6 Easy Storage Tricks for Teeny Tiny Bedrooms, According to Designers

Written by

Caroline Biggs
Caroline Biggs
Caroline is a writer living in New York City. When she’s not covering art, interiors, and celebrity lifestyles, she’s usually buying sneakers, eating cupcakes, or hanging with her rescue bunnies, Daisy and Daffodil.
updated Jul 17, 2020
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Credit: Erin Derby

Carving out extra storage space in a small bedroom is no easy feat. Whether you lack a truly functional closet, live in a studio apartment, or are simply working with limited square footage, finding a dedicated home for your things can be a challenge. Fortunately, we have a few interior designer friends to call on for help. From floating shelves to Murphy beds and beyond, scroll down for six clever tips for scoring a little extra storage in even the teeniest of bedrooms.

Mix and Match the Staples

If you’re tight on space in the bedroom, designer Marie Flanigan recommends mixing different kinds of nightstands. “I love combining smaller and larger furniture pieces for a layered look and often even use a desk on one side and an accent table on the other,” she says. The key to pulling this idea off is to make sure that the heights of both of your pieces are very similar, so that you still have symmetry with your bedside lamps. Try a sleek pedestal table, stool, or chair in lieu of a full nightstand on one side of your setup. 

Credit: Minette Hand

Install Floating Shelves

A few wall-mounted shelves can go a long way when you’re looking to create extra storage space in a tiny room, says designer Liz Caan. Not only do shelves help keep your things organized, but they also get clutter off of your floors and hardly take up hardly any wall space. The best part? They can double as a decorative display for objects and art. Try one long shelf as seen in this bedroom or a cluster of smaller styles.

Rethink Your Essentials

When you’re super tight on bedside space, designer Ana Claudia Schultz suggests sticking to just one multifunctional nightstand. “Chose a nightstand that provides ample storage and serves as a mini dresser,” she says. “You can also camouflage your lamps with the wall by choosing ones in the same color palette so that there’s less visual clutter.” To really max out the space-saving aspect of this move, you could push your bed into a corner.

Designer Nicholas Haslam, on the other hand, recommends devoting the available spot to a larger storage cabinet instead of a humdrum bedside table. “Put a cupboard with integrated niches on both sides of the bed in lieu of bedside tables,” he says. This way, you have the opportunity to stash more items out of sight. 

Reclaim Unused Spots for Storage

All it takes is a little organization to transform the space under your bed into a full-fledged extension of your closet. Designer Ashley Moore of Moore House Interiors suggests using shallow but long containers or baskets, which can easily fit underneath the bed, to store essentials such as seasonal clothes or extra bedding. Finding something on casters—or attaching your own set of wheels to a store-bought basket or bin—can help you easily access these items. As for the floor of your closet, find some type of tiered shelving, and you’ll be able to eke out a little more space for things like shoes and bags.

Invest in a Specialized Bed

A Murphy bed, one that folds up into the wall when not in use, can make a cramped bedroom feel bigger in seconds. “They maximize the area and are a great solution for small, open spaces, such as a studio apartment,” Flanigan says. 

You could also consider switching to a daybed—or orienting your regular bed like a daybed—if this helps improve the flow in your room.

Maximize What You Have

Designer Anne Hepfer says the key to creating more storage in a small bedroom is taking advantage of what little space you do have. “Look for beds with built-in drawers to add valuable bonus storage space to a smaller room,” she says. “And opt for wall-mounted bedside sconces, instead of table lamps, that won’t take up any surface area on a nightstand.”