17 Attractive Ways to Optimize Small Bedroom Storage

Choose Nighstands With Storage

When choosing bedroom furniture, it's always a good idea to look for nightstands with some kind of built-in storage such as drawers where you can store everyday items out of sight.

In this small bedroom from Emily Henderson Design, the wooden nightstand has a hidden storage compartment behind a woven front that can be pulled down with leather tabs, leaving the top free for a few choice items.

Use the Windowsill

A thick windowsill doubles as a headboard and a nightstand in this small Swedish bedroom from Fantastic Frank.

Swap the Nightstand for a Chest

In this NYC apartment bedroom from Becca Interiors, a large chest of drawers subs in for a nightstand, creating ample space to store extra linens, clothes, accessories, and more. The top is styled with a table lamp and objects that make the decor feel finished.

Hang Magazine Racks

Fantastic Frank hung a pair of black wire magazine holders on the wall of this studio apartment that keeps reading material neatly stored and doubles as decor in the small space.

Add a Stealth Storage Bench

Thistlewood Farms added an upholstered storage bench at the foot of the bed in this light and bright bedroom. It functions as both a place to sit and hidden storage for extra blankets or anything else you need close at hand but want to keep out of sight.

Repurpose a Trundle Bed

Thistlewood Farms repurposed a trundle bed to create seamless extra under-bed storage, lining it with vintage newspapers instead of a mattress.

Add Built-Ins

In this small Paris bedroom from Neva Interior Design, built-in shelving around the bed provides ample storage for everything from clothes to linens, keeping clutter out of sight. The u-shaped shelving is painted in a soothing shade of pistachio green—it creates a niche that doubles as a headboard and is decorated with soft wallpaper and space-saving wall sconces.

Outsource Your Shoe Closet

If your closet is getting cramped, outsource your shoe closet and turn your footwear collection into decor by adding a row of shoe cubbies like this small bedroom storage solution from Neva Interior Design. Then style the top with objects and art to make it look intentional rather than makeshift.

Source a Vintage Crate

A vintage trunk or crate adds character to a small bedroom, like the painted wood crate at the end of this small modern farmhouse style guest bedroom from My 100 Year Old Home. The inside can be used to store extra pillows and blankets and the sturdy top provides guests with a convenient place to rest their suitcases.

Add Midcentury Details

In this Palm Springs bedroom from Michelle Boudreau Design, a pair of midcentury modern nightstands with double drawers keep bedside clutter out of sight. A built-in floating console in the same rich wood doubles as a bedroom work station or a vanity. Gold hardware in two different styles keeps the furniture from looking like a perfectly matched set.

Frame the Bed

Fantastic Frank added L-shaped shelving that serves as book storage, a place to display art, and a de facto headboard. The shelving melds into the white walls while bringing structure and its contents add notes of color to this light, bright, and compact bedroom.

Make It Seamless

If you're remodeling a small bedroom, consider devoting an entire wall-to-floor to custom-built ceiling storage that will utilize every inch of available space. This sleek modern space from Caroline Andreoni Interior Design also includes a disappearing wall desk.

DIY Under Bed Storage

Blogger Liz Marie upcycled some spare dresser drawers to create affordable under-bed storage that looks purposeful and fits in with the farmhouse decor. She painted the drawers, distressed them for a vintage look, attached metal address numbers to the front, and then added wheels to the bottoms to make sliding them in and out a breeze.

Build a Wall of Open Shelving

Although it might seem counterintuitive, in a small bedroom or other space—adding an entire wall of storage, whether open or closed, can make the space feel larger by drawing the eye upward toward the ceiling and concentrating collections in a single area.

My 100 Year Old Home added open shelving in this attic guest room that is used to store and display books and decor. The battery operated-remote control lights at the top of the bookshelves provide ambient light. In a bedroom, be sure to keep shelves neatly arranged and styled so the room doesn't feel disheveled or chaotic which can interfere with sleep.

Use Shallow Shelving

In this compact space from Caroline Andreoni Interior Design, the radiator is covered in a perforated material that allows air and heat to flow. It is topped with a narrow wood shelf that provides extra storage and display space, with shorter floating shelves hung on the wall above the bed.

Style Your Storage Space

While closet storage is more about organization than aesthetics, don't forget to look for unexpected opportunities to lift your mood with lighting and decor. Most Lovely Things made space in the closet for a shelf to store jewelry that includes a small lamp for mood-boosting ambient light (a portable LED-powered lamp would work well here), removable wallpaper, a small mirror, and some art.

Hang It Up

In a small bedroom, look for opportunities to display frequently used items that were meant to be seen by hanging them on the wall.

This room was designed by Emily Bowser for Emily Henderson Design—a wooden peg rack hung on the wall provides a place to store jewelry and scarves, while a bench with hidden storage below doubles as a corner window seat.