When decorating a small bedroom, there is no denying that practicality is key. You must work out how to incorporate storage, how to make space for the all-important bed and, very often, how it can function as both a home office and a guest room. But if you want to transform the look and feel of the space, choosing the right colour is crucial. ‘People tend to fall into two camps: those who want to make the room feel bigger, and those who want to make it feel more cocooning and comforting,’ says Tash Bradley, director of interior design at paint company Lick. ‘And the lovely thing is, colour can do both depending on how you use it.’
If you’re struggling to decide which way to go, try to spend more time in the room – preferably at different points throughout the day – to ascertain which approach would work best. Do you think your small bedroom would benefit from a lighter, airier feel, or does it need some warmth and richness? This will depend on the room itself – its orientation, ceiling height, architectural features – and on your personal preference. Sadly we can’t make this decision for you, but we can guide you through the next stage: finding a paint colour to achieve your desired effect. We have asked clued-up colour consultants to recommend their favourite shades, colour combinations and application techniques to make a big impact in a small bedroom.
Soft greens and blues
‘If you want to make your bedroom feel bigger, go for colours with shorter wavelengths, so think soft greens and blues,’ says Tash from Lick. ‘These shades naturally recede, which makes the walls feel like they’re moving away from you.’ For this, she recommends Lick’s calming lighter tones: ‘Green 09’, ‘Green 01’, ‘Blue 01’, ‘Blue 02’ or ‘Blue 03’. Freelance colour consultant Harriet Slaughter agrees that ‘a soft blue can be beautiful and restful in a small space’. Her new favourite is ‘Uncle Maths’ from the Beata Heuman collection with Mylands. ‘Gentle, a little greyed, but not at all clinical, it feels very pretty in a bedroom and would also suit a nursery,’ she adds.
Warm neutrals
‘If you would rather stay neutral, a pinkish off-white can do wonders,’ says Harriet. For this, she loves ‘Dimity’ by Farrow & Ball. ‘A beautifully flattering, almost-pink white, it is a forgiving colour that makes small spaces feel soft and cocooning,’ she explains. Farrow & Ball’s own colour consultant Joa Studholme also tends towards subtle, warming tones in small bedrooms, such as ‘Scallop’, her own namesake ‘Joa’s White’ and ‘Hay’. If you want to go a little richer, you could try ‘Taupe 03’ from Lick, says Tash.
Reds and browns
‘It’s a common misconception that small spaces require light colours. In reality, embracing deeper, richer shades can completely transform a compact room,’ explains Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene. ‘Darker tones such as “Baked Cherry”, an impressive, sumptuous red, will create an enveloping, jewel-box effect, intimate, sophisticated, and wonderfully cocooning. Rather than shrinking the space, these rich shades invite warmth, character, and depth, turning even the smallest bedroom room into a luxurious retreat.’
‘Browns are my go-to at the moment because they are so flattering of everything else,’ says Edward Bulmer, highlighting the importance of creating a cohesive scheme in a small space. ‘Let the fabrics do the work, but choose a colour that features in them or tones with them in a supporting way.’
Colour drenching
‘There are huge benefits to colour drenching a small bedroom,’ says Joa, Farrow & Ball’s colour curator. ‘No one wants to lie in bed looking at a white ceiling.’ And all of our experts are in agreement. ‘It blurs all the edges,’ says Tash. ‘So it stops your eye from noticing where one surface ends and another begins, instantly making the room feel bigger and more seamless.’ Harriet has found this approach to be most transformative ‘if a room feels boxy, or lacks height or architectural features like a cornice’.
The beauty of colour drenching is that it works equally well with lighter and darker tones. While Joa likes the ‘soothing, tranquil’ feel of a small bedroom drenched in a warm neutral, Tash from Lick loves to take dusky olive ‘Green 05’ or mid terracotta ‘Red 03’ across a whole room. ‘When you colour drench in these tones, it’s like giving the room a big hug, perfect for winding down at the end of the day,’ says Tash.
Colour combinations
‘If you want to create a more dramatic space then using a stronger tone on the bottom of the walls and a lighter tone above will open out the room when you are standing and feel more cosy when you are lying down,’ suggests Joa, referring to a popular technique known as tonal layering or ‘double drenching’. In small bedrooms, Joa tends towards green tones ‘to tie in with what is outside the window to make the room feel bigger’. Her favourite couplings are ‘Pigeon’ and ‘Cromarty’ or ‘Treron’ and ‘Eddy’.
‘Combinations of darker shades are really good at creating a shift in ambience from the rest of the home,’ says Andy Greenall, head of design at Paint & Paper Library. One of his tried-and-tested combinations is ‘Purple Azurite’ on the walls with inky ‘Plimsoll’ on the ceiling. ‘The result is a layered, tonal scheme that feels immersive, indulgent and entirely personal,’ he adds. This could work very well in a guest room that isn’t used every day, especially if you’re anxious about committing to strong colours elsewhere. Remember, small spaces are always a great place to experiment so get creative and try something new.
