What to do with a box bedroom
Small bedrooms can be hard enough to work with but when it comes to the box bedroom, they seem to cause the most issues. These tiny bedrooms are common across UK housing stock and their diminutive proportions make them somewhat challenging. But fret not, there are ways to make them 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, they can become the most special places to sleep. Below, we've gathered examples of how designers have done lovely things with box bedrooms, to show how delightful this tiny rooms can be.
Ngoc Minh Ngo1/13In a spacious Hamptons home, the spare bedroom features a tricky sloping ceiling. The designer built a bed underneath it with in-built storage to create a cosy nook.
Paul Massey2/13This 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.
Simon Bergström3/13In 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 Massey4/13This box bed 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 James5/13This 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 Whiting6/13In 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 Brown7/13Lonika 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.”
8/13This child’s bedroom devised by the interior design studio Turner Pocock makes ingenious use of space. The built-in bed is not only a cosy place to sleep, but also provides plenty of storage, including spaces for books under the steps. The bespoke joinery is painted in ‘Oval Room Blue’ by Farrow & Ball, enhancing the calm and restful feel.
Owen Gale9/13On the top floor of Charlotte and Angus Buchanan's house is a tiny spare bedroom, with panelled walls painted in Atelier Ellis' ‘Bell Pink’.
Owen Gale10/13One 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 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 Massey11/13While 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. The bed's position adjacent to the window is also a different approach to bedroom layout.
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.
David Oliver12/13Bed 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.
Tim Beddow13/13When thinking about her own house, decorator Sarah Vanrenen made the most of a small bedroom by installing a niche bed 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.
