How Can I Create A Minimalist Bedroom Design?

Minimalism has been one of the most popular designs adopted in homes. It mostly features a few pieces, muted colors, and white spaces. But more than a concept, it is a lifestyle that you can commit to. A minimalist bedroom may be a good place to start if you are considering it in your design or redesign.

Creating a minimalist design requires a nice amount of planning and preparation. It should not be hard, though, as you only need to consider several factors during the process. In this guide, you will read about the 5 steps to creating a minimalist bedroom. We are also throwing in ideas for you to explore.

Understanding minimalism and its benefits can also help you be more grounded in the concept. This can boost your confidence in building your own design. There are no strict rules, however, so you are free to experiment. Are you excited to delve deeper now? Let’s walk you through the definition and the steps to achieve the design.

What Is Minimalism?

1. It does not mean turning into a hermit.

Some people may think of minimalism as getting rid of everything they own and then living in a cabin in the woods. While some who embrace this concept can go to extremes, minimalism can really be as simple as owning stuff that adds value to your life. So, yes, you can still buy a beautiful bed and sleep on it instead of the floor.

The more important thing is that you can apply minimalism to your bedroom design and then be inspired to extend the discipline in other areas of your life. Or it can be vice-versa: you’re already practicing minimalism in other areas and now extending it to your bedroom design.

2. It’s about living a meaningful life.

In light of our point in #1, minimalism is more than an aesthetic choice. Of course, there’s no law preventing you from adopting it for purely interior design purposes. But there’s also no harm in internalizing a deeper reason for using it as a theme in homes, offices, and business establishments.

The latter entails a forever paring down of possessions in your life. It’s being conscious about owning objects without attaching meaning to them. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t appreciate and care for your queen-size mattress. But you accept it can be replaced just like many things–such as when it gets broken or old. So all minimalism is saying is that it’s better to derive meaning from people, passions, and health.

3. In design, it’s about simplicity and decluttering.

In design, minimalism is translated as being simple and clutter-free. The room has everything you need and nothing you don’t. We’re not saying be cold and boring and uninviting. Or throw away 75% of your clothes in the closet. Instead, stick to the things that add value to yourself and the room. If you think about your bedroom as a sanctuary, you’ll probably sleep better with a minimalist design.

Further, those who live in small condos or apartments can benefit from a minimalist bedroom design. The style comes in handy not only for aesthetic preferences but also for practical reasons.

Steps to Creating A Minimalist Bedroom

1. Declutter.

The first step to designing a minimalist bedroom is to declutter. Cleaning and clearing up the room won’t only make space in it. It will also have a positive effect on your wellbeing. Decluttering can reduce stress and anxiety. Imagine if you go home from work and won’t have to deal with the mess and chaos, especially in the bedroom where you want to just rest and relax.

So, for a start, ask yourself which among the stuff in your sleeping space do you truly need. As Marie Kondo would say, “Does this thing spark you joy?” Minimalism is about removing or preventing yourself from taking in excess stuff. So, in the end, you’re left with only the essentials.

2. Make more space.

Since we’re working on making more space, you might be left with a few items in the room. If you are off to buy new furniture in line with this redesign, you should plan out what pieces to add. Shop for furniture that will not get in the way of this preparation. Skip the clunky study desk. Go for a glass one that can create an illusion of more space.

A platform bed is also a better choice if you are looking to buy a new bed. Its low profile and under bed clearance for storage fit the minimalist design. We’ll talk about this more in the Ideas section. But you get the point about not countering the progress you’ve made with the first step.

3. Pick a color scheme.

Minimalism is about neutrals, whites, and monochromes. But just because choosing your color scheme is a practice on restraint does not mean the end result should be boring. As you will know more about later, bringing in an item that adds a touch of color can do wonders. It can be a vase or a lamp. Or something with bright-colored prints.

Also, when you pick 2 to 3 shades of color to match, you shouldn’t be limited to white, black, and gray. Blues, pinks, or any pastels can be mixed to evoke a certain feel. Do not forget to consider how warm or cool the hues are. If you will rely on natural lighting, cool tones should do. Get warm tones if you’re settling for more artificial lighting.

