Of course, everybody would love to have a large bedroom with plenty of space for all the furniture they could possibly want. But the reality is that most people have to make some compromises when they buy a property, and that compromise is often on space. For example, you might have chosen your house because it's in the best neighbourhood for schools but had to make a compromise on space because of that.

But no matter how big your bedroom is, it's important to be able to work with what you've got. Here are four design improvements for a smaller bedroom.

You must have a sliding wardrobe. You might think of a sliding wardrobe as a feature typical of large, grand bedrooms because it is often viewed as a luxury item. But there is no reason why you can't inject some luxury into a small space, and sliding wardrobes will actually make your bedroom feel much larger because doors won't need to open out into an already cramped living area. Instead, when you slide open your wardrobe, you will have as much floor space as normal.

You must scale down your bed. In a small bedroom, the bed is almost always going to be where the eye is drawn to, and that is no problem at all, but pick a gigantic bed and the proportions of the room will be thrown completely off. Downsize from a king size to a queen size and you will find that the room looks much more spacious, and you'll have extra room for items like bed-side tables.

You must have under bed storage. Not only is the size of your bed important; its shape and structure could also make or break the success of your room. Some beds have panels all the way down that don't allow for anything to be stored underneath, but when you have a bedroom with limited space, this is a big no-no. Make sure that you can fit boxes underneath your bed so that the visible part of your room doesn't have to be cluttered.

You must create one focal point. When you have limited space in a room, you need to choose one focal point and stick with it. If you want it to be your bed, purchase a dramatic headstand or a couple of vibrant cushions. Otherwise, the focal point could be a piece of artwork hanging on the wall, a dramatic light fixture, or an antique ottoman.