7 Ways to Make a Small Bedroom Look Bigger and Work Better

Sometimes a small bedroom can feel more like a cave than a cozy refuge. If a space lacks natural light, smart storage and the right color palette, it can feel cramped and uncomfortable. But with the right techniques, even the smallest bedrooms can be much more functional and even look bigger.

Use these professional tips to turn a bedroom, office, storage room or attic into a comfy bedroom for friends, family — or you.

The perfect example. This little room has it all: The daybed (with extra storage underneath) almost makes the space look like a sitting room instead of a bedroom but doesn't take away from its cozy vibe. A wall-mounted nightstand and light fixture maximize every inch of floor space. A classic acrylic chair provides necessary seating but visually disappears.


1. Add built-in shelving. Shallow built-in shelving can help you gain storage and maintain floor space. Stick to shelving that's no more than 12 inches deep. The units here act as bedside tables, eliminating the need for extra furniture. Recessing the bed in the middle of the shelving prevents it from encroaching on much-needed floor space.

If you go with built-ins in your small bedroom, try taking them all the way to the ceiling to make the ceiling look higher. And paint the back wall a contrasting color to create layering and depth.


2. Let in natural light. While you should avoid blocking natural light in a small room, sometimes the only place that makes sense for a bed is right in front of the window. If that's the case, try a see-through headboard (like the one on this metal frame) to make the most of your sunlight.


3. Go for mirrored closet doors. Using a mirror to double your room's visual square footage is a trick that's been used for centuries. In small bedrooms this often means replacing your closet doors with mirrored ones. The effect tends to work best when you can take the mirrors from floor to ceiling and wall to wall.


4. Use a daybed. A daybed can help create the illusion that the room is more of a small sitting area, instead of a small bedroom that's been taken over by a bed. Daybeds often have storage built in underneath too — another bonus for a small room.


5. Paint the ceiling. Painting the ceiling the same hue as the walls can help to erase the shadow lines that visually define a space. A white ceiling against a darker wall immediately shrinks a space — your eye can sense the room's size right away. When the walls and ceiling are the same color, it's harder for your eye to tell where the room's parameters start and end, so the room looks larger.


6. Install pendants. Don't take up precious bedside table space with bulky lamps and oversize shades; install pendant lighting instead. Hanging pendant lights from the ceiling creates a focal point while providing task lighting on each side of the bed. Just remember to measure carefully and hang them low enough so you don't have to get out of bed to turn them off.


7. Put up wall shelves. A nightstand can take up a lot of floor space in a small bedroom, and using just one with a double- or queen-size bed means that someone won't have a spot for an alarm clock, phone or beverage. A wall shelf on one side of the bed — or on both — can give a small bedroom a more open feeling and extra floor space, while giving you all the room you need for nighttime essentials.

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