Your little bedroom in the apartment more resembles a jail cell than a snugcorner? I understand, yeah. I have had the experience of living in places so small that you had to plan where you were going to open your closet door and let me tell you that size is not synonymous with sad.
I have spent years playing around with making microscopic bedrooms work (and a couple of decorating fiascos), so I think I have figured out that key to living small. The seven tips will turn your small living area to somewhere which does not feel like you are camping inside a house all the time.
Embrace Vertical Storage Like Your Life Depends on It
The biggest benefit of a small bedroom that no one will tell you? Your walls are less far apart and this is why vertical storage is so close at hand. This is a lesson that I had to learn the hard way after spending months tripping over stuff that I had no place whatsoever to leave.
Wall shelves are your only hope, the trick is here though- go higher than you feel you need, go high. In my last apartment I made floater shelves about eighteen inches below the ceiling, and all of a sudden was storage I never knew I had. Books, pretty boxes, and seasonal items had a place and did not crowd my already small area on the floor.
Narrow furniture, which is tall, is preferable as compared to low and wide furniture in small rooms. That lumpy dresser of yours? It is likely taking away precious real estate. Replace it with a tall chest of drawers that goes to the ceiling, rather than spread all over your floor.
Don not forget about over-the-door space. I added a mini-shelf with things that I do not use extensively and guests have always told me that the mini shelf looks so smart. But often the most apparent spaces are the spaces that we do not see.
Over-the-Door Solutions That Actually Work
Organizers that hang on the back of doors are no longer necessary only in a dorm room. The present-day models are able to store such things as jewellery, scarves to additional bedding without appearing college bedlam.
I came across such a beautiful fabric organizer, which hangs in my bedroom on the bedroom door, and can be attached with all my accessories. It leaves everything transparent and within reach and allows other necessities to occupy the drawers.
Master the Art of Light Colors (But Not Boring Colors)
People will advise you to paint small areas white but really? Bedrooms dyed fully in white may be clinical and dull. The trick however is strategic use of light colors along with infusion of personality.
Neutrals can be soft and warm and do not leave the impression of dullness even though they make the spaces look very large. I painted that little bedroom all a beautiful warm gray shifting according to the daylight. It is a roomy place, yet with character, which nothing white would ever attain.
Light does not imply without color. Soft greens, pale blues, or low-key lavenders will allow your area to appear to be more spacious and offer character to your place. The trick is not to take any light shade but the more white you add in your colors the better.
The color of your ceilings is important than you imagine. Having your walls and ceiling and the same light hue does away with light interruptions that create claustrophobic spaces. It is a trick in itself which produces the effect of height and continuity.
| Color Strategy | Effect | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Warm Neutrals | Cozy but spacious feeling | Year-round comfort |
| Cool Light Colors | Fresh, airy atmosphere | Rooms with good natural light |
Choose Furniture That Earns Its Keep
In a small bedroom, a piece of furniture has to pay off. When it has but a single use to which it is intended to be applied it is likely not to be doing its full share.
Storage ottomans can be used as sitting places, footstool, and storage containers. I store extra pillows and blankets in mine, and it now has proven to be the most convenient item in my bedroom. And it provides me with a place to sit as I dress up which is somewhere beyond squatting on my bed.
Drawer/shelf nightstands smack flat-top tables all the time. This is storage that you require, and by opting nightstands that give it to you, you are not compromising form over function.
The foot of the bed brings with it its own successes since a bench there has many uses in case you select well. Get ones with storage inside, or hooks at least beneath the shelves. I use mine as back up pillows in the daytime and as a surface to place clothes I am going to wear in the morning.
The Platform Bed Revolution
The built in storage platform beds transformed my small bedroom scenario. As opposed to the total loss of space that would come with a regular bed frame, you have actual drawers and compartments.
Yes they come at a higher cost but consider the cost you would incur on buying individual storage solutions. Mine paid itself off in about a year and I adore not rolling around on the floor getting things I had shoved under the bed.
Strategic Mirror Placement Changes Everything
Mirrors now aren t used to check your hair only they play the role of spatial manipulation. I do know that is dramatic, but I mean it on this one.
Hang a large mirror opposite to your window as a way to reflect natural light as well as outdoors. This immediately makes your room feel brighter and gives the same feeling of having one more window. I have done this in my present bedroom and every visitor to the room remarks how airy and light it is.
Mirrored closet doors may have a dated sound in them but they appear elegant and modern in their contemporary designs. Unless you have quite old-fashioned mirror inset doors, you can modernize them by adding decorative window film, or by properly illuminating them so they appear purposeful.
A combination of (smaller) mirrors can also be effective, just make them synchronized. There are three tiny round mirrors hanging in a cluster on one of the walls but they add a sense of visual and reflect light all through the room.
Lighting Layers Make Small Spaces Feel Intentional
Small bedrooms are cave-like with terrible lighting and unfortunately, the lighting in most apartments is dreadful. You must use several light sources in order to provide depth and atmosphere.
