50 Small Bedroom Ideas to Make Your Space Feel Larger
Apartment bedroom sizes can vary and there’s a good chance you might end up with a small bedroom. While larger rooms feel open and luxurious, they also come with a hefty price. But don’t worry! Your small bedroom doesn’t have to feel that way. Here are 50 small bedroom ideas for making your space feel bigger.
1. Mind the blinds
Try to keep your blinds as close to the color of the wall as possible. Especially when they’re closed and not letting any light into the room, a different color of blinds can break up the room.
2. Hang mirrors
This is one of our favorite small bedroom ideas. Mirrors can create an illusion of a larger room by reflecting the surroundings and any light that enters the room. This doesn’t mean you need to have an entirely mirrored wall, but choose a big mirror to hang on the wall or go for a standalone mirror in a corner.
3. Use open shelving
Open shelves will eliminate some of the bulk caused by closed cabinets or bookcases. You might feel that it’s easier to hide your belongings in furniture with drawers and doors, but those pieces can close off the room and actually make it feel smaller. So if you’re using a bookcase or shelving unit, choose one without doors on it.
4. Opt for muted floor colors
If you’re in a small room, you want to avoid drawing attention to the floors. When choosing your floor colors, including rugs, try to stick with more muted, natural colors. Neutral browns or grays are a great choice since they’ll go with almost anything and they aren’t harsh on the eyes.
5. Storage baskets
We all have items that need storage but we don’t want to clutter things up or draw attention away from other intentional decors. Store all of your stuff in storage baskets placed on open shelves or underneath the bed or a chair. It’ll help you stay organized and keep your room tidy.
6. Try plant decor
Bringing in plants can help a room feel more natural and breezy since we associate them with being outdoors. Instead of choosing a tall vase to decorate the corner of your room, use a tall plant instead. Plus, you can use a pot that matches your room, which will only add to the beauty.
7. Use prints sparingly
Too many prints can make a room feel busy and crowded. If you’re really committed to prints and patterns, it’s okay to have a few here and there but use them for smaller elements. Instead of having a patterned bedspread, do a couple of patterned throw pillows. Or instead of having a printed wallpaper as an accent, choose a piece of wall art with a pattern.
8. Stick to solid colors
Use solid colors as much as possible and try not to break them up too much. Keep the walls all one solid color instead of trying to change them up with an accent wall. You can even stick to solid colors for the bed by using all the same colors for the bedspread, pillows and throw blankets.
9. Choose lighter colors
Lighter colors reflect more light, making the room feel larger and brighter. Darker colors, on the other hand, tend to make the room feel more closed-off. When using colors like black, navy or deep tones, use them for smaller accents, like picture frames and drawer pulls.
10. Try a monochromatic color palette
Using varying shades of the same color gives your room a cohesive feel and plays tricks on your eyes. Since you’re not forcing the eyes to bounce around the room looking at a bunch of different colors, it’s easier on them and the room’s colors will flow together quickly, giving it a larger feel.
11. Get rid of clutter
Less is always more with small bedroom ideas. If you have lots of stuff, it’s going to take up more space. So get rid of what you can — or at least put it into storage. While you don’t need to fully commit to minimalism, having less clutter will keep your room feeling breezy and open.
12. Utilize dual function furniture
Taking advantage of furniture that serves more than one purpose can save you lots of space while keeping your room clean and organized. And when things are clean and organized, the room looks and feels bigger. So use a storage bench or chair and find a bed frame with some type of built-in storage, whether it’s compartments in the headboard or drawers underneath.
13. Stay away from tall furniture
A tall canopy bed can feel really luxurious, but if you’re in a small room, it will seem like it takes up the whole room. Stick with furniture that’s lower to the ground so it leaves more open airspace above it.
14. Hang a bold light fixture
Since you’re limited on floor space, it’s time to take advantage of the ceiling! This small bedroom idea will help draw your attention upwards and help the room feel bigger. You don’t need to hang a full chandelier or anything overly grand. Using a modern, chic fixture can still draw attention without being too much for the room to handle.
15. Try clear acrylic pieces
If you can find it, use clear acrylic furniture. It’s still there and is functional, but will give the illusion that it’s not there. Some of the best acrylic pieces to use are a chair or a nightstand since these pieces aren’t very big — finding something as big as an acrylic bed frame could be a challenge.
16. Position furniture on walls
When thinking about design ideas for your small bedroom, you’ll want to avoid filling in the center of the room when possible. Position furniture up against walls to keep the center clean and open.
