To maximize space in a small bedroom, consider the following strategies:
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Use light colors for walls and decor to create an illusion of more space and brightness4.
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Prioritize functionality and choose versatile furniture pieces that serve multiple purposes3.
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Mind the scale of your furniture - avoid oversized items and opt for tall, space-saving pieces that draw the eye upward3.
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Utilize wall space effectively with wall-mounted storage solutions, floating shelves, or wall-mounted nightstands34.
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Invest in a storage bed or use under-bed storage containers to maximize hidden storage space3.
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Choose compact nightstands that offer storage without taking up much floor space3.
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For small workspaces, consider wall-mounted desks or leaning ladder desks that can be folded away when not in use3.
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Use mirrors strategically to create the illusion of more space and reflect light4.
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Adopt a minimalist approach to decor, ensuring each item has a purpose and complements your color palette4.
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Consider modular furniture units that can be customized to fit your space and storage needs4.
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Declutter regularly and rotate items in and out of your room to keep the space feeling fresh and organized1.
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Use vertical space efficiently with tall shelving units or stacked storage solutions1.
By implementing these ideas, you can create a functional, stylish, and spacious-feeling bedroom even in a small area. Remember to be intentional with every item you bring into the space and focus on creating a cohesive, uncluttered look.
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Author: Julie Khuu
Key insights
Maximize your small bedroom layout with creative solutions and personalized touches, no matter how small the square footage really is.
Utilize architectural features in your bedroom, like window sills or niches, as functional surfaces to maximize space and functionality.
Streamlined and modern window treatments can elevate the look of a small bedroom and add a cozy, rustic element with woven woods or bamboo.
Measuring your space is essential for designing your small bedroom layout effectively.
Placing nightstands on either side of your bed can help create a balanced and functional layout for a small bedroom.
Maximize your small bedroom layout by using multi-functional furniture like a dresser that can also be used as a vanity station for applying makeup.
Creating a DIY canopy with drapery rods and polka dot drapery can add style, functionality, and drama to a small bedroom layout.
Custom Roman blinds in the same fabric as the wallpaper can create a cohesive and stylish look for small bedrooms.
The homeowner created a wow statement by DIY-ing a board and batten focal wall behind the bed, using simple strips of wood and a beautiful off-white color.
Timestamped Summary
00:00 Maximize small bedroom layout with scale-appropriate furniture, tidy space, and essential items like a bed frame, consider soft headboard, upholstered bed frame, and possibly a day bed for relaxation and extra space, regardless of bed size.
02:40 Maximize small bedroom layout with functional surfaces like nightstands, utilize closet for multi-purposes, and focus on functional storage solutions.
04:40 Maximize your small bedroom layout with the right lighting, window treatments, and measurements for a cozy and functional space.
08:09 Sketch out room shape and utilize shared walls for closet space, position headboard against solid wall for stability, avoid coffin position, place bed away from window to block negative energy, and add nightstands if bed is centered on wall.
10:41 Scoot your bed to create more space, consider using a long dresser as a vanity station, and place the bed underneath the window with symmetrical nightstands in a small bedroom with limited space.
13:24 Maximize small bedroom layout by creating ideal space in front of the closet, placing essential furniture, and considering scale and proportion.
16:09 Maximize small bedroom layout with canopy, versatile seating, and finishing touches for a cozy and functional space, including a DIY board and batten wall, organic materials, matching nightstand, wall sconces, and dimmers for task lighting.
18:52 Layered window treatments can make a small bedroom feel bigger and brighter, while also creating a restful effect at night.