The mood is created with the help of ambient lighting. This might be a ceiling light, but in very small places I would use table lamps or wall-mounted sconces that don not take up that floor or table space.
Task lighting assists you in working in your premises. And reading lights (clip-ons, or illuminated pendant lights placed next to your bed) make your bedroom more habitable.
Accent lighting makes it friendly. Not all string lights are reserved to the college kids, the contemporary Edison bulb chains can appear quite elegant when designed with care.
Do not lean on the use of overhead lights. It is uncompromisingly ugly and causes even smaller spaces to seem even tighter. Reflect various light sources on top of one another instead, and you will be surprised to find how large your room can be.
Pendant Lights Save Surface Space
Hanging pendant light or pendant lights on your bedroom wall clear off nightstand space and give ideal reading lights too. There are plug-in models that do not require any electrical installation and this is very essential to the renters.
Last year I changed to pendant lights and the added nightstand space has been a game changer. I literally even have space to keep books, water and everything else that is necessitated without making it cluttered.
Declutter Ruthlessly (Yes, It Actually Matters)
Here’s the thing nobody wants to here: small spaces fill messy faster. That forgotten pile of clothes? Oh so basically it’s making your little bedroom even tinier.
There must be a place to keep everything. When you cannot instantly answer someone where a given item is supposed to be in your bedroom, you are likely to have an overcrowded bedroom. I have a monthly clean-up in which I clear away anything that does not serve a very definite purpose, or find a place.
Even visual clutter is equally bad as physical clutter. Decorative ornaments everywhere, frames that do not match or anything found on surfaces makes spaces too messy. Pick a couple of pieces that mean a lot to you and place it considerately instead of covering all surfaces.
The surface of your nightstand ought only to include necessities. A lamp, possibly a book and only a single piece of decor. All the rest must end up in drawers or whatever. I am aware of the temptation to make it a catch-all but do not give in.
The One-In, One-Out Rule
With each new thing that you introduce in your bedroom, another one requires to be taken out. This rules out build up and makes you think seriously as to whether new items are worth the space they are going to take.
I follow this rule for 2 years now, and it has allowed me to keep my small bedroom from turning into clutter and maintained some sense of peaceful. Also, I become more mindful about what I shop for to begin with.
Create Visual Height with Curtains and Lines
By placing curtains a little 2 inches or so closer to the ceiling rather than to the window frame, your ceiling will appear higher and your windows appear bigger. This is perhaps the simplest of tricks and techniques which make small bedrooms look like they have more seating space.
There is no vertical interruption with long flowing curtain panels that meet the floor that is used to attract our attention towards the sky. Floor length, even when your windows might be small gives them a greater size and a stylishness to them.
Vertical patterns or stripes on artwork, bedding or walls draw attention to height rather than themselves. My headboard is low and I have a tall and skinny piece of art above my headboard, which made my low ceiling look humongous.
Steer clear of horizontal lines which divide your walls or put your walls into half. Small rooms are made to feel more small by the presence of chair rails, heavily patterned wallpaper, or art arrangements that place an emphasis on width (thus making the room seem narrower).
Window Treatment Strategy
| Window Size | Best Curtain Approach | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Small Windows | Floor-length panels, ceiling-mounted | Creates illusion of larger windows |
| Large Windows | Light, flowing fabrics | Doesn’t overwhelm the space |
Smart Color Coordination Ties It All Together
The selection of your color palette has to be specific and restrained. Three colours at most – any extra hinders your little space from cohering as chaos instead of cohesion.
The bedroom is gray with one accent color (a beautiful dusty blue). Bedding, artwork, works of decor and everything works according to this scheme. It is serene and airy since there is nothing competing to get visual attention.
Your bedding is to set the context of your color scheme, not to supplant it. Select bland bedding and pop it with accent pillows, throws and artwork. This style will enable you to adjust the atmosphere of your room according to the seasons by using the change of smaller items.
At least three times within the room repeat your accent color. Perhaps, it is a half decorated pillow, some piece of art, and a small decor object. This repetition gives the eyes a flow and your space will appear well designed.
Metallic finishes are one more thing you should not discount. Be consistent with your metal in your room – use it all gold, all silver or all black. Combinations of metals, in a small area, appear sloppy and unorganised.
Well, small apartment bedrooms do have their problems, but they also make you get creative and necessitate that you make purposeful decisions. The fact is that, when you have a limited space, every choice is more important, which is rather rewarding than challenging to decorate the place.
Begin with the advice that fires you up the most, whether it is the long overdue hanging of the curtains in the right way or that storage ottoman that works. A little here and there goes such a long way in small spaces so you will notice a huge difference much quicker than when you have a large room.
Your tiny bedroom can be stylish, functional and comfy indeed. It only needs to be done in a slightly different way as compared to decorating bigger interiors. Go with the snug rather than battle against it and you could find that you like snug places much better than cavernous halls 🙂
Keep in mind that the purpose should not be to have your small bedroom appear as something it is not – to transform it into the best variant of what it is. And honestly? I have seen some of the prettiest bedrooms composed of little rooms in which everything has been thought out and idealized.