4. Add texture.

Another way to spruce up a minimalist bedroom is to add texture. In an all-white room, you can use wooden furniture instead of chrome ones. Leave them raw or unpolished to drive home the point. If you’re going for a generally soft look, you can just hang a painting with textured lines. It’s subtle, but it enhances the vibe without interrupting it.

There are no hard and fast rules here. But accentuating your centerpiece can really make an impact. For instance, choose a quilt or fringe duvet to cover your mattress. Place a rug with an abstract design on the floor. Or you can introduce green things, which we will discuss more in the next step.

5. Go natural.

Natural elements do not just enhance the look and feel of a minimalist bedroom. They also help boost your wellbeing. Let’s start with natural light. Exposing yourself to sunlight during the daytime can promote the regulation of your circadian rhythm. Your body knows when it’s time to wake up. Plus, using more natural light means you won’t have to rely on electricity and artificial lights that much.

Plants are also a good example of natural elements that can inject life into your sleeping space. We already know about how they produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. So there’s the biological benefit on top of them serving as beautiful decorations. You can combine any kind: large, small, hanging. Or you can go for a little potted one on your desk or by the window.

Minimalist Bedroom Ideas

Whether you are starting from scratch or redesigning your sleeping space, here are 10 ideas to get you started on the minimalist theme:

1. Chic Workspace

This loft studio in Texas motivates you to switch from sleepy to productive in a jiffy. In the image, you can find a Nelson Platform Bench which the owner is using as a coffee table. This rectangular bench is actually multipurpose, so you can customize it as a work or study desk. 

You can buy a model with wheels, like in the example, for easy moving. You can place it at the foot of your bed or near the window where natural light streams in. Its position in the bedroom depends on the amount of space you have. Here, it works in a studio-type dwelling where there’s little room for traditional sections and dividers.

2. Color Punch

Minimalism is conservative about its color use. But this doesn’t mean you cannot achieve colorful minimalism in your sleeping space. For instance, enliven all-white walls with a colorful object. This armchair upholstered in Tehran by Josef Frank has prints that deliver a punch. When placed beside other furniture pieces in a muted color palette, the chair pops up and makes a statement.

Posters and paintings can also be hung on the wall or set up on the floor. It’s up to you to choose the best location for your statement-maker. Further, you shouldn’t be limited by medium and large objects. Flowers, a collection of yarns, or a night lamp can complete the job, too.

3. Unlikely Storage

To stay true with the minimalist creed, you can repurpose an old household item instead of buying a new one. A ladder used as storage for linens and towels definitely checks the description. You can also paint it and then install it as a hanging rack. This one is dual-purpose: you can hang your clothes onto the steps and stack storage bins on the top side. 

See how it’s done here.

The good thing here is that you can design the ladder according to your heart’s desire. You can make it match the minimalist theme of your bedroom by adding the littlest modifications.

4. Maximized Space

Do you have a high ceiling? You might want to leverage that vertical space. Go for low-hanging lighting fixtures with clean lines. A pendant lamp can evoke an elegant ambiance aside from the minimalist feel. Affordable options are available on the market.

You can also take on a do-it-yourself project with bulbs and strings if you’re on a tight budget. Just make sure you follow the instructions and apply safety precautions when dealing with DIY lighting design. 

Alternatively, you can set up hanging shelves to maximize the vertical space.

5. Makeshift Headboard

Scrap wood can do wonders for your bed. With minor changes, you can install it as a headboard. You can sand it for a smooth finish and then leave it unpainted. The raw material can complement the other minimalist objects in your room, including the floor or the bed.

Repurposing scrap wood fits the minimalist’s vow of not letting things go to waste. Either use an excess piece in the storage or buy an inexpensive one from a thrift shop. Aside from wood, you can opt for a drape, an artwork, or a collection of old books.

6. Low-Profile Centerpiece

We are referring to none other than the platform bed. This type of foundation or bed frame has a low profile, which makes getting in and out of bed a breeze. At the same time, it’s sturdy and supportive enough to carry the weight of sleepers and the mattress without the help of a box spring.

