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Big Style for Small Bedrooms
Have a small bedroom? See how to mix and match colors and accessories for great warmth and interest
Houzz contributor & founder/ principal designer at KitchenLab | Rebekah Zaveloff Interiors. We're a Chicago based interiors firm specializing in kitchens & baths – the rooms which often begin as the focal point of many of the projects we design & manage. We create a link for our clients between the design process & the construction process which is often missing & we offer tailored interior design services for adjacent rooms or whole houses depending on the scope of the project. We love to mix styles and make our spaces feel like they "grew there" and were collected over time. We also offer e-decorating services through our company Design in a Bag.
Visit me at http://kitchenlabdesign.com http://designinabag.com
Our work has been featured in Kitchen and Bath Ideas Magazine, Dream Kitchens,...
Houzz contributor & founder/ principal designer at KitchenLab | Rebekah... More »
I'm into small these days. It might have something to do with the fact that I live in a 1,500-square-foot coach house, but I've always had a thing for small, intimate spaces. There's something about small rooms that force us to be so much more creative because there just aren't that many options.
Small bedrooms are often the toughest. Actually, I find bedrooms to be pretty tough in general. Maybe that's it's that I'm not a huge fan of matchy-matchy or symmetry and bedrooms with their formulaic twos of everything: two nightstands, two side lamps, two pillows, etc. They just seem to lend themselves to stiff and formal symmetry that lacks the soulfulness of other rooms. I'm on an inspiration mission for my own small bedroom, which is in some serious need of love and attention, so I've assembled a handful of bedrooms that solve these problems. Take a look!
Small bedrooms are often the toughest. Actually, I find bedrooms to be pretty tough in general. Maybe that's it's that I'm not a huge fan of matchy-matchy or symmetry and bedrooms with their formulaic twos of everything: two nightstands, two side lamps, two pillows, etc. They just seem to lend themselves to stiff and formal symmetry that lacks the soulfulness of other rooms. I'm on an inspiration mission for my own small bedroom, which is in some serious need of love and attention, so I've assembled a handful of bedrooms that solve these problems. Take a look!
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1. Casual, crisp black and white. I love the modern reading lamps and how they contrast with the chandelier and painting. There's a casual feeling about this room I like. This is a stay-in-bed-and-read-the-paper kind of bedroom.
A frequent challenge in designing a bedroom is the big blank space over the bed. Do you use a headboard? Art? One large piece or lots of smaller pieces? Skip art altogether and go for wallpaper? This room solves that dilemma with white trim and walls and a casual approach with the art. There doesn't even seem to be a headboard.
A frequent challenge in designing a bedroom is the big blank space over the bed. Do you use a headboard? Art? One large piece or lots of smaller pieces? Skip art altogether and go for wallpaper? This room solves that dilemma with white trim and walls and a casual approach with the art. There doesn't even seem to be a headboard.
2. Soothing monochromatic neutrals and mismatched furniture. The white bedroom is a classic, fail-safe option, but how do you keep a small white bedroom from feeling like a hospital room? I love the addition of antique brass accents to warm up this white bedroom, as well as the vintage nesting tables (which I doubt are matched on the other side of the bed).
The small ledge is another clever way to give the room some unexpected depth. Most people might think to do a shelf or a side table, but here you see both. The lamp, books, and mirror are arranged fill the space without seeming cluttered.
The small ledge is another clever way to give the room some unexpected depth. Most people might think to do a shelf or a side table, but here you see both. The lamp, books, and mirror are arranged fill the space without seeming cluttered.
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| Another white-on-white bedroom avoids the clinical look with layers of cream, brown and beige. The vintage side table with a bench underneath is an unexpected touch. The layering of colors in the bed linens avoid the feeling of a matching sheet set. And all the creams and whites seem to have a slightly different hue. |
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Here is a more minimal architectural space without heavy molding and details. A dark rich wall and single abstract painting over the bed make this bedroom work.
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3. The dramatic solitary headboard. Go for a sculptural and dramatic headboard and no artwork to compete with it. I love the drama of the black headboard and the more modern brass reading lamps.
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4. The architectural headboard + mirror. Here a tall, subtly shaped headboard is paired with a mirror to draw your eye up even more in this very vertical room. This room's scale is very irreverent: The narrow bed, tall headboard and large side table really work to add interest. Plus the two-tone wall is another detail that accentuates the verticality of this room. I love the architectural side lamp as well. It's subtle choice, but this space just wouldn't look the same with any other lamp.
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5. The architectural headboard + art. Here's a bedroom with bold color thrown in. A dark navy wall offsets the neutral architectural headboard, and bits of orange are thrown in with art and pillows which can be changed out to another accent color on a whim. I also love how this room uses the same elements of the previous one: a large side table and a very architectural lamp. In both cases, there's a window to the side. Of course, this isn't the case in all small bedrooms.
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6. Bed in front of the window dilemma. With many small bedrooms, you may be faced with the very basic question of where to put the bed. You may have only one window, or a room where the bed only fits if it's put in front of a window.
Fake it out with window panels on either side running all the way up to the ceiling, and leave the bed centered under a roman shade for privacy. The small side tables reveal there's just enough room to sneak by and get in bed, but the window panels make the room look much bigger than it is.
Fake it out with window panels on either side running all the way up to the ceiling, and leave the bed centered under a roman shade for privacy. The small side tables reveal there's just enough room to sneak by and get in bed, but the window panels make the room look much bigger than it is.
by Lauren Gries
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If you have room for just one side table, push the bed up against the wall and add a clip lamp to the headboard, but use the same tricks as shown in the previous picture. Run the window panels to the ceiling to accentuate the ceiling height, add a roman shade for privacy and texture, and add artwork to fill in the space to the right of the panels so that the back wall is filled visually. This cozy little room is big on style.
7. The wallpaper feature wall. If you're looking for a bit more oomph for your small bedroom, a single wall of patterned wallpaper behind your bed might just do the trick. Go minimal on the linens and glam it up a bit with a Murano-style chandelier, or something even more bold and colorful.
by Niche Interiors
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I love the gray-on-gray with the leaf wallpaper and the taller headboard. A few mismatched green accents are a nice touch. The modern lamp and table contrasting with the more organic and feminine wallpaper also add a nice tension.
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Fun, layered, bohemian and girly — this terrific little bedroom has a lot going on with the pink wallpaper layered with other patterns and textures. No boredom here! Don't be afraid to hang art on a wallpapered wall; just be thoughtful about the type and size. Here the gold frame blends nicely with the pink wallpaper.
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Thinking wallpaper is too much of a commitment? Add some picture molding behind your bed and wallpaper just inside. Even easier, create a panels of wallpaper, fabric, or tapestry to create a feature wall behind your bed.
Tell us! What do you love about your small bedroom?
More: 10 Great Ways to Dress Your Bed
Your Bedroom: Dark and Moody or Airy and Bright?
Browse: See thousands of bedroom designs
Tell us! What do you love about your small bedroom?
More: 10 Great Ways to Dress Your Bed
Your Bedroom: Dark and Moody or Airy and Bright?
Browse: See thousands of bedroom designs
Ideabook updated on Nov. 16, 2011.
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