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12 Ideas On How to Decorate a Small Bedroom

Add color, use space wisely.
12 Ideas On How to Decorate a Small Bedroom
Tom Greenspan
Updated 
December 21, 2022

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If you are a city dweller, you will understand the challenges of living with small bedrooms. It is worth saying a small bedroom is somewhat subjective. What seems like a small room to one person may seem palatial to another.

The size of your bed is going to dictate the space of your small bedroom and somewhat the color scheme you are able to use. However, this does not mean you can't create a bedroom that has color and ambiance.

This article will delve into the decorating principles of creating a small bedroom that reflects your personality and design style.

Let’s jump in and explore some design suggestions and more such as:

  • Living in the city.
  • Don't be afraid to use color.
  • Hang 'em high.
  • Tequila sunrise.

How do you decorate a small bedroom with simple things?

Urban living demands you live in a small space. It's just a fact of life as property prices are more expensive in cities and surrounding areas; every square foot you occupy has a higher value, equating to a smaller bedroom. How do you decorate a small bedroom with simple things?

Decorating a small bedroom can be challenging, or you can embrace the small bedroom concept and explore how to make the best of what you have.

Here are some tips on how you can decorate a small bedroom simply:

  • Accessories are a great way to introduce colors into your bedroom, and they may be pastels or bold colors, but it's a cool and cheap way of making a big statement on a budget.
  • Why not introduce a custom-made headboard made for horizontal timbers? The horizontal lines will emphasize the width of your bedroom. You could clad an accent wall with horizontals for an awesome rustic vibe.
  • Use your headboard to dramatic effect. Make it dimensionally proportional and use height for an appealing look.
  • Use mirrors to create the illusion the bedroom is more extensive than its dimensions. It works and also adds valuable daylight to a bedroom.
  • Large artwork could become the focal point diverting your eyes from the dimensions of the smaller bedroom.
  • Tackle the big issue, storage. You may need to ditch the wardrobe and use hanging rails, and you will gain a lot of visual space, and the area of the hanging rail is very convenient.
  • Are you looking to break away from conventional design? Hang a nightstand for the ceiling on some cool rope.

Let's get into it

1. Illusions of space

A terrific technique to make your bedroom look more extensive than its actual dimensions is to use mirrors to create the illusion of a larger bedroom. It's an old and tested design hack that works. Unfortunately, it is an illusion, and the only thing gained is visual gratification.

However, you will gain light through reflection, which can be essential for daylight and artificial lighting, making your bedroom feel bright and breezy.

Maximizing space in a small bedroom may be a key objective, so pushing the bed towards the window will create more floor space.

Clear clutter from small bedrooms. Creating illusions with mirrors is fun, but if your bedroom is cluttered, you may ask yourself what you have achieved. It doesn't look good in a reflection.

How to create this look?

Add more than one mirror if you wish, and you could have a mirror wall which would give the illusion your room is twice the size of its dimensions. Framed mirrors may restrict the effect slightly, so select your mirror wisely.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 2.

Hanging mirrors is easy. Make sure you have the correct wall fixing and not hanging the mirror on a screw or a masonry nail.

2. Use smart storage

The truth is some apartments are tiny, and you have to take what you have and turn it into a livable space that includes a bedroom, but with some thought, you can create a homely space that you can feel proud of.

Using storage to its full potential and thinking outside the box can mean having an awesome small bedroom or a small bedroom akin to a cell on Rickers island.

The ingenious use of these bookshelves as a storage unit and a space divider allows a level of separation and even privacy from the living area is a smart move. Separation in a small space to create a bedroom can be an enormous challenge.

White walls and string lights above the bed complete the separation and division of the two notional rooms.

How to create this look?

Maximize the potential of your space. Make space for a dividing unit, a bookshelf, or a screen, and it will make your small bedroom feel cozy and private. You will have a bed with the given dimensions, so start at this point and work forward.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 6.

Planning and taking accurate measurements is the key to making this small space into a small bedroom and living area. Storage will always be an issue in a small space, so be smart with storage options.

3. Add contemporary colors

Ok, you have a small bedroom, the bedroom being the optimal word, it's a bedroom, not a monastic cell! Your bedroom does not have to be white and clinical. Of course, white is fantastic for making a bedroom seem more significant, but add color and get with the times. You deserve better.

This small bedroom has an awesome vibe, a polka dot duvet cover, and a handsome dark gray bed throw with a plush bed box at the end of the bed. 

Contrasting cushions, this is the type of bedroom design you see in larger bedrooms, but it works supremely well in a small bedroom, so take heart, you can make your bedroom feel beautiful.

Remember storage is key to a small bedroom, so create it, so it fits in with the overall theme of the bedroom. The clever box storage unit rising up the wall, careful not to obscure any daylight from streaming into the bedroom.

How to create this look?

The room may seem clinical and small, but take the plunge and go for some dark bedding that will work in contrast with the white walls and ceiling. Making a small bedroom look homely and beautiful is not a crime, so make some decor decisions that fit your personality.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 4.

