Double bed ideas for small rooms – 10 clever ways with compact spaces

Finding double bed ideas for small rooms can be a tricky balance between comfort and a crowded-looking space. Here, we help you to create a stylish, organized and well-thought out design around this essential, but dominant, bedroom furniture.

When planning your bed ideas, thinking cleverly about the area that surrounds your double bed will ensure you make the most out of the space available in a smaller room.

From beautiful tall headboards to innovative storage solutions, you do not have to compromise on style or personality for small bedroom ideas.

Double bed ideas for small rooms 

Beds for small rooms need to strike the perfect balance between style and practicality. 

Carefully considering a double bed's placement in a room and how you can enhance your sleep space to feel spacious, welcoming and cozy is key. 

To help you choose the right double bed ideas for small rooms in your space, we have gathered our favorite bedroom ideas for some beautiful inspiration.

1. Choose a tall headboard 

Headboard ideas can establish an eye-catching focal point and design feature in a bedroom.

Playing with scale in interior design can be highly effective when dealing with small room bed ideas. For double bed ideas for small rooms, choosing a tall headboard can gently draw the eye upwards, creating the illusion of more space.

Choosing colorful, patterned headboard designs is also a great way to inject texture and character into your smaller bedroom space, as Martin Waller, Founder of Andrew Martin explains, 'headboards are an inexpensive way of transforming a small bedroom. They are essentially alternative forms of artwork. A statement headboard will introduce personality to a space. Our bedroom interiors should be as individual as the people that inhabit them. Don’t be afraid to choose a more outlandish style as this only adds more character'.

Explore our collection of statement headboards for some stand-out inspiration.

2. Keep things light and bright

A simple way to make a small bedroom feel more spacious and calming, making sure the area around you double bed feels light and bright will only make for a more welcoming space. This is a particularly good ploy for guest bedrooms, which can often fall foul to the box room storage syndrome. It's also a simple way to make a small bedroom seem bigger.

As shown in this bedroom by KJM Interiors, which was 'designed as a mellow retreat from a stressful job' the designer 'combined woven textiles, linen bedding, and textured ceramic lamps.' The darker colors used on the bedding, headboard, furniture and lighting create a cozy environment, with the fresh white walls making the space feel open and inviting. 

The overall neutral color palette works well in this small bedroom space, with lighter, calming color choices a great option to make a room feel bigger.

3. Embrace symmetry

Embracing symmetry in interior design is a great way to help with small bedroom layout ideas, creating a harmonious environment that feels well-considered and elegantly styled. 

In this bedroom, the beautiful red patterned headboard is surrounded by the symmetrical placement of framed drawings and matching bed-side tables and lamps. 

Simple design details that can truly make a difference, planning symmetrical designs around a double bed in a small room can create a feeling of enhanced space and achieve a smart, balanced look.

Plus, if you are looking for tips on how to style a bed in a small space, this pared-back, symmetrical approach is perfect.

4. Zone the space with wallpaper

Bedroom wallpaper ideas not only bring color, character and texture to a room, they can also be used in certain sections of a room to mark distinct zones.

For double bed ideas for small rooms, using wallpaper around the bed can beautifully define the area with color and pattern, creating a room within a room effect in a small space.

Choosing a tonal color palette and picking a wallpaper that coordinates with the other colors used in your bedroom will ensure the overall look does not feel too overwhelming. In this beautiful blue bedroom, the wallpaper perfectly complements the headboard, bedding and blinds, creating a zoned sleep space that still remains cohesive and stylish.

5. Position artwork above the bed

A multipurpose design detail, decorating with art in the bedroom can add visual interest to the room as well enhance the feeling of space, so get creative with above the bed decor ideas and decorate with some eye-catching pieces of art.

Jen & Mar, Co-Founders of Interior Fox state that, 'the bed is the focal point of any bedroom, and the area above is the perfect spot for artwork. For maximum impact in a smaller room, opt for larger pieces of art over the bed to bring the scheme together. If you’re stuck for what color or design to opt for, take this opportunity to pull in an accent color. Whether that’s black used in the furniture or a color from the soft furnishings, sticking to this rule will make the room flow and feel cohesive.'

