The Genius Hack for Squeezing a Vanity into a Tiny Bedroom

Written by

Madeline BilisDeputy Lifestyle Director
Madeline BilisDeputy Lifestyle Director
Madeline Bilis edits the Real Estate section as Apartment Therapy's Deputy Lifestyle Director. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Boston magazine, the Boston Globe, and other outlets. She has a degree in journalism from Emerson College and a soft spot for brutalist…read more
published May 17, 2020
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Credit: Lauren Kolyn
Credit: Apartment Therapy

The Small/Cool Experience at Home is bringing 20 trends to life by 20 designers—all in less than 120 square feet. Check out the whole virtual experience online and at @apartmenttherapy on Instagram from May 15-17. Thank you to our sponsors BEHR, Amazon Handmade and Tuft & Needle for making this experience possible.

It’s easy to fall into the line of thinking that mirrored vanities are reserved for sumptuous master bedrooms with boundless square footage. But designer Angela Belt knows better. In the room she designed for the Small/Cool Experience, she exhibited a genius hack for squeezing a vanity into a 120-square-foot bedroom.

It all comes down to “making sure you have pieces that work really hard for you,” Belt explained during an Instagram Live chat with Apartment Therapy’s Home Director Danielle Blundell.

In the case of the vanity, Belt chose two important pieces—a floating shelf with an attached mirror and an ottoman with built-in storage—to create a vanity that doubles as a nightstand.

Credit: Danie Drankwalter

Placing the shelf next to the bed allows it to perform nightstand duties, like charging a phone, while the attached rounded mirror is perfect for primping. Meanwhile, the plush ottoman, which neatly slides under the shelf, offers a comfy spot to sit and apply makeup—as well as space inside to stash away extra pillows and blankets. 

You can see the small space hack for yourself in the room Belt designed for the Small/Cool Experience 2020, dubbed “The Dark Side.” Click over to see the rest of the products and paint colors featured in this room, and stay tuned for more Small/Cool tips from top designers.