You may think designing a small bedroom space limits your choices, but all it takes is a few bedroom design ideas and a bit of creativity to get everything you need out of your small bedroom. Follow these tips to create a comfortable and functional bedroom, no matter how small.
1. Start with Color
Light-colored walls and rugs create an open, fresh feeling in a small space. Consider light greys and beiges when you think about color, not just white. In fact, if your bedroom doesn't have much natural light, white will actually make the room feel small and clinical.
After you settle on your base colors, keep the rest of your palette monochromatic. Choose accessories that are different shades of the same color to add texture and interest that won't be overwhelming in a small room.
2. Create a Focal Point
Directing the eye to a focal point within the bedroom design can distract from the size of your space. Your focal point can be a brightly patterned duvet, a dynamic piece of art, or a cluster of colorful accessories on a high shelf to draw the eye upward. The focal point is the only place where you should deviate from your monochromatic color palette.
3. Scale Your Furniture
Nothing will overcrowd a bedroom like a dresser or armoire that is too big for the room. Furniture with curves takes up valuable space, so keep your choices sleek with straight lines. If you need the storage space that large furniture provides, taller and shallower pieces are the right choice. Bonus: Tall dressers or cabinets also draw the eye up, which makes your room appear taller.
4. Create Illusions with Mirrors
A mirror is a small bedroom's best friend when it comes to making your room look bigger. Full-length mirrors on closet doors not only help you pick out your choicest outfit for the day, but the reflection makes your room seem larger, too. For a double-whammy effect, hang a mirror opposite a window to both reflect more light into your room and give the illusion of a bigger space.
5. Maximize Storage
Small bedrooms usually mean you already have limited storage. Choose bedroom furniture that is multifunctional to solve potential storage problems. A bed frame with drawers in the headboard or in the base is a simple solution, but you can also use a bedskirt to hide under-the-bed storage.
Walls also offer surprising space-saving solutions. Skip traditional bedroom sets and hang headboards on the wall, giving you a few more inches to work with. Floating shelves and nightstands free up valuable floor space. Leave the space underneath clear for an airy feeling, or place other furniture or decorative baskets and boxes underneath the shelves to maximize this now empty space.
If you need extra lighting, skip traditional lamps and go with wall sconces or other hanging lights. Lamps take up precious real estate on the floor or on top of dressers and nightstands. And if a TV is a must in your bedroom, mount it on the wall.
6. Downsize and Declutter
Trying to maximize storage in a small room is fruitless unless you take the time to downsize and declutter. A clean and well-organized room ensures your space won't look like it's bursting at the seams. Create a place for everything and put everything in its place.
Try grouping things that have a single similarity to create a sense of organization in an eclectic room. For example, grouping books by color or accessories by height will give your room an ultra-organized, polished feel that will still have heaps of personality.
Home Decor Specialist
Small living spaces have always been a part of Martha's life — eight siblings will do that to you. Being creative with small spaces isn't Martha's only creative skill. She writes and edits with verve and passion, plus she sews, knits, and embroiders more than a healthy human probably should.