You can pick a wooden or metal platform bed to suit your taste. An upholstered model also appears clean and modern. Some platform beds provide clearance underneath for slipping storage bins. Others have built-in drawers instead so you can keep stuff hidden and protected from dust and insects.

Read: What Is A Platform Bed?

7. Space Illusion

Like we said earlier, minimalism enables those living in small spaces to maximize what they have. Avoiding clutter can mean being mindful of the things you put in the bedroom. If you’re starting with a clean slate, plan out what goes in. If you’re redesigning the area, be intentional about what stays and what gets thrown out.

From a slightly different perspective, you can also maximize space by giving an illusion of more space. For example, opt for a glass desk when you’re creating your workspace. Glass matches easily with white walls and looks leaner than a clunky wooden desk.

8. The Bedroom Upstairs

Turn your studio apartment into a loft type if you have a ceiling that’s high enough. Take inspiration from this design created by Heren5 Architecten. As you can see, the bedroom shares space with the kitchen. There’s a 3.5-meter clearance between the bed and the ceiling so people can get in and out comfortably.

If a loft-type bedroom is not possible, consider using a murphy bed. There are affordable, stylish murphy beds out there to choose from. You can fold this one when not in use, clearing some space for other purposes–just what you’d want to have in a tiny apartment.

9. Natural Lighting

Did you know you can use natural light to your advantage? You can enhance a minimalist bedroom design by paying attention to how the sunlight streams in. This shouldn’t be hard if you have sliding glass doors or windows. The interior will look warmer without any help from artificial lighting during the daytime.

You can balance this out by opting for a cooler shade of white. Of course, you are not limited to bleached-out walls. You can try subdued hues like greige. And you can make the curtains white instead, which can look beautiful when they’re filtering sunlight, especially during the golden hours.

10. Warm & Monochrome

Just because minimalism favors monochromatic pairings doesn’t mean your color palette should be bland and boring. Blue and gray work together to produce some warmth. Some shades of pink are pleasing to the eyes when matched with restraint. The thing to keep in mind here is to not overdo it.

Neutral hues and earthy tones can also look fresh and inviting when you know how where to assign your accent colors. Something as simple as a vision board can guide you throughout the planning and preparation stages. Consulting our guide, as well as design magazines, can also help you nail the look.

Benefits of A Minimalist Bedroom Design

1. You save money.

One of the most important benefits of minimalist bedroom design is its money-saving feature. For the majority of cases, people don’t need to buy a lot of stuff to achieve this style. They just need to be resourceful and creative. Commitment is also necessary because you’ll have to embark on a few DIY projects. In the ideas we shared, we showed you how it’s possible to repurpose old objects.

The goal here is to have less. Aside from saving money, you can also earn some money by selling some of the things you’ll be disposing of.

2. You can have peace of mind.

Simplifying and decluttering your bedroom can have a positive impact on your psyche. Imagine how stressful you can get when things are not in order. This is inevitable if you have to keep track of so many items in your bedroom alone. Letting go of the ones that no longer serve you any purpose can gear you up for a more disciplined lifestyle.

Minimalism can come in handy in this regard. Once you remove unnecessary stuff, you make room for the more important ones not just physically but also mentally. This can bring peace to your heart and mind.

3. Nothing goes to waste.

We cannot overemphasize this part. What you think has zero value can turn into a gem once you see it from the perspective of minimalist design. The unused ladder and scrap wood are just two examples. There are still many other examples you can find online. Who knows you might even come up with an original idea yourself?

This is the time to exercise resourcefulness and creativity. Sometimes, you will need to rework something minimally. Scrap wood can be sanded and then installed as a headboard. That does not take much time, does it? 

4. You get more space out of it.

Since minimalism promotes the removal of waste and prevention of excess, you can clear up more space in your room than expected. You can get hooked with the clean, polished look that you’ll probably be more conscious about adding in stuff afterward. At the same time, minimalist items do not usually take up a lot of space. So if you’re starting from scratch, you can deliberately go for space-saving ones.

Being a minimalist, you procure only the things that add value to your life. And it blesses you with more space, which you won’t be too eager to fill.

Conclusion