Furniture for small bedroom ideas

If you choose the wrong kind of furniture, small bedrooms can end up feeling overcrowded and cramped. But with the right design techniques and space saving furniture, a compact room can feel like a peaceful retreat. If you need ideas for furniture that will suit a small bedroom, we’ve pulled together some advice that will help you make the most of a small space.

How do you organise a bedroom with little space

Choosing the right bed for a small room

The central piece of furniture in any bedroom is, of course, the bed. As the biggest furnishing in the room, it’s best to first decide on the size of the bed. Obviously, choosing a double instead of a king-size is the initial port-of-call however, even within these classifications, some doubles are larger than others. Our Brooklyn double bed, for example, has a much larger frame than our Hove double bed due to the former having additional space around the mattress to create an urban, loft-living feel.

Alto double bed / Alto bedside table / Alto tallboy / Alto double wardrobe

If you’re lacking floor space, have a look at furniture that makes use of vertical space. Our beds from the Orrick and Alto collections have tall frames meaning there is plenty of space underneath for room storage. Under bed storage can be used for your everyday clothes that don’t need to be hung, or for items that you use less frequently like winter coats or fancy dress items.

Where should you put a bed in a small room?

In terms of where to place the bed before arranging the rest of your furniture, we recommend placing the headboard of the bed up against the wall opposite the door. This will usually create the longest distance between the door and the bed, making the room feel bigger. If this isn’t possible due to the shape of the room another option might be to push the side of the bed up against the wall, particularly if it’s a single or small double. You might also want to consider if you want a bedside table. These will take up extra floor space so may reduce where you can position the bed. If you do, decide if you need one or two or maybe consider floating shelves or a bookcase to provide additional storage space.

Oslo double bed / Oslo bedside table

Next, decide where to place your wardrobe and chest of drawers, these need to be placed strategically to ensure all draws and doors can open without obstruction. Try not to cover any windows, as these are key to making the room lighter and brighter.

Finally, fill your room with your remaining furniture, try not to add too many pieces as to avoid overcrowding. When you don’t have a great amount of space, try to include only the essential pieces of furniture: you can add personality and quirks to your room decorations instead, perhaps utilising shelves which will help you make better use of excess wall space.

Consider multitasking: multi-purpose furniture

Jasmine sofa bed

If your bedroom needs to be multipurpose or perhaps only needs a bed when you have guests over, consider opting for a sofa bed. They’re perfect to fold up in the day time and will help transform your room into a cosy living room or useful office space. Our Jasmine range comes in a wide variety of colours to suit any style of bedroom design.

If you’re studying or self-employed, you’ll probably end up working from home quite often. In this case, a dressing table that doubles as a desk is a great option. The drawers can also provide storage for make-up, office supplies or even clothing. Try sourcing a dresser with a larger depth to it so that you have space for your books and laptops. Our natural solid oak dressing table from the Brooklyn collection is 60cm deep giving you more than enough space for your stationery and other devices.

Hove Dressing Table / Hove stool

Incorporating a nest of tables into your bedroom is a great way to maximise the space available as they can act as bedside tables, or somewhere to put picture frames and small plants. The flexibility of their design means they can be stored under each other for days when you are low on space.

Bella double bed / Bella wardrobe / Bella tallboy

Tallboys are also a great storage solution for small bedrooms as they take up very little floor space, but provide a large amount of storage due to their use of height. Our Bella design is slim and stylish and can live in the corner of your room, taking up very little of your bedroom.

How to decorate a small bedroom

If you’re looking to brighten up a small room, choose natural whites and earthy tones. Alternatively, if you’d like to add some character but don’t want to go too bold, opt for muted or pastel shades of your favourite colours. Natural wooden furniture like the Canterbury and Alto ranges work well with pastel colours and are made of oak which would be the perfect addition to a sorbet-coloured bedroom.

If you only have one window in your bedroom, mirrors are an excellent way to create the illusion of more as they reflect light and give your room an extra dimension. A wall mirror is the best choice for a little room as it can be mounted once you have arranged your furniture and provide purpose for any leftover wall space. You’ll want to place your mirror where it will best reflect the light from your window - and this will be at a good distance from the window.

St Ives double bed / St Ives bedside table

Too many picture frames and posters can make a small room feel overcrowded, however, a plain room often lacks character. This is where a feature wall would work best. Leaving three of your walls bare, add a splash of personality to the last.

Painting stripes can work in your favour, horizontal stripes will widen your bedroom whilst horizontal stripes will lengthen the room giving the illusion of a higher ceiling. If you want something less permanent, create a feature wall by clustering your favourite picture frames and different sized posters to liven up your bedroom. Try and follow the ‘less is more’ mantra: a few cushions or a throw with your favourite print will add your personality to your bedroom without being too much.

We hope these tips help you with decorating your small bedroom. If you’re ready to start decorating, have a browse of our bedroom furniture and find the perfect piece for you.