Relax: white is not your only option for your small bedroom. There are certain ways to incorporate colour into your teeny tiny space without letting it overwhelm the entire room.
And while it’s true that lighter tones can help a space feel larger, a lot of today’s interior designers actually encourage bringing in darker hues for the bedroom, seeing as it’s a personal space.
But whichever colour floats your boat, we have some tried-and-tested options that have proven to be quite successful when it comes to bedrooms that are rather modest in size.
Let’s see what they are…
1. Soft pastels
2. Calm blue
If you’re not so keen on white-based neutrals, yet still want to avoid the pastel world, blue tones are perfect. They’re inherently calm and relaxing, which is just what you need in a bedroom (big or small)!
We recommend going for a pale hue (like ‘arctic’, ‘baby’ or ‘sky’) or a tone with some light grey mixed into it.
3. Pickle green
No, this is not necessarily a light color, but yes, it can work for a small bedroom – as long as you commit to keeping the natural- and artificial lighting levels of that room up!
We especially love the idea of a pickle (or crocodile, or moss) green room having a big open window to let the interiors become one with the green outdoors.
4. Another white
The day the design gods were in a good mood is the day they blessed us with a myriad of off-white hues, like ‘pearl’, ‘powder’, ‘bone’, ‘coconut’, ‘egg shell’, etc.
Consider an off-white hue (or even a nice cream) instead of plain white if you want that small bedroom to appear open and more spacious.
In all cases, a white ceiling is useful in a small room for creating an illusion of greater height.
5. Earth tones
Technically, ‘earth tones’ include any colour that occurs in nature. However, when we speak in design (and we always do), the term refers to muted tones of beige, brown, orange and yellow.
Light earth tones in shades of sand or beige will help a small bedroom look larger and brighter. And we also recommend going this route if you’re thinking of putting your house on the market—as neutral colours, they appeal to a large number of potential buyers.
6. A bold choice
Want your small bedroom to have a splash of your favourite bold colour in it? Then go with an accent wall by having only one of the walls flaunt that deep shade.
Having one surface in a bold hue can actually elongate a room and make it feel larger.
Choose a colour scheme that treats the accent wall as the focal point of the room and decorate around that.
7. Stop stressing
Stop worrying about the fact that your small bedroom is… well, small. If a hot and smouldering orange is what appeals to your aesthetics, yet you’re concerned it’s going to make your small bedroom feel even smaller, take a chill pill.
Unlike a living room, it’s rather acceptable for a bedroom to “feel small”. Because when it comes to bedrooms, cosy can be quite nice!
Another room, another batch of options; let’s see: 10 great colours to paint your small living room walls.
8. Embrace what you have
While it may seem boring, white remains one of the best colors for small bedrooms — it lightens the room and goes with any furniture you want to bring in. Plus, it's usually the base color of the room already. There are a myriad of things you can do to bring in some color.
If you have a white room that you can't paint, try injecting some color on the walls with artwork, posters, murals or books, like the example here. White may not be your ideal colour scheme for your small bedroom, but it could make the room look more open.
Embrace it and style the room with colourful furniture you love. Choose patterned bedding or colourful pillows. Also, bringing in wooden furniture in a particular shade can help to add texture to the room.