5 Ways to Make Your Tiny Bedroom Special (& Functional)

Melissa Morgan has rented this 380-square-foot apartment near Silicon Valley for four years. That’s four years of trying to figure out how best to arrange a tiny floor plan in a stylish way, and frankly, we think she nailed it. Her home manages to feel incredibly special, particularly her bedroom. Here’s how she did it (and what you can learn from Melissa’s design choices).

Just because you don’t have much space doesn’t mean you should shy away from furnishings that pack a style punch. In fact, that’s even more reason to go bold. Here, Melissa took advantage of high ceilings and opted for a canopy bed, which makes for a totally regal vibe. Since her bedroom is her only real living space (with the exception of the dining room she carved out), it makes sense that she’d want to live large. She was smart to go with a white frame, as the sizable bed nearly floats in the room, rather than taking up too much visual space.

In the above photo, you’ll notice two IKEA RAST chests (that Melissa hacked to upgrade their looks) joined together to create a second storage area (the first is the West Elm dresser to the left of the image). Though we love the look of a bench at the foot of a bed, we almost love this even more because it’s stylish and smart. We’re not sure what she keeps in there, but it’s plenty of space to hold books, act as a linen closet, and store clothes/accessories.

As a formally trained interior designer (who now works for Apple), Melissa is well versed in visual tricks. We think her choice of large-scale art was so smart, as it makes her bedroom feel grand but without clutter. If you want to bring art into your bedroom and you don’t have much space to work with, opt for one sizable piece to do the heavy lifting, rather than multiple small frames.

It’s easy to put off buying pieces you love if you use the “but I’m a renter!” logic; splurging on certain decor and furniture items isn’t always ideal because as you move (which renters traditionally do more than home owners), floor plans change and you may find yourself struggling to make purchases fit from home to home. But a dresser, like this one from West Elm which Melissa notes was her first large purchase ever, is likely something that will work no matter where you end up (plus it adds major style points to its current room). If it doesn’t fit in your new bedroom, it can be repurposed as an entryway table, as a console in your dining room, as a sofa table in your living room, or even as extra storage in a kitchen should you have space.

Empty corner in your bedroom? Turn it into a snazzy little vignette that pulls double duty. Here, Melissa created a petite little dressing area (complete with nail polish and sunglasses storage right on the wall which also acts as decor) that not only is functional, but really great looking, as well!