Room for Improvement #5: Tiny-bedroom tips

Rotating a bed and considering a new frame are just two ways to make a big impact

I found this tiny bedroom on Reddit. It is essentially a box with one small window. To make matters worse, the window is more like what you see in a bathroom and it isn’t even centered. An ASB (Awkward Small Bedroom) for sure.

Reddit user No-Lo9955 wanted to “kick it up a notch” and asked for ideas to make it a cozier space. So that’s what we are going to do here.

That rogue window isn’t doing this plain room any favors. We need to push things around a little bit in here.

My first thought was that the bed wasn’t doing anything for the room. The linens are nice but it could use a headboard with some decorative elements and height. I envisioned an interesting headboard with open spaces (like metal or rattan) instead of a dark block of wood. Painted wood designs would also be very pretty.

This stunning headboard doubles as an art piece and would liven things up. (Photo: Pandora’s)

On Nano Banana 2 AI image editing, I tried a few different prompts and came up with this.

I am a definite novice with Nano Banana’s AI tool and this result isn’t exactly what I wanted. The machine definitely had a mind of its own and decided to move the window to the center! But I think the decorative metal headboard centered between dainty nightstands is an improvement.

Below is an East Indian style rattan headboard that is tall, but still light and airy. With such a plain boxy room I think that more attention should be given to the bed since it is the largest furnishing and commands attention.

This bedroom (a real one) looks like it’s close in size to our case study. See how much spice the rattan headboard adds? A translucent curtain across the entire wall is a nice touch and would disguise the awkward window while allowing in light. (Photo: Hallstrom Home)

The bedroom also needs some spot lighting, such as a couple of pendant plug-in lamps in the corner, if it’s a rental. For an owned home, consider a wall sconce on each side of the bed and an upgraded central light fixture.

Better Bed Placement

Did you know that there are rules regarding bed placement? I knew about feng shui but I wasn’t as familiar with certain taboos in interior design.

Feng shui principles recommend that a bed be in “command” position, which means that you have a sightline to the door, on a diagonal. The entryway should be visible but not on a perfectly straight line. The head of the bed should not be placed next to an entryway.

Common advice from interior design circles advises against pushing the bed against the wall on its widest side unless it is a child’s room. You are supposed to keep your bed in the center of the room for balance and access. Hmmm.

For this room, I might flout the rules and experiment with placing the bed against the back wall. It would open up so much more space in the front.

You can kind of see what I mean in this bedroom. The bed’s widest side is placed against the wall, giving much more space in the room’s center. (Photo: Apartment Therapy)

The undersized window and its off-center placement is a real problem. You need to work with the left section of the wall to create more of a balance.

This configuration opens up an L-shaped space and makes the window placement feel a bit more intentional. (Photo: Sustain My Craft Habit)

One way to do this is to position the bed against the left-hand wall. Then, put a dresser under the window and a shelf tower to the right of the window so that it resembles built-ins.

This AI-generated room shows what I mean about surrounding the window with furnishings. You could probably get a built-in effect with a wider dresser that buts up against a similar-looking tall bookshelf.

Using Nano Banana again, I came up with this. The bed’s headboard should have been on the back wall, left of the window, but you get the idea.

With the right headboard style, experimenting with bed placement, new paint, spot lighting, compelling art work, and either a curtain wall or some built-ins around the single window, Hi-Lo9955 could bring a lot of beauty and character into her room.