17. Make use of shelves
Since you probably don’t have loads of space for storage pieces like large dressers and extra tables, use shelves to store some of your smaller items. This will keep your floor clear of cluttering items while also drawing your attention to the walls.
18. Use vertical lines
Vertical lines can create an illusion of height, giving your room a feeling of being airier. You don’t need to paint vertical lines on the walls, but find pieces that are tall and not too bulky. Place things like a standalone lamp or a tall, thin mirror throughout the room as vertical decor.
19. Add a large rug
You might think that a smaller rug is better for a smaller room, but the opposite can actually be what you need. Putting a large rug on the floor that will fit underneath multiple pieces of furniture can make your floor more cohesive as it won’t create additional lines that break up the space.
20. Show furniture legs
It might be tempting to add a bed skirt or use a storage bench that goes to the floor, but you’ll want to avoid covering those furniture legs. Having open space underneath furniture will help the room layout flow, therefore making it feel bigger.
You can still use a storage bench or ottoman, but choose one with bare legs. And you can use a few storage bins underneath the bed still — just don’t completely hide the areas underneath furniture.
21. Steer clear of bulky furniture
Like tall furniture, bulky items take up more of the room and will make it feel smaller. That oversized armchair, comfy as it may be, might not fit in your bedroom. You want your room to feel cozy, but maybe not too cozy — you still want to have room to walk around the room!
22. Get rid of excessive linens
It’s okay to keep around a few decorative pillows and a throw blanket (maybe two), but don’t use too many of them. Your bed doesn’t need tons of pillows (we all know they’ll end up on the floor, anyway). And you’re not living in a tent in the Alaskan wilderness, so your chair only needs one blanket to cozy things up. Anything too excessive will overstuff the room.
23. Hang lights
Rather than only using floor or table lamps, hang lights from the ceiling to save on tabletop and floor space. Even if your room already has a main light fixture in place, you can add other hanging lights. A fun mini chandelier over your nightstand is a great small bedroom idea that will free up space without giving up the light.
24. Keep scale in mind
Sorry to break it to you, but a smaller room means you’ll need to use smaller furniture. We’d all love to have a massive king-sized bed, but it takes up lots of room, so you may need to downsize. When thinking about the best small bedroom ideas for your apartment, make sure you pick more petite pieces for your room so your furniture doesn’t look like you barely squeezed it all in there.
25. Ditch the curtains
The right curtains can often make a room look bigger, but when you’re working with a small bedroom, you may want to avoid them altogether. Stick with blinds if you can as curtains are just going to add one more thing to the room, which won’t help it look any bigger.
26. Don’t ignore the window sill
If you don’t have many other surfaces to place your decor, including small houseplants, remember you can use the window sill.
27. Focus on the ceiling
Directing attention upward will make your room look bigger, so make the ceiling a focal point. Try painting it a different color than the rest of the room or going for a statement light fixture to attract the eye. You could even use wallpaper with a simple pattern that will stand out without overtaking the room.
28. Add hooks
Hooks are a great form of storage for items that you can hang — like hats, jackets and bags. Adding hooks is easy and when they’re not in use, they won’t distract or take up extra space, like storage bins or dressers and cabinets.
29. Use the back of the door
Your door can be used to either hide things or add a little extra to the show. You can put hooks or hang storage compartments on it that will be hidden while the door is open. Or you can add a piece of art or mirror to the back of the door to enjoy when it’s closed. Either way, don’t overlook it for storage.
30. Choose strategic wall art
Wall art can make or break a room in some cases, especially when there’s not a huge wall space on which to hang it. Use one large piece of art instead of a series of smaller pieces to create one main focal point and give the appearance of greater depth in the room. Too many pieces on the wall will make the room feel congested.
31. Open the blinds
Letting in as much light as possible is key in making a room seem bigger, so don’t shut it out all the time! Even if you can only have them partially open so you can still maintain some privacy, it will make a world of difference.
32. Paint the trim white
When you have light trim that’s a different color than the rest of your walls, it creates depth in the room. And when you have a tiny room, you’ll want to go as light as possible with the trim, so go for white.
33. Stay organized
When everything has a place, the room won’t seem messy and overloaded with items. Make sure everything has a designated place and anything that doesn’t goes outside of the room.
