Interior of a small bedroom


45 Small Bedroom Decorating Ideas From Designers

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1

Pile Up Book on the floor

Nicholas Obeid

Stack up some coffee table books to use as a skinny side table. All you need to fit is a stylish nightlight and mood-setting candle, as shown in this small bedroom designed by Nicholas Obeid.

2

Opt for a Trundle

Ngoc Minh Ngo

Designer David Kaihoi transformed this one-bedroom apartment into a family home. This little trundle bed tucks right back under the bed when it isn't in use, "first thing in the morning," says Kaihoi. And they use that windowsill as a bedside table.

3

Duck Into Corners

paul raeside

A corner seating nook for lounging, reading, and chatting is a bonus in any bedroom, especially in a tiny one! Here, designer Andrew Flesher recovered a pair of vintage Ward Bennett Scissor chairs in a Marimekko print for a fun pop of color. The low silhouette makes them perfect for a sloped ceiling corner.

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4

Practice Restraint

Amelia Stanwix

Sometimes all it takes is a modern light fixture and offbeat paint color to perfect a small bedroom. An old bedside table, jute rug, and color-block linen bedding turn this bedroom into a moody, earthy sanctuary by Fiona Lynch.

5

Use Lucite

Nicole Franzen

Lucite is your best friend in small spaces. This bedroom in Kristin Fine's Connecticut farmhouse is another gorgeous example of simple but transformative styling. Fine opted for a lucite side table for a hint of modernity that doesn't make the room feel too cramped.

6

Build Narrow Custom Storage

Corinne Mathern Design

If you don't have a closet, but you do have a clothing collection, stay organized and polished with custom wall built-ins that store everything behind closed doors. In this bedroom design by Corinne Mathern, the built-ins provide extensive storage and accommodate the irregular ceiling structure. They're also less deep than your typical dresser and armoire—a win for small bedrooms.

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7

Squeeze In a Desk

Robert Peterson / Rustic White I

In a small bedroom, there is no wall space to spare, so don't be afraid to put your bed beneath the window. Vern Vip opted for bold curtains to ensure style and sleep-ins. A Cambria quartz desktop suits the sophisticated mood, but “doesn’t ever require resealing, reconditioning, or polishing,” says Yip. Plus, it doubles the bedroom's use-case as a home office.

8

Pay Attention to Scale

Heidi Caillier Design

Take note of this bedroom designed by Heidi Caillier, where great big windows and high ceilings are maxed out by hanging the long curtains all the way at the top. In a small bedroom, have fun with color, shape, and prints, but pay close attention to scale.

9

Repurpose an Unexpected "Room"

Leanne Ford Interiors

If you're looking for out-of-the-box ideas on how to carve out a small guest room out of basically nothing, look no further than this bedroom design by Leanne Ford Interiors. Contemporary striped linens match the beige-painted walls and the paper pendant brings adds just a touch of intrigue to this small sleeping nook, which looks like it was once a sunroom.

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10

Get Matchy-Matchy (Playfully)

Thijs de Leeuw/Space Content/Living Inside

This small room designed by Atelier ND is exploding with fun colors. The objective was to use a pretty floral wallpaper, but to dress it down with items that made it look bold and modern rather than precious and dainty. The electric orange blinds, dark green carpet, yellow side table, and purple plaid bedspread bring an edgy midcentury feel that gets the job done.

11

Or, Get Matchy-Matchy (Seriously)

Stephen Kent Johnson for Ashe Leandro

As far as high-impact decorating ideas go for small bedrooms, it doesn't get cooler than this: Ashe Leandro used the same print for the wallpaper (which extends up to the ceiling), curtains, bedding, and even the lampshade.

12

Paint Exposed Materials White

Stephen Kent Johnson

To center a headboard on the wall, designer Shawn Henderson closed up a decorative fireplace in this pint-sized but perfect NYC bedroom. A coat of white paint helps the exposed brick wall blend in and feel much less heavy.

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13

Opt for High-Contrast Colors

Brie Williams

Make it a jewel box bursting with colors and patterns. This striking red nailhead bed frame can be tame and paired with classic neutrals, or it can be dressed up with fun accessories and contrasting painting colors, as designer Ariene Bethea displays here.

14

Use All Available Surface Space

Fantastic Frank

One of the biggest challenges in a small bedroom is finding places to put all your stuff since the bed takes up most of the room. Be resourceful! Even a windowsill can provide extra storage space for decor, lighting, and other essentials when there's no room for an extra table.

15

Install Sconces

TREVOR TONDRO

This pint-sized bedroom designed by J. P. Horton is flexing a few small space design secrets. First, the sconces, which don't take up any surface space since they're wall mounted, and second, the side chair, which can be pulled up as a bedside table when need be.

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16

Use a Day Bed

House Beautiful

Add a daybed and watch your bedroom double in size. If you don't have a designated guest room, this could also come in handy in your family room or home office that pulls double-duty when friends are in town.

17

Lean a Mirror

Hecker Guthrie

Now here's a bedroom that knows how to set a mood. With plush velvet seating, dark wood paneled walls, and classic landscape photos, this bedroom designed by Hecker Guthrie is a beautiful blend of classic and modern style. To make the room feel larger, lean a modern mirror against the wall, as done here.

18

Ditch the Headboard

Kevin Scott

Less is more, particularly in a small bedroom. Despite a simple, soft color scheme and bare decorating approach in this minimalist bedroom by Studio DIAA no, it projects a strong sense of personal style and easy living. That's thanks to the polished materials and cohesive look.