Video Full Text
00:00 Your bedroom isn't as small as you think contrary to popular belief. Your bedroom size is not the issue the scale of your furniture. How many pieces you have in the bedroom and how tidy or messy you are is the real issue when it comes to the look and feel of your bedroom hello everyone I'm Julie and in today's video we are talking about the best ways to maximize your small bedroom layout to make it a more functional inviting space for you to relax and unwind we'll be diving into bedroom. Essentials different room layouts and dissecting different case studies so you see all of the Creative Solutions people are coming up with and of course talk about all the fun ways that you can personalize your space. No matter how small that square footage really is let's Dive Right. In what does every bedroom need. Let's first start with the five bedroom Essentials that I feel like every single bedroom needs. The first is a bed frame. I know what you might be thinking your room is already tiny how are you going to fit a bed frame in there. But here is why I feel like you have to start with a very essential bed frame. The bed frame encompasses everything that you need for a good night's sleep. You have a soft cushioned headboard. You have a frame that wraps around the entire mattress. You're all tucked in. It's nice and cozy. If your style is a little bit more modern. I love an upholstered bed frame so that you don't need a bed skirt in order to hide all the contents that are under the bed a bed skirt is great but if you have simple metal rails that's acting as your bed frame that's fine if you don't have a fully upholstered bed frame. A headboard will suffice. According to the rules of function way. You should always have a headboard in place because you need some sort of solid support behind your bed. The solid support can't just be drywall okay. It needs to be something soft and cushiony. You can even DIY like a fabric headboard or even a piece of plywood that you wrap in batting and cushion hang it on the wall and just make it really soft and cushy. Do you tend to spend time in bed even if you're not sleeping or even preparing to sleep maybe a day bed is in order. It's really meant for you to relax. Lounge unwind and even sit propped up for you to do other things in bed other than sleeping. The great thing about implementing a day bed in the space is that you're going to create so much more space for other pieces of essential Furniture. The bad thing about having a dead bed in space is they're typically really small. It's usually like a twin size or a full size so you're not going to be able to sleep two people on the bed unless you like to be like really squished and cramped. If it's only you sleeping in your bedroom. I feel like a twin bed will totally suffice you can upgrade to a full bed which gives you a little bit more space. If you have a a king size or a cow king bed in the room congratulations your bedroom's not that small okay if you could fit a king or a cow king in there. It's actually larger than you think now that you have your bed and your bed frame.
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02:40 In order you need a functional surface. A functional surface can be anything from symmetrical nightstands to like a small little side table. Maybe even like an accent table. If you're lacking space you can even Mount like a little wall hung shelf right on the wall that's either adjacent to the bed or like next to the bed. The idea here is that you need a surface for you to kind of PL down the essentials that you need at night right you have your phone you might have a book you might have your Journal maybe reading glasses maybe chapstick so think about all those personal bedroom. Essentials you need to get a good night's rest or even to wake up on the right side of the bed in the morning is your bed located next to a deep window sill or even like a window ledge. If it is then you could possibly use that space or that Niche cutout as your functional surface instead of employing a nightstand so you always want to think about the conditions in bedroom and how you can optimize that and maximize it to its full functionality. So you can use these architectural features that's inherent in the bedroom for multi-purposes I live by a funu lifestyle. Funu loves symmetry in the bedroom. So for me I always try to install matching symmetrical nightstands in the bedroom as often as I can every bedroom needs storage if you have a closet in space. That's great. The closet could be used for a variety of items not just for your clothes. It can also become a makeshift desk situation for you. If you need a place to work or study. You could also use your closet to hide a television if you watch TV in your bedroom remember that closets don't need to be used just for clothes imagine having this extra square footage for you to mess around and really get creative with Solutions. Having a closet. That's built right into your bedroom is an absolute plus but it's also not necessary what's necessary is storage. There are so many ways for you to store your clothes and your personal items. You can Implement a dresser a high boy open shelving pretty. Much you want to take inventory of everything that you have what your needs are and then look for a functional storage solution that supports all of those needs.
