Home Layout Guides How To Maximize a Small Bedroom and Make It Look Bigger

How To Maximize a Small Bedroom and Make It Look Bigger

by Geraldine Orentas
How To Maximize a Small Bedroom

When you’re working with a small bedroom layout, you might think your options are limited. We’re here to show you some mind-blowing ideas that will help you organize a small bedroom and maximize it like never before. A quick warning, these tips break every small bedroom interior design rule you’ve read before. We do ask you to think outside-the-box if you want to maximize a small bedroom. But, we promise you, the result is one hundred percent worth it.

Think About Your Bed

Sofa Bed

Everyone wants to have a California King size bed, but can you have one in your current space? If you notice there’s barely enough walking room between the borders of your bed and your walls, it might be time to downsize. You can choose a sofa bed if you’re working with a studio apartment layout. A great option is the Everly Convertible Sofa from AllModern.

Murphy Bed

When it comes to thinking outside-the-box for your bed, we mean it. If your bedroom is tiny and you still need to find a way to fit in a study room or home office, then it might be time to install a Murphy bed. These beds pull out from the wall and provide full floor access when the bed is hidden in the wall.  Modern Murphy beds come with built-in foldable desks and storage space to help you de-clutter your space. Take this example, the Jordan Storage Murphy Bed from AllModern, it’s the perfect solution for a modern-style tiny room.

Perhaps you should consider a futon. A futon provides a bed and sofa in one. If you can allow yourself to downsize your bed, this will be an instant trick to maximize your space.

Reimagine Your Nightstand

Rolling Cart

The space between your bed and the walls is a valuable space that should be put to use. Instead of choosing a traditional nightstand with a drawer or two, reimagine what this furniture could look like. For example, consider adding a small rolling cart as your nightstand instead. We love the Bart 3-Tier Metal Rolling Cart from Wayfair, pictured above for a whimsical and feminine style.

Dresser

When we say reimagine your nightstand, we mean it. Another great example is to use a small dresser as your nightstand. It will give you extra space for storage, but it will also provide you with additional surface area to keep books, lamps, and other things you want to have by your bedside handy. To get this look, we love the Gemini 3-Drawer Dresser by West Elm, pictured above. Choosing a dresser as a nightstand is perfect for tiny bedrooms that won’t have space for a chunky chest in front of the bed. Plus, it will give you enough space to add baskets or storage cubes underneath to keep shoes or other items tucked away.

Take Advantage of Every Corner

Corner Bookcase

When you’re trying to organize a tiny bedroom, every inch of the room counts, corners are often left to add lamps or accent chairs, but that won’t help with organization. Maximize your space with a corner bookcase. Something like the Lynnfield Corner Bookcase by AllModern, pictured above, is precisely what we mean. You can also use floating shelves to achieve a similar style and have even more flexibility with positioning.

Corner Lader

Another popular choice that can help you bring other decor elements like plants, arts, and decorative accessories are corner ladder shelves. For example, the Carson Carrington Lado Free-Standing 5-Tier Corner Ladder Shelves from Overstock, pictured above, can help you achieve this look without taking much space. Plus, this is the perfect ladder to add beautiful plants that thrive from high spaces.

Break All the Rules You Know About Beds

Bedboard Frame

For some reason, people think storage beds are only for teenagers. However, with the right decor accessories and excellent organization skills, they can work for adult bedrooms. Take, for example, the Beadboard Storage Bed by Pottery Barn, pictured above. This all-in-one bed solution includes a storage room under and behind the bed. Just make sure to add other elements such as baskets and trays, to keep everything organized. Another great idea is to use storage cubes that resemble drawers to obtain that grown-up aesthetic you’re looking for.

Bookcase Storage Bed

Don’t get us wrong; you can still find a more grown-up look for these types of headboards. For example, this Margarito Bookcase Headboard from Wayfair gives you plenty of room to stock away books, extra pillowcases, and add some decorative elements. Plus, when you pair this headboard with a bed that has under-the-bed drawers, you’ll turn your bed into a maximizing furniture piece with enough storage space to keep your room clutter-free. Marie-Kondo will be proud of you.

Add Magic with Floating Accessories

Wall Lighting

When your floor space is limited, make things around you float — literally. When every inch of your room counts, you don’t need to add more clutter to your nightstands or corners. Instead of adding a chunky lamp to your bedside, use wall light fixtures like the Birchanger 1-Light Plug-In Armed Sconce from AllModern. You still get the accent light you need by your bed, without taking up space on your nightstand.

Wall Shell

The same goes for your walls. Use the vertical space you have all around you to hang everything you can. For example, the Batten Flat Wall Shell from Crate and Barrel instantly transforms your wall into a shelf. Use these types of shelves to hang clothes, create floating nightstands, and even add a desk next to your bed. The options are endless, and you can always switch and change the design to match your current organization needs.

Fake More Space

Bedroom Curtains

You can instantly make your room appear larger when you do a few tricks and tweaks to the windows. Replacing the dull window covers you have for long, tall, and beautiful light curtains will instantly give the illusion of a larger bedroom. When you have this illusion of higher ceilings, you can attract more natural light to the bedroom, and this, too, maximizes the space of your room without adding new furniture.

When shopping for maximizing bedroom curtains, go for ones with a flowy and almost ethereal aesthetic. We love these Carley Solid Blackout Thermal Grommet Curtains from Joss & Main, pictured above. The mix of a blackout fabric with a soft and translucent one upfront makes these perfect for tiny bedrooms since they won’t look too bulky. They’ll add texture, movement, and lightness to the room in a second.

Common Design Mistakes Making Your Room Look Smaller

It’s challenging to find the right balance to decor your small bedroom. The opposite ways to maximize a small bedroom are defaulting for design elements that work with traditional-sized bedrooms. After all, there are so many pieces that a traditional bedroom suppose to have, you expect to see the space to fit them into your tiny bedroom. However, you might be making some common mistakes that make your small bedroom look even tinier:

  • Having too much furniture
  • Mixing too many colors
  • Leaving too much clutter out
  • Choosing heavy curtains
  • Using area rugs that chop the space
  • Using busy wall decor elements
  • Using the wrong size of furniture
  • Choosing a bed that’s too big for the room

While it might seem obvious, these are common mistakes our designers see all the time. After all, everyone wants to have their office, reading nook, wall decor, king-size bed, and everything else that’s trending for bedrooms. However, not all of us have the luxury to have enough space to masterfully add all of these elements. So, if you want your bedroom to exude calm and serenity instead of chaos and stress, it might be time to downsize and reconsider your bedroom furniture.

Let’s Maximize Your Small Bedroom

When it comes to ways to maximize a small bedroom, the key is  -again – thinking outside the box and coming up with practical interior design ideas that maximize the area. Ready to make your tiny bedroom look bigger? Forget about sacrificing style over space and start a project today. Work with one of our online interior designers to come up with small bedroom decor ideas that use every inch of your room.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Interior Design Ideas For Your Next Project