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19

Embrace Coziness With Dark Wallpaper

Heidi Caillier Design

Heidi Caillier embraces the smaller size with inky grasscloth wallpaper. While any dark paint color could create a similar impact, the striated wallpaper brings even more texture—perfect for a cozy bedroom.

20

Section It Off

Fantastic Frank

Embrace the tininess of a space and make it extra intimate and cozy with a sheer curtain around the bed. Jazz up the walls with paint, artwork, or wallpaper to bring in personality without taking up space.

Hadley Mendelsohn

Senior Editor

Hadley Mendelsohn is House Beautiful's senior design editor and the co-host and executive producer of the podcast Dark House. When she's not busy writing about interiors, you can find her scouring vintage stores, reading, researching ghost stories, or stumbling about because she probably lost her glasses again. Along with interior design, she writes about everything from travel to entertainment, beauty, social issues, relationships, fashion, food, and on very special occasions, witches, ghosts, and other Halloween haunts. Her work has also been published in MyDomaine, Who What Wear, Man Repeller, Matches Fashion, Byrdie, and more.  

27 Small Bedroom Decorating Ideas To Fall In Love With

L: John Lewis & Partners, R: Farrow & Ball

Decorating a small bedroom can often be a challenge as you try to balance style with functionality: creating a beautiful and well-designed space that's free of clutter and conducive to relaxation, all whilst working within diminutive proportions. Small bedrooms usually require extra consideration and a clever approach to decorating to be successful.

We've gathered the most effective tips on how to utilise the small space you have – a clever use of colour to create the illusion of size, the right bedside tables and multifunctional beds to store away your essentials, quick tips on utilising every inch of wall space, and the design styles most conducive to small bedrooms.

Read on for 27 small bedroom ideas to fall in love with...

IKEA

1 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Hidden storage

When it comes to storage in a small bedroom, shelving and extra rails will always provide you with extra places to pop your belongings. 'Having a smaller bedroom doesn’t necessarily mean having fewer clothes. With clever storage compartments such as GIMSE, clothes can be sorted and stored away whilst keeping the room looking tidy,' explains Clotilde Passalacqua, Interior Design Leader from IKEA UK and Ireland. 'Make the most of the wardrobe space by using SLÄKTING storage compartments to organise clothes in an efficient and smart way.'

• Shop the look at IKEA

Farrow & Ball

2 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Make use of every corner

This lovely tucked-away bedroom may be small, but it's filled with character, colour and a personal lived-in touch. Make use of every corner by hanging reading lights above the bed or creating DIY-style bookshelves (here they are just placed on the side of the bed).

• Shop the look: Parma Gray No.27 at Farrow & Ball

READ MORE: 11 alcove ideas to help you maximise every inch of space

House Beautiful

3 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Add colour through accessories

Naturally, a white room will elevate space and brightness, so introduce colourful accents through accessories and furniture instead. This sweet design scheme relies on bright, chalky pastels to add colour without detracting from the airy and bright feel of the room.

• Shop the look: House Beautiful Maisy Ottoman Bed at Dreams

IKEA

4 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Shelving

Additional shelving in a smaller space is the best way to store extra books, magazines, plants and photo frames. This super-small bedroom has utilised a tiny return to layer some simple frames and artwork, creating a makeshift mini gallery wall.

• Shop the look at IKEA

Farrow & Ball

5 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: All-over colour

'To create the feeling of more space in a small room, stick to one single colour, this will help create more space as with no point of reference and no contrasts, you’re less aware of where things stop and start,' explains Charlotte Cosby, Head of Creative at Farrow & Ball.

'Dependent on light direction, smaller spaces are more successful with the introduction of darker colours such as Sulking Room Pink or Treron as this distracts the eye from the size. For those who are less comfortable with using a single colour, use complementary whites a few shades lighter than the wall colour to avoid bringing the ceiling lower such as Parma Gray and School House White. '

• Shop the look at Farrow & Ball.

Dunelm

6 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Airy boho hues

When decorating small bedrooms, one of the best ways to maximise space is to use light and fresh colours. Hues such as soft sorbet-pinks, greys or whites will help to ensure the room feels bigger. Boho styles lend themselves to small spaces owing to their sorbet colourways and an embrace of careful clutter.

• Shop the look at Dunelm

DFS

7 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Sofa beds

The ultimate solution for small bedrooms, and particularly handy if you live in a studio flat. Sofa beds have come on in leaps and bounds in terms of comfort and the variety of styles available. We're partial to our very own Darcy sofa bed at DFS in this contemporary pink velvet.

• Shop the look: House Beautiful Darcy Sofa Bed at DFS

IKEA

8 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Loft bed

The ideal solution if your small bedroom is short on floor space but generous in height – a loft bed can free up room for a sofa or a work-from-home desk area. These work especially well in tiny guest bedrooms. Select something light and airy, like this pale-toned pine loft bed from IKEA, with a slim and unobtrusive frame.

• Shop the look at IKEA

Jake Seal

9 of 27

Small bedroom ideas: Fitted wardrobes

Fitted wardrobes are a must in small spaces, especially if they are configurable, like the House Beautiful Realm Fitted Wardrobe at Homebase. These space-savers can wrap around corners, provide floor-to-ceiling storage and accommodate the most awkward configurations in a small bedroom.

• Shop the look: House Beautiful Realm Fitted Wardrobe at Homebase