If the bed fits and you have space to walk around, you are ahead of the game even if the bedroom is small. You can buy bedding easily. Make sure you have contrasts, such as the red polka dots on the duvet cover.

4. Hang ‘em high

Hanging pictures high on a small bedroom wall is a masterclass in deceiving the eye. It is a busy small bedroom using design elements you should imitate. Hanging pictures high creates an illusion of high ceilings and space.

Similarly, drapes hanging from ceiling to floor with ample pleats make the bedroom feel more prominent as your eyes are drawn upwards to the top of the drapes.

Make the most of under-bed storage, it's often dead space gathering dust, but in a small bedroom, it's valuable storage space.

The decor of this small bedroom works due to the large windows and natural light entering the bedroom. However, wildly contrasting colors work in harmony to create an unusual eclectic bedroom.

How to create this look?

Hang your pictures high. They can be hung randomly or in a pattern, but the key is height starting a few inches down from the ceiling. Keep colors simple until you get a good feel for the proportions of the space.

Make the most of under-bed storage units; they will become your closest friend.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 7.

A lot is going on in this small bedroom to create illusions. Paintings hung high on walls, drapes from ceiling to floor, and a rug with stripes. It's a beautiful small bedroom.

5. Where would we be without Murphy?

Murphy beds have long been the go-to solution for small bedrooms, which can fold to reveal a decent living area for daytime use. 

Or the murphy bed can provide the best solution for storage for a small bedroom. Murphy bed design can be pretty elaborate and incorporate storage; this beautiful murphy bed is adorned in a boho style, which uses glorious purple and greens to create this stunningly beautiful small bedroom.

While the murphy bed is the star of this small bedroom, it is soon eclipsed by the beauty of the Boho styling. Styling a small bedroom may have the perception of being challenging. Still, with some flair and a Boho vibe, you can turn your small bedroom into a bohemian boudoir for the ultimate in tranquil relaxation.

How to create this look?

There are many murphy bed designs to fit your lifestyle and budget. Select a murphy bed with internal storage for convenience.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is an 8.

The sole purpose of the Murphy bed is to fold away and create space, but somehow, this bedroom seems too good to be folded away and only enjoyed through the evening into the night.

Boho styling takes a long time to achieve, and it's a lifestyle of collecting fabulous pieces to decorate your home. Use the above image for inspiration.

6. Tequila sunrise

The California beach vibe is an incredibly refreshing look for a small bedroom. It is an essential white ceiling and white walls with simple furnishings, but add some deep blues or other colors with depth, and your small bedroom transitions into a beautiful bedroom.

However, the bedroom looks fantastic. There is a dimension still needed, and that's storage; where can you store your clothes? 

Well, thankful bed benches rest at the foot of the bed and have functional storage, enough for the person with a summer beach lifestyle or a person transitioning from University into the world of commerce and industry.

The deep blue tie dye wall hanging is the perfect contrast for the white in the bedroom but also offers a remarkable contrast to the yellow wood tones of the door and the bed box.

A cute Morrocan-style lampshade and the small bedroom reaches a satisfying cohesive conclusion.

How to create this look?

In many ways, it is a California beach boy look. It is fantastic in a small bedroom or even an Airbnb where you want to create an incredible vibe on a budget. The blue tie dye wall hanging is the focal point, but storage is the issue hence the bed storage box at the base of the bed.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 5.

It's a simple but effective small bedroom. It's easy to recreate, as most of the decor is brilliant white emulsion paint. Tie and dye. Have a go yourself, and you may create a masterpiece.

7. Use corners

Tradition has you believing that you should be able to walk around your bed, it's a valid assumption, but it's not always the best idea, particularly in a small bedroom where space can be at a premium.

Small bedrooms have two things in common, the dimensions are limited, and they have corners. Make use of corners, push your mattress into a corner and make a Moroccan-style vibe for your bedroom, or imagine you are in a Bedouin caravan. 

It's an incredible look and is extremely inviting. Soft pillows and cushions with texture to add visual interest, shelves mounted above with faux candles delivering a beautiful shimmering warm glow of light.

Chocolate brown walls in a small bedroom! It's unheard of and could be considered interior designer heresy! However, it works marvelously in a small bedroom with optimized space for comfort.

How to create this look?

How easy and effective is this look in a small bedroom? You simply paint a dark accent wall like chocolate brown, add some budget-friendly shelves to the wall and slide your mattress into the corners of the walls.

Light bedding with some attractive pillows and a bed throw to complete this awe-inspiring small bedroom.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 6

Effective use of space in a small bedroom, there is some work to be done, like painting and erecting shelves, it's all easy and can be achieved on a tight budget.

8. Elegant headboard

Small bedrooms can be dull in design cues, yes, they are bright with white paint and the odd picture hanging on the wall, but for elegant designs, the small bedroom is missing a design trick.

Intricate headboards can become the focal point of the small bedroom, creating an incredible ambiance of elegance and glamor. Who would have thought a piece of carved wood could hugely impact a small bedroom?

Combined with white bedding and ruched pillows for visual pleasure, the bed could be out of the Taj Mahal with its exquisite headboard design.

