your bed look cluttered.

You might find it harder to relax or even sit comfortably. Try limiting pillows to a few favorites that match your room’s color scheme.

This small change helps your bedroom feel more open and inviting, without losing its cozy touch.

Excessive wall art

Excessive wall art
Image Credit: Vlada Karpovich / Pexels

Too many pieces of wall art can make your bedroom feel cluttered and chaotic. It might be tempting to cover every blank space, but this can overwhelm the room’s vibe.

Try picking a few meaningful pieces that match your color scheme instead. This helps your walls feel intentional and keeps your space calm.

Removing extra posters or prints can open up your room and give your eyes a place to rest. Fewer items mean less visual noise, making your bedroom feel more spacious.

Multiple rugs overlapping

Interior of a Modern Hotel Bedroom
Image Credit: Suresh Asam / Pexels

Using more than one rug in a small bedroom can quickly make the space feel cramped. Overlapping rugs may add texture, but if your room is limited in size, it can create a cluttered look.

If you want to layer rugs, try to keep the color scheme consistent with the rest of your room. Choosing just one well-sized rug often opens up your space better than multiple smaller ones.

Stacked unused boxes

child’s feet in white socks sticking out of cardboard box, man packing in background, room filled with moving boxes, natural light
Image credit: cottonbro studio/Pexels.

Stacked unused boxes take up valuable floor space and add visual clutter. When boxes pile up, your room instantly feels tighter and less inviting.

Try sorting through them and removing anything you no longer need. If you must keep some, find a hidden spot or use vertical storage to keep your floor clear.

Clearing these boxes can help open up your space and make your bedroom feel less cramped.

Full bookshelves with non-essentials

Image Credit: Pexels.

If your bookshelves are packed with items you don’t use, they can make your bedroom feel cluttered. Try removing things that aren’t meaningful or necessary.

Focus on keeping only books and objects that you truly love or need. This clears visual space and helps your room feel more open.

You can also rotate books or decor to keep the look fresh without overcrowding. Having less on display makes your space easier to enjoy.

Too many knick-knacks on surfaces

Assortment of vintage items, old cameras, tabletop clock, wooden box, glass bottles, retro gadgets, cluttered antique display
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

When your surfaces are filled with knick-knacks, your bedroom can quickly feel cramped and cluttered. You might find it harder to focus or relax surrounded by too many small items.

Try keeping only a few meaningful or useful objects on nightstands and dressers. Clearing unnecessary decorations can open up space and make the room feel more peaceful. Less visual clutter often means a calmer environment for you.

Overstuffed sofas

Overstuffed sofas
Image Credit: Zak Chapman / Pexels

If your sofa takes up too much space, it can make your bedroom feel cramped. Overstuffed sofas are often bulky and leave little room for other furniture or movement.

Choosing a more streamlined sofa helps open up the space and makes your room feel airier. You can still stay comfortable without sacrificing too much.

Large floor lamps

Long vintage hallway with warm lighting, ornate ceiling, antique wooden furniture along the wall, standing lamp with a soft orange glow, green carpet, natural light filtering through windows at the far end
Image Credit: Citizen D -CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.

Large floor lamps can take up too much floor space, making your bedroom feel crowded. If your room is small, consider smaller or adjustable lamps instead.

Using multiple light sources with compact lamps can brighten your space without overwhelming it. This approach also adds depth and dimension to your room without the bulk of a large floor lamp.

Crowded bedside tables

Crowded bedside tables
Image Credit: Arina Krasnikova / Pexels

Your bedside tables should hold just the essentials. Too many items can make the space feel cluttered and tight.

Leaving at least 24 inches of walking space around your bed helps keep the room open. Limit decorations and keep surfaces clear to create a calming vibe.

Think about using smaller tables or wall-mounted shelves to save floor space and keep things within reach.