A small bedroom can appear spacious with just a few design tricks.
Decorating a small bedroom can be a challenge. You want the room to be a warm and inviting refuge without feeling cramped. Yet, even in a seldom-used guest bedroom, you need functionality--a place to sleep; storage for clothing, shoes and bedding; a drawer for your book; and reading glasses. If the room is for a child or a teen, you may even need a desk for homework and a sitting area for kicking back with friends. How do you design it all in a 10-foot-square space?
Open Up with Light Colors
Dark colors play a visual trick on the eye, bringing the walls closer and making the bedroom seem even smaller. To make the room appear larger, use lighter colors like pale earth tones of similar intensities on the floor and walls. Select, for example, taupe or beige carpeting with lighter blues, greens or lavender on the walls---just keep colors in the middle range. Paint trim and moldings either the same or lighter colors. A white ceiling reflects light to open up the room even more. If you prefer bright, intense colors in your bedroom, use your favorites for furniture, accessories and accent decor.
The Mirror Trick
Mirrors have a functional as well as a design role in a small bedroom. Position a mirror near or adjacent to a window to trick the eye with an image of the outdoors. Also, because mirrors reflect light, they illuminate darker areas in the bedroom and make it look bigger. Large mirrors work well in small spaces. Also, you can include mirrored closet doors in your design.
Presto-Chango Furniture
Furniture should have multiple uses; for example, a platform bed with built-in drawers or a Murphy bed with a fold out workspace. If you are decorating a child's bedroom, use a loft bed with a desk or cozy seating area underneath. A bench with a hinged top provides a convenient place to sit as well as storage for extra pillows, blankets or even toys.
Small-Scale Furniture
When decorating a small bedroom, look for slender and open designs in your furnishings rather than solid, overstuffed pieces. Keep furniture to a minimum. Scandinavian and Danish styles with sleek lines work best.
Off the Floor
Allocate floor space reluctantly. Elevate whatever you can. For example, use small wall shelves stained or painted to coordinate with your bed in place of nightstands. Hang a small basket or two from the wall or ceiling for storage of colorful items like scarves, ties or bangles, turning your accessories into decor. Forgo floor lamps and hang track lighting in a style that complements your design theme.
Expand the Wardrobe
Small bedrooms tend to get messy when there isn't enough storage space. Even if you can't afford a fancy closet organizing system, you can add more storage to your closet with ready-to-use shelving or even inexpensive boards and brackets purchased at the hardware store. If you are lucky enough to have high ceilings, there may be unused space above the top shelf in your closet. Is there dead space between the bottom of your shirts and the floor? Add a shelf or buy tiered hangers. When the closet is used efficiently, you may need less drawer space in the bedroom.
Tags: small bedroom, lighter colors, your closet, your design
