50 Big Ideas for Your Small Bedroom
If you have a small bedroom, you’ll know the true meaning of “sleeping tight.” Perhaps your full-size mattress lends your bijou bedchambers the feel of a bouncy castle (or, more accurately, a padded cell). Or maybe that 12-inch crevice between the foot of your bed frame and your wall requires a posterior shimmy that would rival the cast of Cabaret. But having a diminutive dozing space needn’t be a nightmare, as far as interior design is concerned. “I strongly prefer small bedrooms to large ones,” ELLE DECOR A-List designer Michelle R. Smith insists. “[My young son] Bash refuses to sleep in his bedroom because ‘it’s too big.’”
Small bedrooms—much like other pint-size spaces like powder rooms—provide unique creative opportunities. In fact, “the busier the better,” Smith says. “If you have plain, crisp white walls, what differentiates it from a closet?” Instead, she suggests, create coziness via space-heightening striped wallpaper or an all-over floral. Smith also recommends sconces, in lieu of lamps, and leaving room for side tables, though a simple bracket shelf will do. After all, “you only need room for water and your phone.”
Studio apartments can be trickier, but, when it came to her showstopping one-room flat, ELLE DECOR A-List designer Jean Liu kept functionality in mind. “The daybed where I sleep happens to be one of the main seating areas when guests visit,” she tells us.
Still stuck? We’re here to help you live large with 50 small bedroom ideas from the ELLE DECOR archive that create the illusion of loftiness, distract from clutter, or are just plain dreamy. No matter what strategy you choose, you’ll be putting the beauty in beauty rest in no time!
Get Smart with Space
Interior designer Peter Dunham’s Paris pied-à-terre may clock in at a mere 300 square feet, but that didn’t mean he skimped on style. In the bedroom, the ELLE DECOR A-Lister simply got smart with space, opting for floating sconces, a towering hammered-copper headboard, and a diminutive bedside table that can stash bedtime reading material. “It’s my Airstream in the sky in Paris,” Dunham told us.
Let Your Coverlet Lead
If your budget is tight, consider shelling out for one investment piece for your small bedroom, like a particularly fabulous bedspread or coverlet. Here, ELLE DECOR A-List designer Andre Mellone selected a checkered one with matching pillows, a choice that works with the rest of the room’s moody palette, creating the feeling of being tucked away in a cozy cave with nature just in view.
Hang a Tapestry
Lacking the DIY skills to install wallpaper? Too timid for a bold color? A tapestry might be the small-bedroom solution for you. Simply hang one behind your bed to give the combined sense of an expanded headboard and a richly textured chic mural. Here, in his own private manor house, ELLE DECOR A-List Titan Robert Couturier shows us how it’s done.
Paint Your Ceiling White
Gallerist Valentin Goux tells us he doesn’t “do white walls,” but he certainly made a white ceiling work in his Paris bedroom. Here, the bright ceiling not only works to visually lift the small sleeping quarters, but it also—thanks to a subtle sheen—helps reflect light that pours in from the two gorgeous windows.
Install a Canopy
Limited space doesn’t mean you can’t sleep like a queen. Take a look at this bedroom in an exuberant Aspen home designed by ELLE DECOR A-Lister Patrick Mele as proof. Here, the designer installed a whimsical butterfly-print canopy above the bed. The structure doesn’t occupy an ounce of additional square footage and has the delightful effect of creating a “room-within-a-room.” Does this mean we can call our apartment a two-bedroom?
Play with Your Bed Frame
If a fabric canopy isn’t quite your vibe, consider choosing a bed frame that adds architectural interest instead. Designer Sam Sacks kept this Toronto bedroom crisp and white to let the custom four-poster bed be the hero element in the space.
Stack Your Accessories
This boho-chic room, designed by Schuyler Samperton, has many tricks up its sleeve. Striped wallpaper adds height, while a largely blue color palette keeps the look cozy. Samperton also made sure the accessories were stacked vertically (take a look at that well-styled nightstand!), a move that works with the upward lines of the wallpaper and headboard.
Use a Striped Wallpaper
Vertical stripes, whether you’re choosing a shirt or decorating a room, create the illusion of height. In a guest bedroom in her own New Orleans home, designer Michelle R. Smith covered the walls in a classic blue stripe by Lewis & Wood. A plush blue velvet quilt and charming vintage artworks lend the space a cozy storybook quality.
Try an All-Over Pattern
You might think a maximalist pattern would overpower the quaintest of quarters, but it actually—like a mirror—conceals where the walls start and end. We are particularly obsessed with this wild cheetah-print look, courtesy designer Lori Deeds. Bruschwig & Fil’s classic Les Touches pattern adds Palm Beach glamour that is surprisingly neutral.
Pick Pretty Sconces
Elegance is the name of the game in Lindsay Stall Falconer’s pretty New York City bedroom. In addition to the elevated palette of gray, blush, white, and gold in classic fabrics, she lifted the look with a pair of antique sconces.
Choose a Fun Headboard
Neutral mastermind Augusta Hoffman added fun touches to her client’s bachelorette pad, including the trefoil-shaped headboard—a big move for a small space. We are also eyeing that mini floating nightstand, which saves space and adds lightness.