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04:40 Next let's talk about lighting. I feel like every room whether or not it's a bedroom a common area space like a living room dining room all needs. General lighting General lighting is typically something that lights the entire expanse of the room if you don't have recess lighting or general overhead lighting a simple table lamp or even a floor lamp. May suffice if you work in the bedroom or if you have your computer equipment. In there you can also Implement a task lamp like a desk lamp that would serve its purpose just fine if you want to get really fancy and layer on all of that yummy. Lighting in the room you could also install wascon. There are so many rental-friendly solutions to add lighting into your space without the need for plugs or hard wiring. I love the idea of using rechargeable LED bulbs. I found so many on Amazon that I love I'll link for you in the description box below so don't be afraid if you don't have any plugs nearby or you don't want to hard wire any anything you're a renter. I think a really simple floor lamp or a table lamp that you can plug in should do and finally let's talk about window treatments. If you're lucky enough. You might have one window in the bedroom. That's going to give you all of that natural daylight in but what about nighttime what if you need privacy what if you have nosy neighbors that are peering. Through the Windows we do need some sort of window treatment to address the windows for shade for privacy for a diffusion of light. So my favorite types of window treatments are ones that are really stream streamlined and modern you can go out and buy pre-fabricated window shades that you can install right over your windows. Whether or not they're are the interior side of the casement or exterior on the frame. There are so many types of different window shades that are on the market you can look for something that's in linen or cotton if you kind of really love that purest. Organic Vibe you can also look for a non-woven shade that's really easy to clean and it's antimicrobial if you're looking to add a little bit more texture into your space. I love the look of woven Woods or bamboo. It kind of gives you that rustic Lux element that feels very cozy in a small space if you're looking to Jazz up your window treatments and elevate it. Even further I love to layer my window treatments. The first line of defense is always sheer panels. Sheer panels is like a Gauzy material. It diffuses a lot of natural light so not only does it cast like a really beautiful glow on the windows. But it also gives you a semi-private solution to window dressing if you don't want to layer on your windows with anything heavier. The second line of defense for window treatments is always blackouts for me. Typical blackout panels have a thermal quality to it. It regulates the temperature that's on the interior side of the bedroom. It also darkens the room so you can get a better. Night's sleep I love blackout panels because clearly I have two young children. They co-sleep with us but even before then I just like a really dark and cavernous space. When I sleep so you always want to think about the function of the windows what you're trying to achieve in the space and then look for a window treatment that's going to support that specific function when planning the layout for your small bedroom. Consider what furniture pieces are most essential to you now for for the fun part. Let's talk about the best bedroom layouts for you to maximize a small bedroom design. Let's start with the typical 10x 10 bedroom 10 ft x 10. Ft is roughly 3x3 m in the US. 10x 10 is a pretty typical size to me that's actually even on the smaller size. So if you're watching this video from outside the states tell me is 3x3 M like a typical size for your bedroom or does that still seem a little large. Next let's bust out that tape measure friends. If you want to play designer you have to have a tape measure. That's like design 101 okay if you're working without a tape measure that's almost like being a chef without a spatula okay. So don't forget the tape measure.
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08:09 Now I want you to sketch out the shape of your room hopefully. It's like a cute little square really easy to work with. But of course we all know that it's not life. Life throws you all these like crazy conditions and you have to work around it. You want to sketch out the shape of the room. You want to denote your door locations. Any Windows. If you have it closets bathrooms. Weird niches cutout make sure it's all there before you start planning the room in the US. It's really typical for Builders to build and plan homes with bedroom side by side. The reason for this is that you can use that shared wall between the two bedrooms to install like a closet. Typical closets are usually like half the size of one wall of a bedroom. So it's a really easy fix for Builders to kind of just split that wall in half to use one side of the closet for one bedroom and the opposite side of the closet for the adjacent bedroom. So here is layout one in layout. One you will see a typical door configuration you're opening the door and there is just one window. In this bedroom opposite the window is the closet. So in this situation you have two walls to work in which in funo is considered the command position. The command position in funu denotes where you should place your headboard and your head for the optimum position. The command position simply states that you as the user of the bedroom. Let's say it's your bedroom. You need to be able to see who is coming in and out of that bedroom. So you have full visibility of the door that doesn't mean your bed is beside. The door that doesn't mean your feet are aligned with the door that is considered the coffin position in funu. So you definitely want to steer clear of these. Two negative positions now that you understand the command position. There's only two places for you to place your headboard. It would be either against the solid wall which is the most optimal position because a solid wall denotes stability support. You're completely supported behind a solid wall without any openings or crevices now on the adjacent wall. You'll see that this is also in a command position but you are underneath a window. The window is not a solid wall. Clearly. It's open there's energy that's constantly passing through this window. So if your bed is positioned right underneath this window. You're also susceptible to this type of negative energy that's coming in and out of the bedroom. A really easy cure for this would be to install window treatments. These window treatments need to be closed every single night whether or not. It's a shade. It's curtains. It's drapery panels. You want to close off that window and almost even cut off all of that energy that's going to permeate the space especially when you're sleeping so now that you have your bed situated. It's time to plop in the nightstands if you're centering your bed on the wall.
