Box bedroom ideas: how to make the most of the smallest room in the house
Small bedrooms can be hard enough to work with, but when it comes to the box bedroom, things get even trickier to manage. These tiniest of tiny bedrooms are common across UK housing stock, particularly in cities like London, and their diminutive proportions make them really rather challenging, both practically and aesthetically. First, there is the not-insignificant question of where to position the bed, then comes the important matter of storage, and how to accommodate everything you need without the room resembling something akin to a jumble sale or storage unit. As such, many owners of homes with box bedrooms prefer to turn them into a study or an additional wardrobe area in order to avoid the problem entirely. But, for those who are are tight on sleeping space, this simply will not be an option.
MAY WE SUGGEST: Space-saving design and storage ideas for small, cosy bedrooms
Fortunately, there are plenty of clever and creative ways to make the most of box bedrooms. Get the fundamental aspects of the layout right and you can transform these smallest of rooms into spaces that are both useful and beautiful – and just as much a part of your decorative narrative as any other room in the house. Often, the only place for a bed in a box room is against one wall, but by incorporating some whimsy into their design – our favourite approach is the box bed or bed nook – they can become a very special place to sleep. Below, we have gathered box bedroom ideas from the House & Garden archives that show how some of our favourite interior designers have approached these potentially challenging (and often daunting spaces), proving just how wonderful tiny rooms can be when approached with a little bit of knowledge and, perhaps most importantly, imagination.
Box bedroom ideas from the House & Garden archives
Chris Snook1/17Designer Laura Parkinson of Palmer & Stone has easily overcome the awkward proportions of this child’s box bedroom in a family home in Clapham. By positioning a small single bed below the window, and installing lovely thick curtains, she has created a wonderfully cosy feel, with subtle splashes of colour introduced by the bed and the sweet little set of steps. The wall-hung shelving is the perfect finishing touch, providing a space to display some of the child’s favourite things – which they can happily admire while lying in bed.
Rachel Whiting2/17One of our favourite recent examples can be found in the Kensington home of Lucy Clayton, where she and designer Ben Pentreath have created a tented bed effect in rich blues and reds. Inspired by Lucy’s childhood doll’s house, it features striped wallpaper, ticking fabric and a traditional Welsh blanket on the bed. It is at once theatrical and warmly inviting – the perfect balance for this small room.
Dean Hearne3/17Another way to make a box bedroom aesthetically pleasing is to install an interesting bed canopy. This is exactly what Emma Ainscough has done in one of the children’s bedrooms in a recent project in Chelsea. It’s also a wonderful way to bring in additional pattern and colour – here, the pink checked fabric of the canopy is lined with a pretty floral that complements the walls and ceiling have been in Cole & Son’s ‘Sweet Pea’.
Christopher Horwood4/17In this South Downs cottage, designer Angelica Squire has embraced the small size of this spare room by cladding the walls in tongue-and-groove panels to make it feel more cabin-like, and painted it in a warm yellow.. The blind fabric is Namay Samay ‘Gulnaar’ in ochre, and the pendant light is by Matilda Goad.
Ben Anders5/17If you’re dealing with a particularly unusual space, or are just hoping to have a bit of fun, take your lead from this room in a live-work space in east London designed by Lucy Bathurst of Nest Design. Here, a built-in seating area in antique oak, featuring Lucy’s hand-dyed velvet cushions, conceals a bathtub below an iroko top, and a disco ball bounces light around the room. While this sort of approach won’t work everywhere, it is a brilliant example of how to turn a box room into an imaginative, multi-purpose space.
Christopher Horwood6/17In designer Tamsin Saunders’ own home in Richmond, her son Jago’s room is small but mighty, with colour and character in just the right measure. The wooden trunk at the foot of the bed and the built-in shelf beside it are excellent storage solutions for box bedrooms.
Rebecca Reid7/17For a subtler take on the bed niche, consider installing fabric panels around a single bed, as Tom Bartlett of Waldo Works did in this Marylebone apartment. It’s a particularly good idea for small children, as it provides some cushioning between them and the wall while giving the space a nice cocooning atmosphere. The extended headboard is upholstered in Christopher Farr Cloth’s ‘Belge’ in green, while the valance is in Etro’s ‘Balta’.
Simon Bergström8/17In Sebastian Bergstrom’s compact Stockholm flat, an internal window opens from the bedroom into the kitchen, making the room feel brighter and more spacious. A clever shelf behind the bed and deep windowsills provide space for plants and to set down a cup or glass.
Paul Massey9/17This box room, designed for grandchildren and the odd guest in a London house by Laura Stephens, is a ‘theatrical and whimsical space.’ The wallpaper is from Jim Thompson, paired with Paint & Paper Library's ‘Rhubarb’. Children’s toys are stashed in boxes under the bed, covered with a valence in Romo ‘Linara’. Laura asked the decorator to paint a line around the perimeter of the room to make it feel more integrated and tie the scheme together.
