Skip to Content
a guest bedroom has striped wallpaper, a metal bed headboard and deep blue velvet bedcovering, vintage tables on each side hold vintage lamps with orange shades, a painting is above the headboardpinterest
William Jess Laird

These 90 Small Bedroom Ideas Offer Space and Style in Spades

These chic ideas are anything but snoozy.

By and

As many 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). But some designers don’t see having a diminutive dozing space as a negative. In fact, they embrace it. “I strongly prefer small bedrooms to large ones,” designer Michelle R. Smith insists. “[My young son] Bash refuses to sleep in his bedroom because ‘it’s too big.’”

For Smith, whose gorgeous New Orleans residence was featured on the cover of ELLE DECOR’s most recent Designers at Home issue, small bedrooms provide unique creative opportunities, much like a powder room. “The busier the better. If you have plain, crisp white walls, what differentiates it from a closet?” she points out, citing a pattern-happy guest bedroom in Chlöe Sevigny’s house as an all-time favorite inspiration. “Striped wallpaper creates height and adds to the cocoon effect. Floral wallpaper does the same. Sheer curtains (instead of lined or blackout) keep it airy.” 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.”

Want proof? Then explore the following 90 small bedroom ideas, plucked from the ELLE DECOR archive. 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.

1

Use a Striped Wallpaper

a guest bedroom has striped wallpaper, a metal bed headboard and deep blue velvet bedcovering, vintage tables on each side hold vintage lamps with orange shades, a painting is above the headboard
William Jess Laird

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.

2

Try an All-Over Pattern

kemble interiors palm beach villa
Nick Mele

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.

3

Pick Pretty Sconces

bedroom in whites and caramel tones with artwork over the bed and matching scones on either side
Manuel Rodríguez

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
4

Choose a Fun Headboard

house tour augusta hoffman
Tim Lenz

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.

5

Pile on the Complementary Patterns

bedroom with eaves and beamed ceiling and a blue pattern stamped walls and ceilings with a complementary green coverlet with similar shapes in gray on it and an upholstered headboard
Simon Upton

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.

6

Choose Deep Jewel Tones

le whit chelsea apartment
Nicole Franzen

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7

Pitch a Tent!

a tented dressing room has brown and white striped fabric walls and ceiling, built in closets, a blue fabric mahogany tub chair, a lamp on a small wood cabinet, a daybed, a patterned rug, and a star pendant
Simon Watson

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.

8

Make Your Headboard Work

mara brock akil elle decor
Kelly Marshall

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.

9

Embrace Pared-Back Pretty

elena reygadas elle decor
Maureen M. Evans

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
10

Pile Your Pillows

alvisi kirimoto  rome apartment elle decor
Serena Eller Vainicher

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.

11

Frame It Out

tatyana miron ahlers  interiors elle decor
Stephen Kent Johnson

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.

12

Nestle in a Nook

dorothy berwin house tour
Douglas Friedman

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13

Find Space Where You Can

primary bedroom
Chris Everard

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?

14

Work Your Angles

ryan lawson connecticut colonial
Stephen Kent Johnson

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.

15

Craft a Creative Headboard

cochineal jane street apartment
Joshua McHugh

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
16

Curate Your Own Gallery

primary bedroom
Michael Moran

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.

17

Find a Stand-Out Nightstand

augusta hoffman nyc condo
Kirsten Francis

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.

18

Go Over the Top

bed with upholstered headboard and decorative pillows, white bedspread with blue pompoms, nightstands with lamps on both sides, crocheted bed canopy, muted blue and white patterned wallpaper
Stephan Julliard

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
19

Try a Daybed

tucked into a curtained window nook is a fruitwood daybed with turned urn finials and decorative pillows, two antique chinese side tables each with a bronze lamp, and framed landscape paintings on facing walls
Jennifer Hughes

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.

20

Go Wild

living area with blue velvet sofa and silk pillows, a papier mache cocktail table and antique majolica side table, four poster bed with curtains and pillows covered in dries van noten dresses
Kirk Davis Swinehart

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.”

Headshot of Anna Fixsen
Anna Fixsen
Deputy Digital Editor

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 

Headshot of Kelsey Mulvey

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.

Watch Next
 
preview for ELLE Decor - T&C, EDC, VER, HBU
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Stylish Bedroom Ideas

prospect refuge studio wisconsin lake house

60 Stylish Kids’ Room Ideas

an all black bedroom with a dramatic light coming in from the window

25 Dark Bedrooms for a Restful Sleep

in a guest room is a bed with persimmon colored velvet headboard, bolster, and cover, a striped berber rug, a nightstand, a woven brass rocking chair, and abstract artwork, and a three armed pendant light

70 Modern Bedrooms You’ll Never Want to Leave

rech carstens home in johannsburg

Minimalist Bedrooms That Are Pretty and Practical

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Logo
youtube
facebook
instagram
pinterest
Hearst Home and Family Network - A Part of Hearst Digital Media

A Part of Hearst Digital Media

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

AboutPrivacy NoticeCA Notice at CollectionYour CA Privacy Rights/Shine the LightDAA Industry Opt OutTerms of UseSite Map