34. Use larger decor
Instead of using a lot of tiny decor pieces, use only a few larger ones. Filling a nightstand with a handful of knick-knacks is much less effective than having one simple vase, for example. This will keep things clean and, if you haven’t picked it up by now, a clean room feels bigger than a messy one.
35. Color code
If you’re storing things out in the open, create structure by color-coding items. This keeps everything intentional instead of everything looking like it’s been shoved there while you were in a hurry. Structure will help the room look organized, clean and, yes—larger.
36. Only keep necessary furniture
Having an ottoman in your bedroom is nice, but it’s something that takes up space and probably doesn’t do much else. Keep only the pieces of furniture you need and will actually use on a daily basis. Your bedroom will look much larger if it only has a bed, nightstand and dresser in it, as opposed to those items plus a chair, ottoman and a storage cabinet.
37. Be careful of bed placement
Your bed is likely the biggest piece of furniture in your room, you’ll need to position it wisely. The best way to place it will be highly dependent on the layout of your bedroom and its size, so you might need to play around with it until you find the right fit.
38. Add shiny metallics
Metallics will reflect light and can make the room seem larger and brighter. This doesn’t mean to cover your wall in metallic art, but you can add a gold vase or shiny silver drawer pulls to your dresser.
39. Use sheer curtains
If you do decide to add curtains to your bedroom, avoid opaque fabrics that will close off the windows. Even when they’re not covering the window, opaque curtains can seem heavy and we don’t want heavy—we want light! Using sheer curtains will still let a little bit of light come through to brighten things up.
40. Don’t cram the shelves
Maintaining some open space on your shelves will create a feeling of organization. Leaving even a couple of inches between items on your shelves can go a long way in helping your room seem open.
41. Get rid of closet doors
Closet doors are nice for hiding clothing and shoes, but they also cramp the room a little. Getting rid of the doors on your closet may mean you need to keep your clothes more organized, however, you’ll be able to enjoy a seemingly larger room.
42. Utilize top and bottom trim
Many rooms will have trim along the floors installed, but they may not have it along the ceiling. Draw attention upwards by adding higher trim on the walls. Even if the trim is the same color as the walls, having a little bit of texture is enough to catch your eye and take it to the ceiling.
43. Make your bed
Ignoring your bed once you’ve slept in it is understandable seeing as you’re just going to sleep in it again in a matter of hours. But if your bed is a mess, it can throw off the vibe of the whole room. Keep your bed neat when you’re not sleeping in it. Making the bed takes only a few minutes and can make your room feel large and clean.
44. Use thin frames
When hanging or standing frames pictures and art in a small room, use frames that are thin. While a thick frame may match the painting and look cool by itself, it won’t do any favors for the room. Skinny frames can still look great, but won’t draw too much attention or appear to take up as much space.
45. Incorporate lighter fabrics
Big, chunky knitted blankets are warm, but they can make a room feel cozy and small. Stick with lighter, less bulky and heavy fabrics, like traditional linens and basic cottons. Avoid using lots of chunky knits and weighty fabrics like velvet, or if you want to use them, reserve them for smaller items like throw pillows.
46. Direct attention to the corners
Corners are points of depth, so draw attention to them to create distance throughout the room. Place tall pieces of decor in a couple of the corners, like a standing mirror or a lamp.
47. Hang art high
When hanging your art, keep it on the upper half of your wall to lift your gaze away from the floor. You don’t want to have your paintings touching the ceiling, but you do want them far enough off of the floor to give your room an illusion of taller walls.
48. Choose a statement piece
Decide on one piece in your room that will be the focal point. Maybe it’s a few bright throw pillows on the bed, a chic accent chair or a large piece of abstract art. Plan everything else around the piece and do as much as possible to not detract attention. Keep everything else more muted and simple so your eyes will focus on one thing instead of many.
49. Spread out light
If the light is unevenly distributed, your room will feel wonky and uneven. Balance out the light to make the room feel wider. Place lamps in opposing corners and make sure nothing is left in the darkness as darker colors close in the space and make it feel even smaller.
50. Try a murphy bed
If you’re someone that spends a lot of time hanging out in your bedroom and you don’t want it to feel cramped, consider getting a murphy bed. You can put your bed away when you want the extra floor space (and you don’t have to make your bed if you don’t want to).
Find the right ideas for your small bedroom
You likely won’t use all of the tips mentioned above and that’s OK! Using the right combination of small bedroom ideas will give you what you’re after and incorporating just a few of these tips can make a difference in a big way.