Alexander James10/17This tiny box room in a south London house by Studio Peake has a severely sloping ceiling, making it difficult for anyone to stand up at one end. Sarah Peake's solution was to put in a single bed below the window, and build out a nook up to the angle of the ceiling, using the space efficiently and making the room feel more spacious. Ottoline de Vries‘ Chintamani Trellis' wallpaper lines the inside, while the red is picked up by the Habitat lamp.
Rachel Whiting11/17In Gabby Deeming’s Bloomsbury flat, the bed takes up the width of the room. The window has a linen half-curtain made from a vintage tablecloth as a concession to privacy. The lack of other curtains or blinds mean that the attractive curved tops of the windows are still visible. Of the canopy bed she says, ‘it feels so self-contained, a bit like a ship that's going to set sail with me in it, which I love. It’s a very good bed for daydreaming.’
Milo Brown12/17Lonika Chande has made the most of this space in a Chelsea townhouse by installing one of our favourite small bedroom solutions, a pretty box bed. ‘We positioned the bed underneath the sash window to maximise floor space, because we couldn’t afford to lose any space around the bed. We also created a shelf behind the headboard, which actually lifts up to reveal storage for clutter or extra books.’ In the same room, Lonika designed a wardrobe that ‘appears to be freestanding, but has decent drawers and the depth of something built-in’.
Owen Gale13/17On the top floor of Charlotte and Angus Buchanan’s Edwardian house in north-west London is a small spare bedroom, where a double bed slots neatly below the window and panelled walls are painted in Atelier Ellis’ ‘Bell Pink’. We especially like the clever alcoves built into the panelling on either side of the bed in lieu of side tables, ensuring there is space for everything you might need.
Owen Gale14/17One of the guest bedrooms in Georgina Cave’s house has a bed with drawers designed by Georgina to maximise storage. The handmade patchwork quilt was designed and sewn by her daughter Anouska using leftover scraps of fabric from the eiderdowns she makes. The blind fabric was sourced from Namay Samay and the rug from Warris Vianni.
Paul Massey15/17While not as compact as some of the other bedrooms in this gallery, this room in Rosi de Ruig’s house offers up a multitude of ideas: built-in shelving above the bed, a skirt under the bed to hide away storage, and a pelmet with curtain to create a cosy sleeping nook. Ottoline’s ‘Chintz Constance’ wallpaper in light blue and marigold extends onto the wooden trim above the bed, which was inspired by a design by Veere Grenney. Bed curtains in an inky velvet from Tinsmiths contrast with Cathy Nordström’s ‘Marianne’ linen in red, chosen for the curtains at the window.
- modern country home designed by Veere Greeney</a>. The bed curtains are in a wool felt from Holland & Sherry.","contentType":"photo","credit":"David Oliver","segmentedSources":{"sm":[{"height":480,"width":320,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_320,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"},{"height":960,"width":640,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_640,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"}],"md":[{"height":960,"width":640,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_640,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"},{"height":1920,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_1280,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"}],"lg":[{"height":1536,"width":1024,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_1024,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"},{"height":3072,"width":2048,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_2048,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"}],"xl":[{"height":1920,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_1280,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"}],"xxl":[{"height":1920,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189391fa4c7bfe01adfee3f/master/w_1280,c_limit/Final_Dressing_Room_020-house-28jun17-david-oliver_b.jpg"}]}}}" data-testid="GallerySlideWrapper">
David Oliver16/17Bed curtains and a pocket of patterned wallpaper give the feeling of a cosy room-within-a-room in a small bedroom at a modern country home designed by Veere Greeney. The bed curtains are in a wool felt from Holland & Sherry.
- curtain, in a room that also acts as a dressing room. By tucking the bed away, the rest of the room is freed up for <a href=https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/"https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/wardrobe-ideas/">wardrobes and a dresser. Another excellent example of a multi-functional, space-maximising layout.","contentType":"photo","credit":"Tim Beddow","segmentedSources":{"sm":[{"height":415,"width":320,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_320,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"},{"height":829,"width":640,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_640,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"}],"md":[{"height":829,"width":640,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_640,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"},{"height":1659,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_1280,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"}],"lg":[{"height":1327,"width":1024,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_1024,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"},{"height":2654,"width":2048,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_2048,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"}],"xl":[{"height":1659,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_1280,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"}],"xxl":[{"height":1659,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893f5cf4c358180440ae4a/master/w_1280,c_limit/dressing_room_016075x.jpg"}]}}}" data-testid="GallerySlideWrapper">
Tim Beddow17/17When approaching the design of her own house, decorator Sarah Vanrenen made the most of a small bedroom by creating a bed niche behind a curtain, in a room that also acts as a dressing room. By tucking the bed away, the rest of the room is freed up for wardrobes and a dresser. Another excellent example of a multi-functional, space-maximising layout.
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