Pile on the Complementary Patterns
This Parisian house decorated by Eric Allart is centuries old—and has the quirky architecture to prove it. Allart gave this small garret bedroom plenty of personality with complementary block-printed fabrics in aqua hues.
Choose Deep Jewel Tones
Your bedroom may feel like a cave, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a chic cave. Take this enveloping bedroom designed by Le Whit. The designers painted the walls in Sherwin-Williams’s Naval and upholstered the bed in a wine-colored Zak+Fox fabric—deep hues that spell deep slumber.
Pitch a Tent
We’re here for some glamping—especially when the tent is designed by Veere Grenney. In this London townhouse, the decorator swaddled a combined dressing room and nap quarters in a striped fabric by Le Gracieux, creating height while leaving a sleeper wrapped in style.
Make Your Headboard Work
If the only thing your bedroom can fit is, well, a bed, make your headboard work for you. We love this vibrant idea in the Los Angeles home of Mara Brock Akil, designed by Tiffany Howell. This custom blue velvet bed is tricked out with a nightstand, lighting, and plenty of ’70s glamour.
Embrace Pared-Back Pretty
Star Mexican chef Elena Reygadas has a small sleeping space, sure, but her home is blessed with sky-high ceilings and tons of light. The pale blue Chippendale bed, an heirloom from Reygadas’s grandmother, adds a sense of vintage romance without being over the top.
Pile Your Pillows
When space is at a premium, be sure to make the most of your bed itself. Here, in a perfectly situated Rome apartment, design duo Alvisi Kirimoto piled an antique bed with pillows by Vox Populi. A space-saving, squiggly-legged nightstand by Maarten Baas provides extra punch.
Frame It Out
When it comes to your sleeping quarters, why not create a room-within-a-room with a striking four-poster bed? We love the barley twist version that designer Tatyana Miron Ahlers sourced for her chic Manhattan pad.
Nestle in a Nook
As we’ve reported earlier, built-in beds are having a moment. And, with their integrated storage, these cute compartments make the perfect space-savers too. Filmmaker Dorothy Berwin tapped Sandra Arndt of Studio AKTE to create this adorable custom children’s nook in her swank Manhattan home.
Find Space Where You Can
Sure, you might have a tiny bedroom, but is your footprint as small as this lighthouse? Rather than fight the quirky building’s tight geometries, designer Sally Mackereth found space where it was available and tucked one bedroom beneath a winding spiral staircase. Dare we say the look is shipshape?
Work Your Angles
An attic space needn’t feel dreary, as shown in this cozy Connecticut Colonial overhauled by Ryan Lawson. The designer tucked the bed below the slanted ceiling; he also assembled a group of lush plants at the lowest point to help avoid clunks on the noggin.
Craft a Creative Headboard
This bed, custom designed by Cochineal, might have one of our favorite headboards of all time. It brings a fresh, wavy look to this Manhattan bedroom—and directs your eye to the window to boot.
Curate Your Own Gallery
This pint-sized bungalow in Palm Beach might be a mere 800 square feet, but that didn’t stop architect Lee F. Mindel from maximizing the bedroom’s small footprint. The all-white paint job creates the illusion of space, while a set of antique watercolors draws your eye up and around the room.
Find a Stand-Out Nightstand
If you have space for just one bedside table, make sure it’s stylish enough to earn its keep. We love this burled Art Deco–style piece in designer Augusta Hoffman’s apartment in Manhattan’s East Village.
Go Over the Top
No space for a soaring four-poster bed? No problem! Create a canopy by hanging a boho tapestry on the wall and ceiling, à la Jean-Louis Deniot in his family’s French seaside retreat. The mini custom nightstands complete the look.
Try a Daybed
When a full-sized mattress just won’t fit, opt for a smaller daybed. We love how landscape architect Thomas Woltz slotted this elegant antique alongside a window in his Virginia Victorian.
Go Wild
Sometimes, it’s best to embrace your treasures. William Cullum, a senior designer at Jayne Design Studio, certainly did in the tiny-but-mighty 500-square-foot studio apartment he shares with his partner. His maximalist design ethos? “If we love it, we make it work.”
Decorate Up
This happy twin bedroom in a Portuguese retreat designed by Jacques Grange is certainly cozy, but the decorator maximized space with not one but two shelves: one doubles as a nightstand above the bed, while the other displays whimsical flea-market finds at ceiling height.
Embrace the Dark Side
Contrary to popular belief, dark colors can make a small space appear larger. Colony’s Jean Lin used a deep, inky blue in this travel-inspired apartment.
Create Contrast
As the old saying goes, opposites attract. When tasked to design this apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Danielle Colding embraced her bold streak with an orange bed from Design Within Reach and offsetting blue accessories.
Go for Baroque
Just because your bedroom is small doesn’t mean it has to be boring. San Francisco–based designer Antonio Martins added an 18th-century Portuguese Bilros bed to this guest room in his home. While the intricate carved posts are eye-catching, the negative space of the canopy keeps the room from feeling claustrophobic.
