How to Decorate a Narrow Bedroom
Houses and apartments with a lot of character sometimes include bedrooms with unusual dimensions. If you’re looking for ways to transform your narrow bedroom into a dreamy space to rest your head, use these foolproof small bedroom ideas from us at Pottery Barn to make the space work for your needs.
Anchor the Room with a Beautiful Bed
Creative bedroom layout ideas often focus on the bed. And with good reason! That furniture piece is the focal point of the room. Your bed can be the star of the show in your narrow bedroom. One easy way to accomplish this while maximizing space is to place the bed on the far end of the room. Arrange your headboard against the narrow wall. Letting natural light in and giving a glimpse outside can be a great way of making the space feel bigger and airier. This may not be the best strategy if that’s the only window you have. But if the window is large, higher than your bed or one of several sources of natural light in the room, placing the bed in this part of the room gives it a place of prominence. It also helps you break up the space with your biggest piece of bedroom furniture.
Leave Strategic Patches of Open Wall Space
Arranging furniture in a long narrow bedroom can be both aesthetically pleasing and practical. Crowding extra furniture in the space can make it feel cramped. It also makes moving around more difficult. Avoid lining parallel walls with large furniture pieces, even if there’s enough room to move between them. This emphasizes how close together the walls are. It can also make it harder for two people to comfortably use the space at once. If you’re sitting in an armchair while your partner opens the doors of your armoire right in front of you, it can feel a little crowded.
Draw the Eye Up
Avoid lines that might emphasize the long horizontal line of the walls. Instead, focus on drawing the eye upward to create a sense of vertical dimension. You’ll make the room feel more open. This could mean anything from opting for a tallboy dresser rather than a short and wide one, or choosing some fabrics with vertical stripes. Use vertical stripes for curtains or bedskirts rather than rugs or duvet covers.
Think Small, Regardless of Square Footage
Not all long narrow bedrooms are small. The length of the space could add up to a lot of room. However, it's still a good idea to strategize using the same techniques as you would with small rooms. Forego the busy prints. Stick with smaller fixtures and use the space efficiently with combination storage furniture. The more open space you can allow in the room, the better. Small space storage techniques are also useful in a long and narrow bedroom. Think under-bed storage, wall shelves, multitasking pieces and maximized closet space.
Economize Decor
Strategizing how to decorate a long and narrow bedroom requires some clever thinking. You’ll get the most success by looking up to the walls and ceiling instead of down at the floors. Decorative objects like sculptures or large plants take up a lot of valuable floor space. You’ll need it for maneuvering in the room comfortably. Instead, think about hanging basket planters or shelves with smaller sculptural objects to bring your sense of style to life while keeping the floor open.
Paint an Accent Wall
Focus on using the long, narrow walls to bring light into the space with light paint. This leaves the short end walls open to creative possibility, including accent wall painting or using a fun but subtle wallpaper. White, light blue, light gray or yellow are good shades for the long walls. You can choose any coordinating color you’d like for the accent. Going for a darker color on the long walls can work, but that’s typically only the case if you prefer a cozier space or if there’s a lot of natural light in the room from windows or skylights.
With these helpful ideas, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying a creative new layout in your narrow bedroom.