Decorating Tips for Small Bedrooms

These 81 Small Bedrooms Prove That You Can Dream Big While Living Small

These chic ideas are anything but snoozy.

As any small-space dwellers well know, sometimes there is nothing more literal than a bedroom: it’s a room with your bed in it, and little else. If you’re lucky, you’re able to wedge a nightstand in the 12-inch crevice between your mattress and the wall. Or maybe—since you are a grown adult, after all—you’ve upgraded to a bed bigger than a twin, a move that invariably gives your room, with its new wall-to-wall springiness, all the charm of a bouncy castle (or your very own padded cell).

There is hope, however: While we at ELLE DECOR are known for publishing sprawling villas and gracious estates, we’ve showcased plenty of small spaces in our day, a handful of which will undoubtedly give you some small bedroom ideas. These spaces will show you how to create the illusion of loftiness in spaces with a lack thereof; teach you how to draw the eye away from the cramped mess; or simply demonstrate how to embrace living in the closest of quarters. It all goes to show that you can indeed live small while dreaming big.

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.

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.

A Bold Bed

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.

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.

Sitting Pretty

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.

Anna Fixsen, Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, focuses on how to share the best of the design world through in-depth reportage and online storytelling. Prior to joining the staff, she has held positions at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record magazines. elledecor.com

Kelsey Mulvey is a freelance lifestyle journalist, who covers shopping and deals for Good Housekeeping, Women’s Health, and ELLE Decor, among others. Her hobbies include themed spinning classes, Netflix, and nachos.

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