6. Create a cozy nook bed

Nook bed ideas can be as simple as positioning a double bed up against a wall, to as theatrical as incorporating bespoke false walls, curtains and canopies. A true embodiment of comfort, relaxation and warmth, a nook bed can work wonderfully in a small bedroom space.

For double bed ideas for small rooms, a cozy nook bed can make the most out of awkward alcoves and the space available, as well as creating a truly inviting and cozy bedroom environment. 

Inspired by the Bloomsbury Set and the Arts & Crafts movement, this stand-out nook bed unites color, pattern and texture to create a stunning design feature and artistic statement in a small bedroom.

7. Enhance the feeling of space with mirrors

Decorating with mirrors is renowned to make a room feel more spacious and bright, so why not position mirrors above or around a double bed for an enhanced feeling of space. 

Helen Pratt, Designer Ambassador at Arteriors states, 'where possible throughout the home, utilizing mirrors to reflect light will make rooms seem larger than they are - particular when occupying a full wall'.

In this sophisticated master bedroom designed by Margaret Ash Design, she states of the overall home design, 'this classic Victorian home in San Francisco's Pacific Heights was given a fresh update with clean, soft neutrals taking advantage of the abundance of natural light which fills the space'. 

The bedroom mirror ideas shown in this room enhance the beautiful light that floods in through the large windows, with the matching mirrors positioned either side of the double bed to create a feeling of openness, symmetry and space.

8. Factor in storage ideas

Small bedroom storage ideas are one of the most important factors to plan in when organizing a design for a small bedroom.

If you are looking for a bed that has hidden storage compartments, Patricia Gibbons on the Design Team at Sofa.com states, 'for everyday access, divan styles are best as the drawers are accessible for daily needs, but for a seasonal change-over of clothing, duvets and blankets, then an ottoman bed is the one for you.'

For storage ideas around the bed, this bedroom highlights how a double bed can fit neatly into the space between two alcove shelving units. The alcoves work as both a storage and display space as well as providing a practical surface area either side of the bed - like that of a bed-side table. 

For even more squeezed spaces, overbed storage ideas combined with underbed storage ideas may be the best option, whether the room is a bedroom that's used constantly or a guest space that deals with surplus or seasonal storage.

Whether you choose an innovative double bed design with hidden storage, or build custom storage units around the bed, there are many options to choose from that can provide innovative storage solutions in smaller spaces.

9. Use an oversized headboard

We have discussed the effect of a tall headboard, so why not go the other way (literally) and choose an oversized design to create a stylish, elongated effect. 

Adding beautiful texture and visual interest to a small bedroom, an oversized headboard can also make your double bed feel bigger than it actual is, creating a unique, stretched effect.

In this colorful yet refined bedroom, the blue headboard has been crafted to fit into the space exactly. The design effortlessly anchors the bed into this cozy corner of the room, as well as establishing an elegant focal point and splash of color in the space.

10. Use wall lights to save on space

Jen & Mar from Interior Fox state when planning the lighting around the double bed in a small room, 'wall lights make a great alternative to table lamps as they free up the space while creating symmetry.'

A decorative and functional addition to the area around you bed for bedroom wall lighting ideas, using wall lights in this space can create an inviting, boutique hotel effect.

Whether you choose a design that focuses on providing practical, direct light, ideal for reading, or calming designs that provide a warming, relaxing glow - or a light that does both - wall lights can save space as well as add a decorative finishing touch, making your double bed feel stylish and sophisticated.

How do you style a small bedroom with a double bed?

As we have explored, the bed is the main feature in a bedroom - especially in a small room as it will take up the majority of the space. 

Designing the area around your double bed to be fun, practical and inviting will create a design that looks good and can stand the test of time. 

From being creative with artwork, to thinking about clever storage solutions, your bed area can work hard to cater to the exact needs of your room.

If the only option for you bed is up against a wall, style this space so it becomes a cozy nook. If your bedroom is lacking in natural light, use mirrors to enhance on the light available.

You can still be adventurous with color, pattern and sizing in a small bedroom, and centering your design around your double bed will only make your small bedroom space feel more welcoming, stylish and functional.