Small Bedroom Ideas for Renters: 12 Tricks to Make It Feel Bigger

A small bedroom can feel cramped, or it can feel like a cocoon. The difference is usually light, layout and how much stuff is on display. And when you rent, you need ideas that don't involve paint, power tools or anything your landlord might object to.

These 12 ideas are all renter-friendly and most can be done in an afternoon.

1. Go big with a mirror

A large floor-length mirror leaned against a wall doubles the light and makes the room read as larger. Place it where it reflects the window, not the bed.

2. Choose furniture on legs

Nightstands, dressers and bed frames on legs let you see more floor, which tricks the eye into reading the room as bigger. Bulky, floor-hugging furniture does the opposite.

3. Light bedding, layered

Soft white, oat, pale grey or blush bedding keeps a small room airy. Add depth with texture rather than dark colour: washed linen, a waffle blanket and a knitted throw at the foot of the bed.

Washed linen bedding set

Relaxed, breathable and gets softer every wash.

$90–$200 at Amazon US Shop now

4. Swap lamps for plug-in sconces

Bedside lamps take up precious nightstand space. Plug-in wall sconces hang on a single nail or removable hook and clear the surface completely.

Shop the look

123

Washed linen bedding set

Relaxed, breathable and gets softer every wash.

$90–$200 at Amazon US Shop now

5. Use the space under the bed

Under-bed storage is the single most useful thing in a small bedroom. Fabric boxes with lids keep out dust and slide out easily. If your bed is low, bed risers add extra height.

Fabric under-bed storage boxes

Hide out-of-season clothes and bedding in a small bedroom.

$20–$40 at Amazon US Shop now

6. Hang curtains high

Mount curtains just below the ceiling with a tension rod or a no-drill curtain bracket. The window looks taller and the whole room gains height.

7. Pick one statement, not five

In a small room, one strong piece, like a headboard, a big piece of art or a patterned rug, has more impact than lots of small decorative things.

8. Go vertical with storage

Over-the-door hooks, a tall narrow bookcase and a freestanding ladder shelf use wall height instead of floor space.

9. Keep the palette tight

Two or three colours throughout the room make it feel calm and cohesive. Lots of contrasting colours fragment a small space.

Save

10. Edit your nightstand

Keep only what you use every night: a light, a book, a glass of water and one beautiful thing. Everything else goes in a drawer.

11. Add a plant for life

A trailing pothos on a shelf or a small snake plant on the floor adds life without taking space.

Save

12. Make the bed every day

It sounds simple, but a made bed is the biggest surface in the room. When it's neat, the whole room looks twice as calm.

Looking for more small-space ideas? Read our cosy living room ideas on a budget or save this post to your ideas board.