8 Ideas for Decorating A Small bedroom Without Buying Furniture

Easily refresh your space with these 8 smart ideas for decorating a bedroom without buying new furniture. Simple updates, big impact.

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It’s been a while since I’ve given our small bedroom any attention, and it was starting to feel a bit tired. I wasn’t ready to replace any of the furniture because it still looks nice and works well with the size of the room. But I knew it needed a little refreshing. Decorating a bedroom without buying new furniture is a smart and doable way to update this personal space and make it feel fresh and inviting again.

Our bedroom is on the small side, but it’s just the right size for us and our downsized lifestyle. It, like the rest of our home, is filled with slim-lined traditional furnishings and decorated in warm, mostly neutral colors. When I noticed it was getting tired, I decided to redecorate our bedroom, adding a little pattern and a new color.

Switch Out The Bedding

One of the biggest updates you can make in a bedroom, without changing any of the furniture, is to switch out the bedding. In particular, your top layer, like quilts, comforters, and duvet covers. Since our beds are usually the biggest items in our bedrooms, giving our beds a fresh look with new bedding will make a noticeable difference.

We keep a cotton white comforter on our bed throughout the year. It’s the perfect layer for cooler weather and when our home is air-conditioned in the summer. The soft green (duck egg blue) quilt layered on top of the white one is not new, but we have not used it on our bed in a couple of years. We don’t like duvets. Although it would look lovely at the end of our bed, we find them heavy and cumbersome and would just end up on the floor.

As part of this update, I also wanted to add some color to our room, still keeping it restful and calm.

I just love this tranquil comforter. The color and the little fabric-covered ball details make it something out of the ordinary.

When you think about updating the top layer of bedding on your bed, you should also think about other important bedding items that will help you create a finished look you’ll love. Will you use shams that match or complement the bedding? Are you using a bedskirt? Do you need one? We replaced our bed a couple of years ago with a platform bed. Our old upholstered bed and bedskirt were relocated to a guest room.

I added white quilt shams and Euro shams to match the green quilt.

Choose New Pillows

Aside from choosing a new top layer for your bed and the pillows that complement it, decorative throw pillows are one of the most significant updates you can make to give your bedroom a fresh, updated look. I love pillows and the way they create a coordinated, designer look to a room, so I use them liberally.

Pillows add that extra layer of texture, color, shape, and style to a bed.

The brown buffalo check pillows are made from the same fabric as our curtains, and the middle pillow features a combination of colors found in the room. Because I use lots of warm neutrals in our home, I can easily add more pillows to our bed or change them out depending on the season or my whim.

Switch Out The Curtains

Most bedrooms could benefit from curtains, no matter the size. Along with your bedding, curtains can also make a huge difference when added to a bedroom. Choose curtains that complement your wall color, bedding, and other prominent decor in your bedroom. Most importantly, curtains should meet your light needs if you are not using blinds or shades.

Hanging curtains as close to the ceiling as possible and allowing them to touch the floor will make a small bedroom look larger. Depending on your windows, opt for more than one panel on each side for fullness and a more tailored feel.

These curtains once lived in our living room and dining room, and now have a happy home in our small master bedroom. I wanted to bring more pattern and color into our room, and what we already had worked beautifully.

Blinds That Work With Your Needs

Everyone should think about their needs when it comes to light and darkness in a bedroom. This is a very important step in decorating a bedroom for comfort. Asking yourself a few key questions will help you match blinds and curtains to your preferences, including whether you will open and close them. Do you like a dark room when you go to bed and wake up? Or do you prefer the light to naturally darken at night and brighten with the sunrise? Then find the blinds or shades that meet those needs.

We are early risers, so we love having our room get lighter as the sun comes up. I often don’t set an alarm when I don’t absolutely have to be somewhere at a given time, and the light in our room wakes me up. It’s a very luxurious feeling! We also chose a motorized, remote control system.

You can view our light-filtering blinds HERE.

Art

When decorating a bedroom, art is a wonderful way to add beauty and personality. It sets the mood of the room and makes it feel finished, as it draws your eye up and makes the walls in this room feel more interesting. Art doesn’t have to be expensive; your bedroom is the perfect place to choose pieces you love.

We have had the botanical picture over the nightstands for almost two decades. They hung in our large StoneGable bedroom and then in the hall at the Tanglewood House. And now they are back in our master bedroom. I found them at a furniture store showroom. You can see a poster-sized print of them HERE.

What a difference the Audubon swan print added above our bed made to our room. I love Audubon paintings. So, this is a personal piece that makes me happy every time I look at it.

We have pictures of our family above a bench on a wall that is not shown. One of my children does not want images of their children shown online.

Clean Off Your Nightstands

A clutter-free nightstand makes such a difference in a bedroom. A nightstand that has only the essentials creates calm and order in a room meant for rest.

My nightstand can get a bit cluttered with lip balm, face cream, supplements, my phone, a book, a tumbler of water, and other items that tend to accumulate. I feel so disorganized when my nightstand gets chaotic, so I make it a rule to clear it off before I go to bed and keep only the most necessary items on it. My phone, water, small boxes, and flowers are the only things I keep there overnight.

One way I keep clutter at bay is to use stackable boxes that sit on the nightstand. They hold lip balm, an elastic band for my hair, and a small bottle of hand lotion. The round, stackable baskets on the bottom shelf of the nightstand also hold things like body lotion, supplements, and anything else I might need near my bed.

A clear nightstand helps your whole room look tidy and pulled together.

Add Flowers Or Plants

Every bedroom benefits greatly from fresh flowers or a plant or two. It’s a lovely finishing touch. It adds a bit of organic softness and makes a room feel well-cared for.

Fresh flowers and greenery create a calm atmosphere, and that’s exactly what we want in our bedrooms. The beauty of these lovely touches is that they can reflect the season or your mood. Flowers on my vanity and nightstand are a must!

Decorating a bedroom without buying new furniture is such a practical and rewarding way to refresh and update your space with a few changes that have a big visual impact. You can decorate a bedroom that feels pretty, polished, and personal. We spend one-third of our lives sleeping. Shouldn’t our bedrooms be a place we want to spend time?.

I hope you will look at your bedroom with fresh eyes and give it a thoughtful and beautiful update.

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Happy decorating, friends…