Find a Theme to Decorate a Small Bedroom

A small bedroom can feel like an intimidating design feat for most homeowners. Arranging the room and capitalizing on the space can be a challenge, but it is possible if approached the right way. With a combination of color, lighting, and storage options, settling on a look and style for your space can be met with ease.

Steps

Picking a Theme

  1. Research ideas for the look and feel that you want. Browse through design magazines or make a Pinterest board to collect your interior design ideas for the space. Find themes and/or aesthetic ideas that you are least likely to outgrow over a short period of time.
  2. Select a theme that will grow with you. Consider keeping the theme subtle and timeless.
    • For example, it might be tempting to make a kid’s bedroom princess or racecar themed while they are young, but when they get older, a theme that bold and age-specific might mean redecorating.
    • Simpler design themes like floral, nautical, or sea-themed can hint towards gender but can grow with you with time as well.[1]
  3. Decide whether to integrate the theme into the room itself or limit it to accessories. Consider the makeup of your bedroom as a whole and allow it to guide you to how you want to lay out your room.
    • Some themes consist of a revamp of the entire room, i.e. painting walls, removing carpet, buying new items.
    • Keep bedroom themes surface level by just changing a bedspread or a lampshade.

Executing the Theme

  1. Choose light colors behind your theme. Choose a color palette for your theme that creates the illusion of space like neutral and muted colors.
    • For a small bedroom with a theme, gravitate cool, calming tones of soothing blues, sea greens, blush pinks, beiges, greys, and crisp whites.[2]
    • Paint your bedroom walls the color that you’ve chosen. With a small bedroom, a simple color scheme is advised. For example, white walls with one accent wall painted a different coordinating color.
  2. Choose a bed that corresponds with your theme. You don’t necessarily have to go for a day bed or a twin bed just because it’s a small bedroom. A bed can act like a focal point for the eye and design of the bedroom.
    • Iron bed frames or open canopy poster beds are great options to maximize space while being versatile enough to correlate with most themes.
  3. Use accent pieces and colors. Play with patterns on your bed. Give a contemporary feel to any room by introducing a mixture of modern and more traditional prints.[3]
    • Incorporate accents in subtle ways, like with a wall (as mentioned in previous steps) or as pops of colors throughout the room: a lamp, accent pillows, a headboard, etc.
    • Create accents with furnishings: an ornate trunk, an armoire, a sleek night table or desk.[4]

Staying Within a Budget

  1. Shop at thrift stores. Capitalize on flea market finds. Pieces that are worn, show their age, and have a second-hand feel can act as an inexpensive backbone to décor details.
  2. Search secondhand sites. Craigslist, eBay, and Etsy are notorious for being a resource for unique, hand-crafted, gently used furniture pieces and accessories.[5]
  3. Don’t feel trapped by “pairs”. Sometimes the pressure of buying two’s of things gets pricey. Instead of buying lamps or nightstands in pairs, consider purchasing one and make the second choice quirkier by choosing a less expensive item, even if it doesn’t match.[5]
  4. Make your own art versus buying them. Take a canvas and paint a masterpiece. If you’re not artistically inclined, have photos printed, blown up, and mounted on the wall in interesting frames.

Tips

  • Pick a color that you would enjoy waking up to.
  • Pick a theme that you won't easily outgrow or have to redo with age. Find something you're genuinely interested in and an aesthetic that truly fits who you are so that you can avoid trial and error in decor ideas.
  • Be sure that colors coordinate. Even if they do not match, coordination is important, especially when maximizing small spaces.
  • Don't pick characters from movies or TV shows. You will outgrow them by the time you're done with your room.

Warnings

  • Do not put a lot of furniture in your small room. You want a place you can come into to relax not to feel like your dressers are taking over!
  • Don't overdress your windows: the simper, the better.

Things You'll Need

  • Paint
  • Bed
  • Dresser
  • Nightstand
  • Headboard
  • Mirrors
  • Imagination

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Sources and Citations