Small bedrooms are uniquely difficult to design and decorate because of one essential piece of large furniture: the bed. However, just because you have a large bed in a small room, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your sense of style and, more importantly, sense of space. By following some simple bedroom design rules and color schemes, you’ll be amazed how quickly a room transforms.
Use Space-Saving Furniture
Not all small bedroom design ideas are optical illusions. Obviously, the less furniture that you have in your bedroom, the bigger it will look. A simple solution would be raising your bed with risers and then storing your clothes beneath. You can also purchase beds with built in storage beneath, like the bed pictured here. But, don’t stop there, get creative with the rest of your small room design ideas. Utilize folding desks and chairs and store them when you aren’t using them.
Avoid Excessive Furniture
You don’t always need two bedside tables, especially in a small room. This tip is relatively simple on paper, but somewhat harder in practice. It is always nice to have extra things to make your life easier, but if space is an issue, less furniture will make your room seem much bigger. By keeping the bed on the floor and using only one small table as the only piece of furniture, this small bedroom looks much bigger.
Get Creative
Instead of a full-size bed, try using a futon, which doubles as a couch during the day. If you really want to hide away, try installing a pullman bed. These will maximize floor space when you aren’t sleeping. If you are looking for some nice small bedroom design ideas for lounging that don’t take up floor space, try a hammock. Another great idea for small rooms with multiple children is the bunk bed—the ones pictured here even have built-in shelving.
Keep Low to The Ground
Stay away from tall chairs and tables in your small bedroom design, and definitely get rid of the high headboard. By keeping things low to the ground, you are creating more space above, which keeps the wall cleaner and ceiling seem higher. The bedroom pictured here has smaller ceiling, but by keeping the bed on the ground, it makes the bedroom look and feel much bigger.
Transparent Furniture
Try replacing your wooden desk with a glass table top. This takes up the same amount of space, but tricks the eye into feeling like it does not. Pair your desk with some acrylic or lucite chairs and you have a minimal visual impact work space that will help make your whole bedroom look bigger. This lucite chair and small desk combination do the trick for a small room.
Exposed Legs on Your Furniture
Similar to the bedroom design tip above, by exposing the legs on your furniture, you are creating the illusion of space and making the bedroom look bigger. The key to this one, however is to make sure to keep the area below your furniture clean and organized. Ditch the bed skirt and let the room breathe a bit, like in this little girl’s room. The long legs of the bedside table also help to exaggerate the sense of space.
Built-In Shelving Around Bedding
Building shelving around your bedding and recessing the bed a bit is a great small bedroom design idea. The shelving doubles as bedside table, saving space in that regard, but by having the bed recessed, it creates an illusion of depth in the wall, making the small room feel bigger.
Overall, a room will always feel larger if you keep it clean and organized. Experiment with different types of furniture, beds, and bedding. Rearrange the layout and build shelves to maximize the space of your room. A simple design with coordinating colors and patterns will not only make it more visually appealing, but also make your small bedroom room seem bigger.
