9 Brilliant Ways to Make a Twin Bed Bigger

Quality sleep is one of the most essential factors in everyday health, and sometimes, that can be not easy to achieve on a tiny twin bed you’ve clearly outgrown. Unfortunately, the space in your bedroom or the money in your bank might not allow an upgrade to a bigger bed. Luckily, there are minimal changes you can make to your bed or its surroundings to make it look and feel bigger. 

What are the 9 brilliant ways to make a twin bed bigger?  The following nine ways to make your Twin Bed Bigger:

1. Eliminate Bed Clutter
2. Reconsider a Headboard
3. Platform Bed Frame
4. Bed Extenders
5. Add Foot Bench
6. Loft Bed
7. Room Layout
8. Trundle Bed
9. Add a Twin To Your Twin

In this article, we have nine brilliant ways to make a twin bed bigger. If your twin bed is seeming rather small, but you’re not ready to size up, just keep reading. You’ll have your twin mattress feeling bigger in no time.

Eliminate Bed Clutter for More Space

There’s nothing wrong with adorning your bed with your favorite stuffed animals or nice decorative pillows that might have come with your comforter set, but when it’s time to sleep, these plushy bedfellows can feel like they’re suffocating you. 

Don’t let your precious sleep space be taken up by unnecessary objects that don’t need the room as much as you do. When you roll over in your sleep, you shouldn’t be rolling over your stuffed turtle, you should have all of that extra space for yourself.

Now, if you’re the type to need five pillows in order to sleep, try to dwindle that down to maybe two. Having too many pillows can take up space, especially at the head of the bed, and it could inadvertently cause you to scrunch down to the very edge of your mattress. 

Instead of having numerous pillows, maybe swap your comforter out for one that is puffier and will provide the same secure feeling without taking up nearly as much space. 

Another element to be conscious of is clutter that might be surrounding your bed. Do you have decorations hanging from your ceiling? Is your headrest also used for storage that might be spilling out? Do you have clothes hanging over the foot of your bed frame? 

All of these could add up and cause your bed to feel much smaller than it is because it is surrounded by objects. Clearing the space around your bed will help it feel more open.

Reconsider a Headboard That’s Encroaching on Your Sleep Space

Having a twin headboard is a fantastic way to make your twin bed seem bigger than it is. The added visual around the bed makes it seem larger, and it helps with keeping pillows on the bed and preventing you from knocking your head against the wall. 

However, some headboards could potentially be too large for a twin bed and take up more space at the head of the bed than intended.

If you look at the space where the mattress starts and the headboard ends, there could be a decent couple of inches that overlap; inches you might want to yourself. 

Headboards with headrests are notorious for this. If you love having a headrest for lounging purposes, maybe invest in a headrest where this element is built behind and underneath your mattress rather than overlapping it. 

A headboard with a headrest is a great way to extend your bed, especially if it is angled rather than standing straight up behind your mattress. 

If you don’t have any headboard at all, these are an optimal suggestion with the previous point about overlapping in mind. However, if you have a bulky headboard that more or less boxes your mattress in, you might want to swap it out for something more minimal. 

Invest in a Surrounding Platform Bed Frame

Bed frames are necessary to the structural integrity of a mattress, but frequently, the bed frame is just metal rods supporting the mattress or simple wooden borderlines lining the bottom. 

Platform bed frames are a fantastic modern invention that provides support and can help increase the size of your bed with surrounding sides. These built-in borders might serve as steps, armrests, a nightstand, or extended sleeping space. 

Typically, your mattress will nestle in the middle of the platform bed frame, which will then have wooden or upholstered borders around the entire mattress. For some platform bed frames, these borders are nearly flush with the mattress, which gives you more room to sprawl out throughout the night. 

Additionally, most platform bed frames sit relatively low to the ground since you typically don’t pair them with a box spring. As a result, your twin might appear larger than it really is because it isn’t perched two feet off the ground.

Overall, platform bed frames can be a fantastic way to add a couple of inches of space on each side of your tiny twin and potentially allow you to fit an additional person in bed when you previously couldn’t. 

Try Bed Extenders for a Quick Size Upgrade

If you’re trying to save a bit of money and don’t want to invest in a new headboard or other pricy materials, but you still want more space for your twin, bed extenders are an exceptional investment. 

These pieces of memory foam or extra mattress can turn a twin into a twin XL or slightly upgrade any mattress size. They are easy to place on or next to your mattress, and when they are paired with a bed bridge, you won’t even notice it’s there. 

One point to be conscious of when purchasing a bed extender is if it will fit into your bed frame. Some simple metal bed frames can extend or contract to fit a wide range of mattress sizes so that they would be the easiest frames for this transition. 

However, if you have a one-piece bed frame, it might not be possible to add the extender you want. 

If you don’t want to swap out your bed frame, there are some bed extenders that you can place between your mattress and the wall. 

These cushions will typically stick to either side and are often stacked, or something study is placed underneath them, so they don’t fall when you roll onto them in the middle of the night. 

You can also place these particular extender cushions at the head or the foot of the bed to make it longer if you are having difficulty sleeping on a twin because of your height. 

Add Length with a Foot Bench

Placing a bench at the foot of the bed is a common bedroom decoration for rooms designed with a modern aesthetic. 

If you can find a foot bench that is nearly flush with the level of your mattress, you can effectively extend the length of your bed, which is especially beneficial for taller individuals. This might solve another problem if your pet tends to sleep on your bed and take up space. Now, your furry friend can sleep on the bench at the foot of your bed rather than trying to squeeze in next to you. 

For the best results, look for an upholstered or cushioned foot bench that nearly blends in with your comforter. 

This way, neither you nor guests will really be able to tell where one starts and the other ends, especially if you lay the comforter over the bench. 

