10 Small Bedroom Ideas to Make Your Space Feel Bigger
Decorating tricks to make a small bedroom feel larger using quick, budget-friendly projects and decorating sources to get the designer look for less.
This post is sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart.
We’ve learned a thing or two about tiny bedroom ideas over the years. The bedrooms at our house aren’t spacious by any means.
Our own primary bedroom and oddly shaped guest bedroom were quite the challenges for deciding the right layout due to size constraints.
After Robert’s buddy from high school moved into a new house this summer, we decided to give him and his wife (Richard and Ashlee) a housewarming gift in the form of decorating their small primary bedroom.
Look at the difference! It turned out so much better than what was there before! (To be fair, the photography is better too, but you get the gist.)
The best part is we were able to make it happen on a small budget using decor and paint from Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart.
This one made me brainstorm all of the small bedroom ideas possible to make it feel larger than it actually was.
If you have the same predicament, hopefully these help you. (You can see how to make small rooms look bigger in the rest of the house too.)
10 Small Bedroom Ideas to Make Your Space Feel Bigger
Bedroom Art
Go large and vertical with art! Hanging art in a gallery style all the way up to the top of the wall naturally draws your eyes up to the ceiling to make the space seem bigger. Or choose one large piece of statement art to create the illusion of a larger room.
I created this gallery wall using mismatched gold wall frames and wood wall frames with vintage prints for a more collected look. The statement art beside the bed is an old discontinued piece we used to have in our dining room. It seemed perfect in here.
Bedroom Paint Colors
Opt for very light or very dark shades on walls. Generally, the paint color at the very top of a paint sample strip or the very bottom of a paint sample strip are your best bets. Stay away from mid-tones as they create the appearance of a smaller space.
Contrary to popular belief, very dark colors on walls in a bedroom can create the illusion of more space. Bonus: dark paint colors in bedrooms can even improve sleep! (I’ve never slept better since we painted our black bedroom walls.)
To keep the tight space between the bed and the dresser feeling open, I painted the old dresser with Better Homes & Gardens paint in the color Summer Fog.
Black Furniture Paint for Contrast
A little bit of black adds contrast and depth, so we painted the existing bed with Better Homes & Gardens paint in Obsidian. It went on so smooth! Not a single brush stroke to be seen!
Bedroom Mattress Height
One simple change that made a huge difference in creating the illusion of a larger bedroom was lowering the mattress. You can do this by swapping your traditional box spring with a 3 inch low profile box spring. If a bed sits up high in a small room, it can overwhelm the space.
Bedroom Rug
Incorporate a rug under the bed to define the room. In this bedroom’s case, a rug helped soften the space and add a little pattern for interest.
Bedroom Window Treatments
Go high and wide with curtain panels. Be sure to buy curtains long enough so that they just “kiss” the floor. I like to hang curtain rods just 2-3″ below the crown molding and extended about 12″ from either side of the window frame so that the entire window is visible when the curtains are pushed open.
It creates the illusion of larger windows, taller ceilings, and it lets more light in! I love the texture of these curtain panels.
Simple Bedding
Simple white bedding is your best friend to make a bedroom feel clean, bright, and inviting. I love the textured pattern on this chenille duvet set, and I added a little more texture with these gray fringe pillows and super soft throw blanket.
Bedroom Wall Mirror
Use a mirror to reflect light around the room, especially on walls opposite from a window. You can never go wrong with a classic round mirror sitting atop a wood dresser.
Bedroom Lighting
Candles and lamps make a cave-like bedroom feel more cozy. I painted these ceramic table lamps with antique brass spray paint to help add some warmth and create ambience. A few candles sprinkled around the room makes the room feel more intimate.
Indoor Plants for Bedroom
A few plants can go a long way to add life to a small room. So I incorporated a few including this pothos in this cute white planter. I used some simple eucalyptus stems in these vases I painted to add life to the dresser too.
I have a bad track record for keeping houseplants alive, but I’ve managed to discover over the years that the best indoor plants for bedrooms are…
- Snake Plants
- Pothos
- Philodendron
- Aloe Vera
- Spider Plant
- Rubber Plant
Declutter the Bedroom
Eliminate clutter as much as possible by having drop zones to keep items out of plain sight. I used a tray on the dresser top, a couple of small trinket bowls on the nightstands, and provided drawer space with these nightstands.
That’s it! This bedroom really came together SO well, and I think we knocked this one out in record time!
Do you have any other tricks for decorating a small bedroom? These are just what have worked for us, but I’m sure there are plenty more.
Bedroom Sources
- Bed Paint Color: Better Homes & Gardens Obsidian in satin
- Dresser Paint Color: Better Homes & Gardens Summer Fog in satin
- Wood Dresser
- White Wood Nightstands
- Table Lamps (I spray painted them brass)
- Curtains
- Duvet Set
- Sheets
- Throw Blanket
- Throw Pillows
- Round Mirror
- Candle
- Gold Picture Frames
- Wood Picture Frames
- Planter
- Small Trinket Bowl
More Bedroom Decor Ideas
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