How to Make a Small Bedroom Look Bigger: 9 Visual Tricks
Nine visual ideas that make a small bedroom read as larger, from high curtains and a well-placed mirror to furniture on legs and a clear view from the door, each with the reason it works.
Nothing short of moving a wall adds square footage, but the apparent size of a bedroom is surprisingly easy to change. How big a room looks depends on how far your eye can travel without interruption: across the floor, up the walls and out through the window.
The nine ideas below make a small bedroom look bigger by lengthening those sightlines and removing whatever chops them up. None needs construction, and most can be undone if you change your mind.
What these tricks change, and what they do not
They change how the room reads, not its dimensions. A queen bed in a room of 9 x 10 ft (2.7 x 3 m) leaves the same walkway whatever color the walls are. If you cannot get around the bed comfortably, that is a layout problem, and no mirror will fix it.
What you can expect is a room that feels lighter, taller and less hemmed in. One idea alone is subtle. Three or four together are noticeable.
Lighten and blur the edges
1. Keep the palette tight and light
Hold the walls, the curtains and the largest bedding within two or three close tones, such as warm white, cream and oatmeal. Pale surfaces bounce more daylight into the corners. Low contrast matters just as much: when the curtain is nearly the color of the wall, the line between them fades, and your eye has a harder time locating where the room ends. The guide to color palettes for a small bedroom covers the choices in detail.
2. Hang curtains high and wide
Set the rod about 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) below the ceiling and let it extend 8 to 12 in (20 to 30 cm) past the window frame on each side, with panels that just reach the floor. The window then appears taller and wider than it is, and the open curtains stack against the wall instead of covering the glass, so more daylight gets in. Use hardware suited to your wall and follow the manufacturer instructions.
Borrow depth with a mirror
3. Place a large mirror opposite or beside the window
A mirror of about 24 x 60 in (60 x 150 cm) works like a second window. Opposite the real one, it repeats the view. On the adjacent wall beside it, it catches light from the side and throws it deeper into the room. Before you commit, check what it will reflect: sky and curtains are ideal, an open closet is not. A leaning floor mirror should be secured against tipping, as its maker directs. There is more on position and frame choice in the guide to using mirrors in a small bedroom.
Show more floor
4. Choose furniture on legs
You judge the size of a room largely by how much floor you can see. A bed frame, nightstand and dresser with 5 to 8 in (13 to 20 cm) of open space underneath let the floor run on beneath them, while pieces that sit flat on the ground cut it off at their front edge.
5. Use one large rug instead of several small ones
Two or three small mats divide the floor into patches, and each patch reads as its own little area. A single rug that passes under the bed and shows on both sides reads as one broad plane. Sizes for each bed are in the small bedroom rug guide.
6. Keep furniture low
A bed whose mattress top sits about 20 to 24 in (50 to 60 cm) from the floor, and a dresser about 30 in (75 cm) high, leave a tall band of uninterrupted wall above them, which makes the ceiling seem higher. If you need one tall piece, place it in the corner farthest from the door, and keep it secured against tipping.
Lead the eye up and through
7. Add a few vertical lines
Floor-length curtains, a tall narrow mirror, a headboard with vertical channels or a slim floor lamp all draw the eye upward, and the room registers as taller. Two or three such lines are enough. More than that and the wall starts to look striped and busy.
8. Clear the sightline from the door
Stand in the doorway. The first impression of size is set by what you see in the first few feet, so that route should be open floor, about 24 to 30 in (60 to 75 cm) wide, running toward the window or the far wall. Move a dresser, chair or laundry basket that stands just inside the door to a spot beside or behind the sightline. Never block the door, a vent or a radiator to achieve it.
Edit what is on show
9. Choose fewer, bigger accessories
Ten small objects on a dresser create ten outlines, and that visual noise makes the surface, and the room, feel crowded. Replace them with two or three larger pieces: a lamp about 18 in (45 cm) tall, one vase with branches, one tray. The same applies to walls, where one large print beats a scatter of small frames. Bare surface and bare wall between objects are what give the impression of room to spare.
Keep the effect after dark
Most of these ideas rely on daylight. At night, a single ceiling light leaves the corners dim, and dim corners pull the walls inward. Two plug-in lamps in opposite corners, with warm white bulbs and fabric shades, light the walls themselves and bring back the sense of width. Keep lamps clear of curtains and bedding. For more options that take little space, see these lighting ideas for a small bedroom.
Where to start
- Free: clear the sightline from the door and edit the accessories (ideas 8 and 9).
- Low effort: rehang the curtains higher and wider with the panels you have, if they are long enough (idea 2).
- Worth planning: a large mirror and a single rug (ideas 3 and 5), since both need measuring first.
- When you next replace furniture: look for legs and low profiles (ideas 4 and 6).
Tip
Take a picture from the doorway before you begin and another after each change. Differences that are hard to judge while standing in the room are obvious side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Does a mirror really make a small bedroom look bigger?
It can, when it reflects something worth repeating. A large mirror opposite or beside the window doubles the daylight and suggests depth beyond the wall. A mirror that reflects a crowded shelf or an open closet doubles the clutter instead, so check the reflection before you settle on a spot.
Do dark colors always make a small bedroom look smaller?
Not always. High contrast shrinks a room more than depth of color does. A deep shade used on walls and trim together can blur the corners and feel enclosed in a pleasant way. If your aim is to look as open and bright as possible, though, a light, low-contrast palette is the more reliable route.
What is the fastest way to make a small bedroom look larger?
Clear the route you see from the doorway and reduce what sits on the dresser and nightstand to a few larger pieces. Both cost nothing and take under an hour. Rehanging the curtains closer to the ceiling is the next step, because it makes the window and the wall look taller.