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10:41 That's great you want to measure the side that's adjacent to your bed. So you know the maximum width that you can plop in your nightstands. You can extend your nightstands to the full width of both sides of the bed. You can plop in smaller nightstand so you can add in more storage solutions. For me I love to maximize the entire width of this space that's next to my bed because nightstands are also a really great way for you to store your books your clothes even daily. Essentials that you need to grab on the go what if you need a desk in your space what if you need a dresser for this layout I think the best place to put a dresser or a desk would be on the wall. That's opposite of your bed. The great thing about this is you could put a television on top of the dresser if you watch TV in your room that would become your focal point and you're like right in front of the television. This tiny solid wall is also a really great place for your desk. You want to measure the distance from the foot of the bed to the edge of the wall now subtract 24 in which is roughly 60 cm for a pathway. Obviously you need to be able to walk around your bed. You need to be able to pull your desk chair back. I mean you need that space so that you can kind of move about the room after you subtracted that 24 in or the 60 cm you'll know the depth of space you have left for either a dresser or a desk now let's use. This exact same bedroom and flip the location of the bed. The great thing about placing the bed on the solid wall is that now the bedroom is actually wider than it is long. You can scoot your bed alongside that wall a little bit to the left so that you have more room on the adjacent side for either a dresser or a desk remember that having matching night STS is ideal but just having some sort of surface on either side of the bed is really the goal one side could be a nightstand. The other side could be be a dresser. The other side could also be a desk so you can always swap out one of the nightstands for a more functional work surface depending on what you need in the room. With this layout you actually even have room to plop in another Media Console or another really long dresser that you can also use as a vanity station. If you need to apply your makeup. So here we have bedroom 2 bedroom 2 has a lot of the same parameters as bedroom one but with this bedroom. Now you have double doors. These double doors might open up into a balcony. A patio you might even have an onsuite bathroom in the bedroom that you still need to figure out. In this case there is only one command position that command position. As you can see is underneath the window. The other command position would be on the adjacent wall but of course. In this case you have these double doors. Now. There's nowhere else for you to put your bed but underneath the window. So let's pop in this bed let's put in our symmetrical nightstands.
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13:24 Let's subtract the pathway 24 in minimum. I mean you have a little bit more space to mess. With that's great. You can go all the way up to 30 in which is roughly around like 80 cm. So. Between 60 and 80 cm is really ideal for that space that you need in front of the closet so that you can access it. You've got your bed in. Here you have your nightstands now let's put this dresser or a different type of case good opposite the foot of the bed and here you've created the ultimate bedroom layout. You have all your Essentials in place. You might even have room for a little corner chair that becomes a catch off for all your clothes or if you're lacking. General lighting you can also plop in a floor lamp in the corner of the space. Now that you see all of the different configurations that you could lay out for your small teeny. Tiny bedroom does it feel so small do you have a better understanding of scale in proportion when it comes to measuring your furniture. We'll be ending this video with two different case studies. I really wanted to find like amazing examples of teeny tiny bedrooms and all of the Creative Solutions that designers and homeowners came up with. This first case. Study is from a teeny tiny bedroom in New York city. So you know they're working with like tiny spaces. Over there you can see that the before for was just like a blank white box. There's just no personality and it lacks a lot of functionality as well. I think when you first look at this space you might think oh my gosh that bed is so massive but that is a bedroom essential okay. It's up to you to try to figure out. What are some of your must haves what are the things that you won't compromise on. She needed the biggest bed that she could fit in this room. But I'll show you all of the clever ways for her to resolve everything that's happening around the bed. If you've always wanted to create more of a dramatic statement in the bedroom. You could do it with a canopy. I love this DIY canopy I mean she literally just installed drapery rods on the ceiling and the adjacent walls. She hung really beautiful pattern polka dot drapery. This adds style it adds functionality and it adds that drama that everyone craves in a bedroom in this situation. You'll see that the bed is kind of like in this tiny little corner right. I think a fully upholstered bed frame or even like a bulky headboard would have added so much more heaviness to an already small bedroom. Let's move on to the functional surface remember what I said about that window sill you could use it as like a tiny little ledge for all of your personal belongings so that she plopped in like a candle a watch and even a cute little decorative item. The designer used a vintage Coral in this case and she had spray painted. It black so that it matches the rest of the room. Let's talk about these windows. I'm someone who doesn't like peeling stick you guys do know but in this case she used this peeling stick wallpaper in such a creative way. She cut out a really cute shape that frames the window. It's not a whole lot of look but it feels so personal to the user which I love if you look closely. These custom Roman blinds are in the same solid Sil fabric.