Be Pretty and Pragmatic
To give a statement bed a practical edge, take a cue from Thomas Hamel, who flanked this Fortuny fabric–clad canopy with tall cabinets.
Install a Petite Perch
If you want to enjoy your small bedroom beyond those eight glorious sleeping hours, add a perch. For his room with a view in Milan, Dimorestudio’s Emiliano Salci placed this small chair in front of his bedroom’s casement window.
Layer Your Lighting
Up your small bedroom’s cozy factor with warm, layered lighting. In a Madrid bedroom, designer Isabel López-Quesada paired a reading sconce with a classic table lamp.
Make the Most of Monochrome
For a low-effort way to make a big impact, stick with a monochromatic color palette. In this apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Tom Scheerer used a soft blue throughout to make his clients feel as if they’re floating on cloud nine.
Get Creative With Your Ceilings
When decorating your small bedroom, it’s important to make the most of every available space—even your ceiling. In Srila Chatterjee and Mahesh Mathai’s Mumbai apartment, the couple punctuated the pitched ceilings of this attic guest room with artwork.
Embrace the Old
Give your small bedroom an otherworldly edge with some vintage pieces. In this Malibu hacienda, designer Steven Gambrel offset a 19th-century Spanish bed with an Annie Selke coverlet and a rug from J&D Oriental Rugs Co.
Incorporate Space-Saving Tricks
Consider the bedroom in this home on the coast of Uruguay the perfect blend of form and function. A dainty mosquito net hangs from a wall bracket that swings over a charmingly ornate bed—it’s a practical finishing touch for an all-white bedroom.
Mix and Match
Why settle for one pattern when you can enjoy a few? Designer Hubert Zandberg decked out this de Le Cuona–clad canopy bed with various patterns. The secret to this style move is sticking with a consistent color palette, as Zandberg did in this Tuscan villa.
Add Tiny Touches
As the old adage goes, the devil is in the details. The creative couple who lives in this Milan abode sprung for a bed frame with handblown glass finials for a subtle statement. Rounding out the room is a mohair blanket from South Africa as well as bedding and a lamp from Zara.
Get Creative With Curtains
Designer Alessandra Branca went for a Moroccan-inspired guest bedroom in a 1910s mansion in Chicago. Window coverings and bed curtains in a custom Bennison fabric add to the room's cocoon-like feel. The George IV bedside table features inlaid brass and mother-of-pearl, and the table lamp is late-19th-century English.
Add Oversized Art
Colorful, oversized artwork by Vik Muniz inject personality into a child's bedroom, featuring a bed by Meridiani with sheets by the Company Store. Delphine Krakoff, the designer of the space, finished the look with a soft pink cashmere throw from Williams Sonoma, and a side table by Pinto Guillemin Voisin for Ligne Roset.
Trick With Trompe L’Oeil
The trompe l’oeil striped tent—hand-painted by decorative artist Deborah Phillips—lends a contemporary edge to this Ken Fulk–designed guest room. Linens by Schweitzer and a photograph of model Cheryl Tiegs by Anne Collier enhance the design scheme.
Embrace Rustic Chic
To make his Connecticut attic bedroom feel luxe, designer Christian Siriano added several light fixtures throughout the space. A combination of white walls, whitewashed floors, and white bedding make for a cozy atmosphere.
Pile Your Pictures
From an eye-catching collection of paintings to an 18th-century Italian mirror, thoughtful accessories steal the show in this Greenwich Village bedroom. The bed, featuring antique French linens, is upholstered in a neutral striped fabric by Robert Kime. The side table is 18th-century English, the lantern is 19th-century Indian, and the walls are in Farrow & Ball’s Off-White.
Pick Vibrant Hues
In a prewar New York City apartment, a rich sapphire wall accentuates the expansiveness of a relatively small master. Osborne and Little’s butterfly pattern upholstery—seen on the lampshades and chair—inspired the bedroom’s overall color scheme. The custom headboard in a Schumacher fabric is flanked by hand-painted vintage Korean chests; the settee at the end of the bed is vintage and custom upholstered.
Try a Floating Bedside Table
In the master bedroom of this West Village apartment, the bed and side tables are custom designs, the walls are sheathed in a custom grass cloth by Work + Sea, and the sconces are by Jason Koharik.
Light it Up
In a Canadian lakehouse, the guest bedroom’s custom bed is by Sabrina Albanese Interiors, the bedside table is by Made Goods, the art is by David Edwards from Saatchi Art, and the light fixture is by Found Vintage.
Get VERY High
An incredibly tall canopy in gray linen with Samuel & Sons trim highlights the vertical space in the master bedroom of this renovated 400-square-foot East Village apartment. The coverlet is in a Miles Redd fabric for Schumacher, and the carpet is by Stark.
Embrace Eccentricities
The beam-ceilinged master bedroom of Amanda Seyfried’s rustic Catskills retreat includes a Restoration Hardware bed, a bench from Gilt, and a rug from ABC Carpet & Home. The pendant light is by &tradition, and the beadboard walls are painted in Ammonite by Farrow & Ball.
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