Robyn Repya, Contributing Writer

With the addition of televisions, desks and exercise equipment to bedrooms, there is a greater constraint on available space in the room.

There are many creative solutions to dealing with a lack of space. When planning your bedroom, it is important to maximize the space you have to deal with. Whether you just have a lot of stuff or your room is small, creative organizing will help to make the most of the room you have.

There are many ways to save space simply by the calculated positioning of your bed in the room.

"Think out of the box when trying to position your bed," said Kim Salmela, owner of Belle Époque in Minneapolis. She suggested doing away with the headboard and the footboard altogether in an effort to save room, while using other materials to create a headboard affect.

In a limited space, Salmela said one idea is to shift your bed lengthwise against a wall to create a daybed, thus allowing extra room for more furniture, like a coffee table or some chairs.

In a small space, prioritize the pieces of furniture for the room, suggests Carmen Bell, owner of Inside Story Interior Design in St. Paul, Minn. By deciding what's more important, whether it's a big impressive bed or a lot of space for storage, the room is better able to fit your specific needs.

For example, if you're a person who has a lot of books or videotapes that you wish to keep in your room, Bell said a good solution would be finding a bedside table that also serves as a bookshelf.

If extra shelves are not needed, but drawer space is, Bell said that using a small chest of drawers for a bedside table could also be a good solution. Using that specific piece of furniture as a table and either shelves or drawers to store things, the potential of the space is maximized.

Storage can also be accomplished, said Bell, by a large chest at the end of the bed, which could also serve as a place to sit with the simple addition of a cushion. Underneath he bed is also a storage place that should not be overlooked, could free up more space within the room for other things.

In addition, many people are using armoires to store not only clothes, but also their TV and VCR, which is a good idea, because when you're not watching the TV, you can shut the doors and hide it.

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