The Best Small Bedroom Makeover Ideas (Ultimate Guide)

Living in a small room can feel like a puzzle, but if you’re a teenager or even a college student, then you definitely know the struggles of having a tiny space to call your own. Sure, to a degree, a small space is cozy, but at the same time, you’re just really limited on what you can and can’t do in your room, right? Even though that might be the case, you definitely shouldn’t feel like you can’t decorate or you can’t make this space as comfortable as you possibly can.

Because yes, you absolutely can! It’s just going to take some creativity, some smart solutions, and probably some optimization here and there. Even the tiniest of rooms can become a perfect little have, and yes, there are plenty of bedroom makeover ideas for small bedrooms that you can try. So, let’s go ahead and dive right in on how you can do it.

How Much Space Do You Have?

Start Focusing on Space-Saving Furniture

Not everyone can do this (mostly those in college can), but if you’re able to get space-saving furniture, then try to get that for your room. That’s usually going to be the best way to make enough space in your room, make it feel comfortable and roomy, and just overall not feel cluttered in the slightest.

Multi-Functional Furniture

You can think of multi-functional furniture as your new BFF. Beds with storage drawers or loft beds provide extra storage without taking up more floor space. You can usually find these at IKEA and Amazon, but you can actually find these around dumpsters around dorms at the end of the academic year, too (mostly in the spring). But that will need some cleaning up, of course.

Foldable desks and chairs can be easily tucked away when not in use, giving you room for other activities like working out, content creation, or anything else. It might even help to look into ottomans with hidden storage that can serve as both seating and a place to stash your stuff. Now, not all poufs and ottomans have hidden storage, so you’ll need to specifically look for ones that do.

Compact and Modular Furniture

Realistically, you can’t always buy a brand new bed, or a brand desk, or even a brand new shelf. It’s totally understandable. Plus, all these things cost money, even if you go to a thrift store to get them second-hand. So, that’s something to keep in mind too. However, getting compact furniture can help, and these are usually a bit cheaper than getting multifunctional furniture. For example, a twin bed is fairly compact.

But you could even look into compact furniture like stackable storage units and wall-mounted desks to keep your room organized and clutter-free. Plus, modular furniture is like the chameleon of furniture—reconfigure it as needed! Convertible sofa beds are perfect for when your friends crash at your place without needing a separate guest bed.

Think About Your Bed

I mentioned this just above, but I really want to reiterate this. You need to be selective with your bed if you can! Actually, this might take up most of the space in your bedroom, so you need to be wise. Sure, in a lot of dorms, you have to deal with the bed that’s already in there, but usually, you can put bed risers. What’s a good idea to buy? Well, there’s

- Futons
- Loft beds
- Twin beds
- Bed with tall legs (or bed risers)
- Bed with attached storage
- Bunk bed if you’re having to share
- Day bed

For others, you might have to deal with the bed you already own (such as your parents telling you not to buy a new bed). But that’s usually okay too, because, again, bed risers. If you can, please try to avoid a queen bed or king-size bed because these might not be the right scale for your bedroom (but depending on the size of your room, a queen might be able to work).

Don’t Forget Your Desk

That’s right, you need to be on the lookout for your desk too; use what space you have around in your desk, on top of your desk, and yes, above your desk too. It's not only the aesthetic of your desk or the desk decor, because you also need to think about the surroundings.
The images you see above are a great example; using peg boards or even a bulletin board made of cork can really help out, but I’d recommend peg boards because they’re cuter and usually cheaper.

Ideally, you should try to have a small desk, and usually, you can buy these pretty cheap secondhand or even on sites like IKEA and Amazon.

What are the Best Organizational Strategies for Small Bedrooms?

Unlike larger bedrooms, or, well, any large space, it’s really easy to make a small bedroom feel super cluttered. Now, the main problem is clutter on the floor. Eye-level clutter (like on shelves) can easily be arranged, but when it’s on the floor, it’s a lot harder. But where do you start?

You Might Need to Actually Declutter

It’s really going to help to start regularly sorting through your belongings, and donating what you don’t use will keep your room feeling spacious and fresh. It sucks, but if you lack the space and you want your bedroom to actually feel comfortable and manageable to live and sleep in, it’s just something that’s going to have to be done.

Storage Solutions

So, small bedrooms mean you have limited space, so what little space you have, you need to use it to its fullest potential. So, you can start by maximizing your storage options with under-bed bins, over-the-door organizers, and vertical storage solutions like shelves and hanging racks. Pegboards are customizable and perfect for keeping your things off the floor and within reach. If you’re able to install floating shelves, that would massively help, too. Speaking of which…

How You Can Get Creative with the Space

Alright, so it’s going to be a really good idea to just go ahead and get as creative as possible; most people need to do this when it comes to having a small bedroom or any small space really (especially studios and dorms).

Maximizing Vertical Space

When floor space is limited, think vertical! Just like what I mentioned above, you’re going to want to use floating shelves. You can buy these everywhere, like IKEA, Amazon, and sometimes even at the thrift store; just check where you can. Most of these do have weight limits, so keep that in mind. But usually, you can put books, clothes, decor, or other essentials that don’t take up space.

I also mentioned it right above, but ideally, you’re going to want to look into wall hooks, grids for the wall, and pegboards since all of these are great for hanging bags, hats, and accessories. You could even look into adding hanging plants, bringing a touch of nature into your room without sacrificing space.

Do You Have Nooks, Alcoves, and Crannies?

Not all rooms have this, but if yours does, you might want to take advantage of it. So, you just need to transform those awkward nooks and crannies into functional areas.

For example, you could create a cozy reading nook with a small chair and a few cushions. You could even look into utilizing window sills for seating or additional storage. Customizing corners with small desks or shelves can turn otherwise wasted space into practical areas.