Of course, some strategically placed foliage will elevate the bedroom further to the dizzy heights of being a master class in small bedroom design ideas.

How to create this look? 

Sumptuous bedding will be needed to complete the look of elegance in a small bedroom. You can buy this type of headboard online and have it delivered to your door in the next few days. The same goes for the faux foliage.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 4.

Fitting a headboard is easy, and placing a faux branch with foliage is a personal decision. A straightforward small bedroom to imitate.

9. Is white the only option for a small bedroom?

White makes a small bedroom look bigger, right? Not always, but for sure, it can make your small bedroom look as if you are devoid of inspiration and design ideas. White is an excellent color (actually, it's classed as a shade for all you pedantics), but when used in the correct proportions with other shades, it takes on a new lease of life and meaning.

Adding black to a small bedroom may seem like a faux pas, but the honest truth is it is an incredible look that brings class and sensuality to your petite Chambre. Pair back with dusty pinks to stamp your feminine personality on the small bedroom; the bedroom is a style statement.

It goes without saying you should only use a black accent wall and bedding with other color accents that can be vivid or subtle, like the pink in the image.

A crystal chandelier will complete the elegant small bedroom bringing it to a satisfactory conclusion.

How to create this look?

Use a black accent wall, usually the wall with the headboard placed against, and then fit black bedding. Use pink or vibrant colors, and black shows other colors spectacularly. If you opt for pink, you can use various shades if you wish to add more interest to the bedroom.

Use accessories like vases in white, when they have delicate flowers placed in them add beauty to the small bedroom.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 6.

It's not a complex look to achieve, and it's painting an accent wall black. Ensure the accent wall is prepared well, removing anomalies for the wall surface that could show through when painted black.

Black bedding and soft furnishings can be switched to your style criteria.

10. Just enough for the city

Kudos if you know the song. City living needs to be embraced, it is a great lifestyle, and it's where you will forge your career and earning potential, so acceptance and embracing the lifestyle are essentials for your sanity and survival.

Small spaces can be the coziest and most personal – whether inhabiting an inner-city apartment or embracing minimalist living in a new coastal or rural home. Every object has earned a unique role in a small bedroom space.

Making a small space your own personal haven is good fun if you are inspired. You can be creative and come up with fantastic designs or just add accessories like the beautiful pendant light hovering above the bed.

It can take time to create your ideal small bedroom because, as said, every item in your small bedroom has to earn its spot.

How to create this look?

Some small bedrooms are a constant work in progress where you add new items and discard others. Small bedrooms evolve into comfortable personal spaces. Add beautiful lighting, and use full drapes that provide warmth and elegance.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 5.

Being creative with a bedroom with these dimensions is going to take patience. Look for pieces of furniture or accessories as you browse online or visit Sunday flea markets to create an extraordinary bedroom.

11. Distinctly feminine

Who gets the smallest bedroom in the house? The kids. Having the smallest bedroom in the house as a kid is an exciting prospect, almost a rite of passage, so decorating the bedroom must precisely hit the design criteria.

If you have a daughter transitioning into her teens, then pink will be the first choice for color, and why not? It is awesome.  A dusty pink accent wall with some contemporary floating shelves to contain nicknacks and a matching chair for the desk, what's not to like?

Pink tones throughout the bedroom confirm the identity of the person who occupies this bedroom, gentle, feminine, and level-headed.

Ceiling to floor drapes with diaphanous voiles adds maturity to the bedroom, which will undoubtedly be appreciated. To complete the glory of the small bedroom, a beautiful ceiling light that will be the envy of friends for years to come.

How to create this look?

Think pastel shades of pink for the accent wall, then add pink accessories in deeper tones for contrasts, drapes, and voiles are important design cues for a young female. An elegant center light makes the perfect small bedroom.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 7.

Ensure you have suitable fixings for the shelves. Yikes, floating shelves! The fixing for some floating shelves leaves a lot to be desired, and you can see the shelves drooping after a short time.

12. One for the boys

This boy's small bedroom has a unique geometric triangle painted into the corner that makes the room intriguing. The deep ocean blue color replaces the headboard with its design ethic.

Painting one of the floating box shelves is inspirational and breaks the wall sufficiently for interest.

Light blue walls and a white ladder-style shelving system are the essence of a clean, crisp design for a boy's small bedroom.

How to create this look?

Head for navy blue; it's the perfect hue to replicate this bedroom. Add accents along the way to break the monotony of the blue bedspread. Mark out your geometric design and get painting.

How easy is this look to achieve? Working on a simple scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most complex level to accomplish, this bedroom is a 7.

Careful, mark out your triangle, and then painstakingly mask the triangle. Paint in layers, making sure each layer is dry before proceeding to the next layer; this way, you should not get paint bleeding through to the adjacent color.

Final thoughts

Decorating a small bedroom requires consideration. You will need to place your furniture, particularly your bed, in the room to grasp the proportions of the small bedroom.

There are many incredible small bedroom designs, and you can copy any of the above if it is your idea of a good design.

Small bedrooms on the very limits of your bed dimensions can be a work in progress, and you need to live somewhere first and assess how different items can earn a place in your small bedroom.