Calm Instead of Chaos; Flatpack Cabinet Solution for Four Common Bedroom Storage Problems
Updated: Sep 1
With the cost of all building and renovation materials increasing more than 3% in Australia from 2025 to 2026 and the general cost of living increases, many homeowners are choosing to make the most of their existing spaces instead of moving or doing massive renovations. This blog provides solutions to common bedroom storage problems.
Flatpack Planner recently completed a project where the client needed a small bedroom (3.70x3.25m) to provide four very different zones:
Clothing and shoe storage with room for additions ;)
Desk with a computer monitor/TV screen and bookshelves
Seated make-up and hair station
Sewing and crafting area with seating
A key part of the brief was that the room needed to convey a sense of calm and order when not studying, sewing or getting ready all while being very easy to keep tidy and being able to see everything with a quick glance.
Another aspect of the brief was that any big expenditure should be on items that could be repurposed or even moved to a different location in the future.
Finally, the client requested that as much furniture as possible be reused in the new design to keep costs down and not create waste unless absolutely unavoidable.
Not the easiest brief!!
The room had an old-fashioned built-in closet from the original build in the 1920's. Previous attempts to make the closet more functional had not worked as well as planned and didn't provided the necessary storage and easy access.
The closet space had awkward corners which went about 30cm in behind the wall - you have to wonder what the thought process was during the original build? Since the house is double brick construction, there was no chance of cutting back a gyprock wall for better access.
As well, having doors to conceal the messy contents was unfeasible in such a small room. The pictures below show just how awkward and untidy the space was before the upgrade.
The recommendation was to use the old closet area for the make-up and hair station because it's usually the messiest zone so 'hiding' it in the corner made the most sense. The images below absolutely show that this was the right approach; the client is thrilled with her 'get ready' station.
Now for the clothes, shoes, desk and crafting area.....
The idea was to use multiple, matching tall and deep flatpack cabinets all along one wall and use some of the flatpack interiors a bit differently in some of the cabinets. We also added a tall, shallow cabinet in the space between the bed and the new make-up station to make use of the vertical storage opportunities and provide visual cohesion to create a sense of calm and order.
Another recommendation was to put the desk and crafting zones next to each other so that the rolling chair could be easily moved between the two zones so only one chair was required in the space.
Finally, it was decided with the client that the desk needed a minimum width of 70cm to accommodate her monitor and writing surface.
Definitely decide what power outlets, if any, are needed inside the cabinets before putting all of them in place! It's almost impossible to do this once all the cabinets are up, attached to the wall, and screwed together.
Another tip is to cut the wood for the desk and shelves AFTER the wardrobes are in place especially if you're working in an older house. Nothing in this house was square so the desk and each shelf were cut for their space to fit exactly.
Before deciding on this solution, the sewing machine was weighed to ensure the pull-out shelf could take the weight. Thankfully, the shelf was rated for 4kg more than the sewing machine.
The shelf above the sewing machine is only half the depth of the cabinet so when using the machine you don't feel like you're about to hit your head.
Using three hanging rails in the left-most cabinet allowed for so much more storage of shirts and trousers with the added benefit that each item is easily seen.
A great tip for shoe storage is to buy extra shelves and put them closer together for trainers, flats and thongs. The two shelves very close together in the picture above on the left pull out and hold sunglasses and other chunky accessories.
For this project, Ikea's Pax wardrobe system with Bergsbo doors were used for the tall cabinets. In the make-up station, Bunnings Practa cube storage units were used above and below the work surface. The wood for the desk, shelves and make-up station was from Bunnings.
The client is very happy with the end result and now loves to get ready in her beautiful, highly functional room. Get in touch today so we can help you achieve the same outcome for your space.
The dog pictured is not available for other projects. :)
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