How Can I Make My Small Bedroom Feel Larger?

You know you have a small bedroom, and if someone goes into your bedroom, they’re going to automatically know that it’s small as well. It feels small usually, too. So, to a degree, you can trick the eyes into making you feel like you’re not in such a small, closed-in space. So, here’s how you can make your teen bedroom feel a little bit bigger, or even your dorm room.

Color Choices

So, there’s a mix of good news and bad news here. If you love aesthetics that are light in color, like Vanilla Girl or Light Academia, then good news, but if you prefer darker aesthetics, like grunge, then this might be bad news. You need to watch out for your color choices because it’s your color choices that are going to make the biggest impact when it comes to all of this.

With that said, it’s best to start using light colors to make a room feel larger and more open. Shades of white, cream, pastels, and light grays reflect light and create an airy atmosphere. If you’re able to, you could even look into painting the ceiling or even adding wallpaper that’s a lighter color than the walls, which can also give the illusion of height.

Plus, it makes it not boring. So, there’s a little collage of some pictures I got from Pinterest, and this is meant to give you a general idea that small bedrooms feel a bit more roomy if you’re using light colors. Yes, even when it comes to your bedding, it’s best to stick with lighter colors too.

Furniture Arrangement

Arrange furniture to maintain an open flow in the room. It’s best to avoid blocking pathways and use furniture with exposed legs to create a sense of openness. Usually, when you’re in a dorm, it’s recommended to get bed risers for more storage, but these help create a roomy illusion, too.

Plus, if you can, floating furniture away from walls can make a room feel larger. I mentioned it earlier, but floating shelves can massively help!

Mirrors

Mirrors are excellent for creating the illusion of space. So, all it really takes is to place a large mirror opposite a window to reflect light and scenery, making the room feel more expansive.

Minimalism

You may or may not like this, but honestly, you have to keep in mind that in a small bedroom, there are just limitations that you’re going to have to accept. Adopting a minimalist approach can prevent the room from feeling cluttered. So, you’re going to want to choose a few key pieces of furniture and decor that serve multiple purposes. Keeping surfaces clear and maintaining a tidy space enhances the feeling of openness.

Smart Storage

I already mentioned this above, but 100% this might be the biggest piece of advice you should follow!

Lighting

Yes! You read that right! How much lighting you have in your room can make an impact on making your small teen bedroom feel larger. Ideally, you want to maximize natural light by keeping windows unobstructed.

It’s best to consider using sheer curtains to allow light to filter through while maintaining privacy. On top of that, it helps to look into layering different types of lighting, such as ambient, task, and accent lighting, which can add depth and dimension to the room.

How to Incorporate an Aesthetic You Like into a Small Space

So, there might be some bad news right here; it might not be ideal to incorporate every aesthetic in a small space. I mean, technically, you can, but if you want a bedroom that feels large, then just know that aesthetics with darker colors might not help with that. 

For example, if you go for grunge, e-girl, goth, or other darker aesthetics, then this might not work out all too well in your favor. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it; by all means, decorate your bedroom or dorm however you want; it’s more about being aware that darker decor and darker rooms just feel more closed in. So, what aesthetics work best for small spaces?

• Minimalist
• Scandinavian
• Danish Pastel
• Pastel (any type such as Soft Girl, Danish Pastel, Kawaii, Coquette, etc.)
• Most Coastal aesthetics, such as Coconut Girl
• Any aesthetic that’s Japanese-inspired since Japanese styles are inherently made for small spaces
• Nature-related aesthetics and work, too, as long as it’s light and airy with light colors

These are just examples, but basically, new aesthetics are constantly coming out on a daily basis. You should ultimately decorate your space based on your interests and the aesthetic or core you most relate to.

Final Thoughts on Small Bedroom Makeover Ideas

Overall, it definitely deserves to be recognized that giving a small room, any room, a makeover can be just as hard as giving a large space a makeover. You have to be way more creative. So, with that said, I’m pretty positive this blog post should help you out.

Sure, giving a small bedroom a makeover isn’t some one-size-fits-all type of thing because everyone owns different furniture, everyone has different budgets, different room sizes, aesthetics, personal style, and so on. But again, it just takes some creativity and some strategy, and yeah, 100% of the time, you can give your small room a fantastic makeover.

FAQ for Makeover Ideas for Small Bedrooms

It’s not really the easiest to do a small bedroom makeover. It seems easy, but a lot of thinking goes into it. So, here are some things you’ll want to keep in mind

How can I create a functional study area in a small room?

It’s really going to help if you could just set up a compact, functional desk with organized storage for school supplies and tech gadgets. So this means that you’re going to want to ensure your study area is distraction-free and has adequate task lighting. 

It’s like this for all study spots in a room, but you don’t need a large desk; actually, small desks work, and they’re fairly affordable, too. You might also want to utilize wall-mounted desks or foldable desks that can be tucked away when not in use to save space.

What lighting options work best in a small room?

I feel like this one is really important and definitely needs to be a part of this FAQ. So, you’re going to want to use a combination of ambient lighting (like ceiling lights), task lighting (like desk lamps), and accent lighting (like string lights) to add depth and dimension to the room.

Actually, it helps not to use overhead lighting only when needed but to mostly use lamps and other forms of lighting to brighten up the space when it’s time to close the curtains or shades for the day.

How often should I declutter my small room?

I highly recommend that you regularly declutter your room. It’s essential to prevent accumulation and keep it spacious. So, you’ll want to aim to declutter at least once every few months and whenever you notice items piling up. It’s best to try not to shop; that’s usually the best way to go about it. Basically, you’ll want to keep only the items that bring you joy and have a purpose in your space.