Amanda Holden's maximalist guest bedroom uses this smart decorating trick to make it look bigger – it embraces the awkward angles of a dormer ceiling

As those of us blessed with a small bedroom know only too well, it takes every trick in the book to make a compact bedroom look bigger.

This is especially true if, like me, your bedroom is also a dormer bedroom that has a low, sloping ceiling to contend with.

Now, it's unlikely that celebrity Amanda Holden has any shortage of space in her £7 million Surrey mansion, *but* her latest Instagram guest bedroom reveal does demonstrate a clever dormer bedroom design trick.

In fact, interior experts say it's a small bedroom idea that can make any bijou bedroom look bigger, sloping walls or not.

'Dormer bedrooms often feature slanted ceilings, which can be tricky to wallpaper,' explains Caroline Woolmer, head of product design at home decor brand Lust Home. 'However, rather than shying away from the angles, embrace them. Amanda’s bold use of pattern drenching, with a striking print that extends from the walls to the ceiling, creates a sense of openness.'

'Amanda has carefully considered the architectural features of the dormer bedroom,' agrees Sarah McCann, product and trend expert at Voyage Maison. 'By extending the wallpaper to the ceiling, she draws the eye upward, which helps to elevate the room's focal point.'

So, when it comes to bedroom wallpaper ideas, it seems the key to decorating a dormer bedroom – or any other compact room – could be to treat the walls and ceiling as one.

Amanda used Cole & Son's 'Parterre' wallpaper to pattern drench her guest bedroom, and our design experts say there's plenty we can learn from her choice.

'Don't hesitate to embrace bold, large-scale designs when pattern-drenching walls and ceilings,' says Caroline Woolmer. 'This creates an immersive, dramatic effect, with the pattern flowing seamlessly across both surfaces.'

'Vertical patterns also create the illusion of height, elongating the room and balancing the space, especially if the angles are particularly steep.'

'Additionally, while dormer bedrooms are often cosy, they can often feel cramped if the wallpaper is too dark or overpowering,' continues Caroline Woolmer. 'Keep the room open and inviting by opting for lighter tones or simple patterns and shapes.'

'My top tip for successfully pattern drenching a space is if you are taking the print onto the ceiling, consider a non-directional print to avoid it looking upside down,' adds Caroline Aston, interior design executive at House of Hackney.

So, simple, vertical patterns, lighter tones, and a non-directional print. At £122 per roll, Amanda's Cole & Son wallpaper is definitely beyond my budget, but I've scoured the high street to find some alternatives that sum up our interior experts' design rules.

Shop alternative wallpapers

Do our experts have any other top tips for decorating a potentially awkward space, like a dormer bedroom?

'I would consider countering the print with block colour on pieces of furniture or accessories or use a complimentary paint on architectural features and doors,' says Caroline Aston.

In fact, this is another trick Amanda has employed in her guest bedroom reveal; using Farrow & Ball's 'Sulking Room Pink' paint on the wood panelling on the lower half of the room to ground the scheme.

'Amanda's addition of panelling cleverly breaks up the space,' explains Caroline Woolmer of Lust Home, 'balancing the bold pattern and preventing it from overwhelming the room.'

And although Amanda's statement chandelier – the Chiara Chandelier from Soho Home – may not be to all of our tastes (and most definitely not within my decorating budget!), it does demonstrate another clever design trick. 'Adding a striking lighting fixture... helps bring the space together and draw the eye upwards,' shares Sarah McCann.

All in all, it seems there's a lot we can learn from Amanda's latest Instagram reveal.