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16:09 She used for the outside of the canopy and finally let's talk about this really genius seating area. It's just a simple chair that's kind of plopped in the corner of the room. This chair can serve so many purposes you can use a chair to stack up books or magazines that you read on the daily. You can use this chair as a cat all especially when you're trying to get dressed and like you need to get out in a hurry. You're guest can sit in the chair you can sit on the bed and then boom all of a sudden. You've created a conversational seating area right in your teeny tiny. Bedroom I also love all of the finishing touches that she implemented in the space she played with adding like tassos and Fringe to a really basic drum Shade that's installed on the ceiling she added in like a really cute Half Moon console I love rounded consoles because they don't take up a whole lot of space. You don't bump yourself into like sharp corners and it just makes the space feel like really soft and sexy. What did you think of this eclectic design are there any Creative Solutions that you can steal for your own small bedroom. This next case study comes from a small bedroom in Ontario and I love how this design almost has like a very SoCal casual coolness to it. The before bedroom isn't that bad at all I mean it looks really small because in this case the owners couldn't put the bed in a command position had she not put it. On the adjacent wall. You could easily use a solid wall to place the focal point which is the bed so she actually even mocked up like a mood board which I love. The inspiration is like Outdoors Nature's finest right. You've got a lot of organic materials. I love how the homeowner really thought about creating like a wow statement. In this space she DIY almost like a board and batten type of focal wall behind the bed. She did this by installing really simple strips of like wood that she then nailed to the wall and then painted in like a really beautiful phoh and ball off white color. Then she popped it in her lighter color bed lighter bed sheets a really cute nightstand that actually matches the bed. You remember what I say on this channel. Like no matchy matchy I hate matching bedroom sets but in a situation. Like this it really works because there's so many other elements in the space so the nightstands and the bed almost act as one unit. She has her task. Lighting in there like a really simple wall scon that's attached right to the wall. This move not only lights the surface of the nightstand but if you place a light fixture on dimmers. It's also going to give you maximum control of the lighting at all times of the day remember to never neglect the lighting in the space you might not need General lighting. But I think some sort of task lighting whether or not they're beside. Your table is going to give you all of those light effects to make your small bedroom appear even larger than it is and finally let's talk about the piesta resistance. In this room.
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18:52 It is the custom drapery panels I love this system in this room. As I said my favorite types of window treatments are ones that are layered. You have the soft Gauzy shears you have. These really beautiful heavier. Curtains are kind of layered on the outside of the shears. This creates a really beautiful focal point in the room. It allows you to draw the curtains back and make the room feel even bigger and brighter when it's just Shear panels and then at night when you close the curtains it's going to give you that cavernous effect that you absolutely desire in a restful place. So now you see two totally different teeny. Tiny bedrooms. Two totally different styles between The Eclectic bedroom and the casual bedroom which one do you think speaks to your style more that's it for today's video. Everyone I hope you got some really great ideas on how you can maximize your bedroom layout. No matter how small it is. If you like this type of content you want more small space ideas. Please give this video a like and a thumbs up comment below and let me know what's the one thing that you can do in your bedroom right. Now that would make a huge impact in your space share this video with anyone you know who's struggling with their small bedroom design and subscribe to my channel. If you haven't already click that little notification Bell to be notified of new videos that we drop on the channel. Every single Thursday don't forget to watch this video that I'm going to link right. Here. It is eight clever ways for you to maximize your small living room layout now that you know how to plan your dream bedroom. Let's move along to the rest of the house thank you for watching. I'll see you next week.
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