Additionally, a common feature of foot benches is the internal storage, so if you’re one of those individuals that like to clutter the bed, this will help by storing all those extra mattress decorations while simultaneously providing more legroom. 

Go for More Space Under the Bed with a Loft

One reason a twin bed might seem smaller than it is would be if you are using it for activities other than sleeping, such as a study space or a lounging area. 

Although beds are certainly comfortable for lounging, trying to sprawl out on a small twin with your laptop out and charging chords snaking the area and snacks laying around, it can seem like there’s never enough room. 

However, if you move these activities to a separate space and only use your bed for sleeping, you might find it to be more spacious than you remembered.

A great solution to this issue would be to get a loft bed frame for your twin. Many readers might want to leave these staples of a college dorm behind, but if you are in a small room with a small bed, these are the perfect way to create space and help your twin feel bigger. 

Try putting a desk or sofa under the loft for designated activities, and then when you’re done, you can finally crawl up into bed. Some lofts will even have extra space surrounding the mattress, similar to a platform bed frame that will extend your sleeping space. 

Many lofts will come with exceptional features such as stairs, ladders, storage, a built-in desk, a bookshelf, and even a built-in sofa. If you are looking to remodel your room as much as extending your twin mattress, this is an extremely cost-efficient option.

If you’re not ready to commit to adding a loft, or you don’t have the space, you can still add a little extra height to your twin bed. Risers are a great option for anyone that wants to add storage under their bed but don’t want to spend too much on a loft. 

With risers, you can get a few extra inches of height below your mattress. If you’re hoping to reduce clutter, risers can give you enough space for a few under-the-bed storage bins or even a drawer on wheels that can easily slide in and out. 

Use the Room Layout to Your Advantage

Sometimes elements of your room could even help you make your sleeping area bigger. It is common to place your bed in the center of the room to make it appear bigger, but sometimes finding space along the walls can be useful. 

For instance, if your bedroom has a built-in window alcove, push your bed against this area so at night you can reap the benefits of some extra space, and in the morning, you can scooch over and sit in your private alcove with a cup of coffee.

Granted, alcoves are not a common feature in the everyday bedroom, but most bedrooms have windows, so, similar to the foot bench tip, you could buy a window seat and use this space on any side of the mattress that would most benefit you. 

Most window seats are the size of a small sofa and have cushions or upholstery for comfort. Although this might be a pricy purchase, it can not only make your twin mattress bigger, but it can add a stylish personal touch to your bedroom. 

Another potential alternative would be to buy a headboard with a built-in alcove. Some headboards will have space that can surround the head of the bed along the perimeter is some form of shelving or storage.

 If you can find one of these that provides more space, it could effectively elongate your twin and make it a little more spacious. Or, if you have the headboard but there is a gap between the end of it and the beginning of your mattress, try using a bed extender cushion previously mentioned. 

Use a Trundle for Extra Room

Twin-sized mattress can be great if you live alone in a small space or you simply don’t share your bed that often with anyone or anything else. However, there might come an occasion where you need more space to fit another person. 

Whether your kid is having a sleepover with a friend…or you’re having a sleepover with a friend. The truth remains, a twin mattress is simply not big enough to fit two people, but a trundle can.

A trundle is a sort of bed frame with a feature pull out the second mattress that fits in a storage unit underneath the primary bed. 

When it is just you all alone, keep the trundle tucked away underneath unless you have a habit of rolling out of bed during the night. In that case, leave it out so it can comfortably catch your fall. Otherwise, when you have a guest over, pull out the trundle to reveal the second sleeping space.

Although trundles are a fantastic option for the occasional visitor, the biggest drawback is that they are stored and pulled out from underneath the original mattress. Therefore, it is never flush with the mattress above. 

There’s typically a few inches of height separation between the two mattresses, so if you are looking for a solution for you and your partner to always sleep next to each other all night, this might not be the best option. 

However, if you are a single parent in a one-bedroom apartment or you need a separate space for your kiddo when they have a nightmare, this is a great solution. 

Add a Twin to Your Twin

It’s a known fact that king- and queen-sized beds are typically double if not triple the price of a simple twin, but wouldn’t you love to have one for that cost-efficient price only a twin has? 

You can! If you can’t afford to buy a king- or queen-sized mattress, but you have the space for it, the best solution is to buy another twin-sized mattress and combine them into one. 

Remember the bed bridge we mentioned in the bed extension tip? These also work well for combining mattresses together into one. 

Some bed bridges can be placed down the crease between the mattresses, and as long as your bed frame is large enough to hold both mattresses together, no further support is needed. 

Other bed bridges will come with straps that will go around both mattresses and pull them together, so they are less likely to drift away from each other as the night goes on.

Since combining two twin mattresses together creates a king-sized bed, you are likely to need a new bed frame, but the combined cost of a simple bed frame, a bed bridge, and a second twin mattress will far outweigh the cost of a new king mattress and an accompanying bed frame. 

This option is exceptionally helpful for those transitioning from having the bed to themselves to sharing it with another. 

Final Thoughts

Trying to make a twin bed larger is certainly worth the challenge. Nothing beats quality sleep, and even though a twin mattress might suit some people’s lifestyles or bedroom space specifications, it can be difficult not to feel like you have to sleep flat on your back and stiff as a board in one. 

By mitigating bed clutter and potentially swapping out some of your old bedroom furniture, can increase the size of your twin mattress exponentially. 

Although most of these tips require purchasing new furniture or bed accessories, there are some changes you can make to the space surrounding your twin to make it feel larger. First, place your bed in the center of your room and removing the surrounding. 

Next, keep bedroom furniture to a minimum and try to use receding or hidden storage. Lastly, by adapting a minimalist room design along with the previous tips, the overall space will feel much more open, and you might find your mattress seems larger than it did before the makeover.