10 examples of small rooms with smart layouts

By Editorial Team

Updated on January 17, 2025

A lack of space can be seen as an obstacle when thinking about the layout of our home. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it will necessarily be more complicated. Instead, it's all a matter of perception.

Where some people see rooms that are too cramped and stuffy, others will imagine practical installations and furniture choices that maximize the use of space.

To us, it’s all the more inspiring to discover beautiful layouts in small rooms, as it shows that the people who designed them had to get creative.

If you're looking for ideas for organizing a small room, we're here to help!

10 examples of well-designed small rooms (kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and living rooms)

1- A small kitchen where nothing is missing!

Petite cuisine bien aménagée_small kitchen with nice layout

photo: Apartment Therapy

This kitchen may be tiny, but every inch is optimized. Of course, the owners could have opted for closed cupboards where they could have stored more dishware. However, with open-concept shelves, everything is accessible and easy to find!

Also, this kitchen is pretty, because the shelves create a nice visual impact when it comes to the design of the room. The white brick backsplash offers a nice subtle texture that is perfectly balanced with the other elements in the kitchen.

2- A small bedroom where space is maximized

photo: Apartment Therapy

In small spaces, we must think about including storage wherever possible. The beds are placed high, the corners turn into an improvised closet, the shelves cover the walls, and so on. This makes it possible to create spaces that aren’t overly cluttered. This way we won't have to sacrifice part of our wardrobe or our book collection. 

Here’s a very interesting example of a bedroom where the bed is installed on a platform. Under the platform, you can keep large storage containers or furniture that is only used on occasion. It's practical, pretty and very cute!

3- A cozy and bright living room

Petit salon lumineux_bright small living room

photo: Article

Though it’s not always possible, natural light is a great asset in small spaces. In this living room, a full wall of windows showcases the entire space and allows it to be well-lit.

There’s a lot of furniture, plants and accessories, but thanks to the light, it doesn't feel too stuffy. If you need to set up a small space, try to maximize the amount of light entering the room. If the room doesn’t have a window or if the opening is very small and poorly oriented, you can also work with artificial lighting.

4- A small minimalist living room with a well-balanced decor

Petit salon minimaliste_small minimalist living room

photo: Decor hint
Let's keep going with another magnificent small living room. This one is minimalist as compared with the previous one. Clearly, comfort is a priority here, as the owners have opted for an armchair that takes up a large part of the room.

The decorative elements are well balanced and harmonized following a simple, sober and pleasant colour palette. This is an excellent example to follow for the successful layout of a small room.

5- A small-format kitchen, centred around white and wood

Petite cuisine bois blanc_small white and wood kitchen

photo: Home Listy

This small kitchen is open but well defined. We love the homeowners' choice to create a small division with the glass walls, as this allows for better organization of the sections in a small space.

It’s a good idea to choose a few very specific design elements to create a beautiful aesthetic appearance, as is the case with the holed wood panel. It doesn't necessarily have a practical function, but it does help this kitchen to stand out from the more conventional models that we often see.

6- A small bathroom where green creates a happy atmosphere

Petite salle de bain verte_small green bathroom

photo: House beautiful

After bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens, our list had to include a small bathroom. Many homes, even the largest among them, have a small bathroom. Therefore, this project is not so hard to take on. 

That said, we can still mention when we discover ingenious concepts and pretty small bathroom decors. Here’s an example that caught our attention, with very bright and attractive green tones, a small shower that blends in with the decor as well as carefully selected decorative accessories.

7- A small white kitchen where everything is close at hand

Petite cuisine blanche_small white kitchen

photo: Inspiration déco

Now, we return to another pretty little kitchen. This time, the design is conventional, but not trivial! Again, we see the owners have opted for open-concept shelves.

In another article, we presented the pros and cons of open-concept kitchen shelving. It seems that in a small kitchen this type of structure is practical, and the disadvantages aren’t too important, since the dishes are used often. This means they don’t have time to accumulate dust.

8- A small intimate and comfortable lounge

Petit salon agréable_cozy small living room

photo: Nesting with Grace

Are you into a more rustic and cozy decor? Here’s a small living room that’s sure to suit your preferences. There’s no shortage of places to sit in this room; even the rug feels like a comfortable spot, should guests ever want to sit on it.

That's all that matters in a small space like this, so it pays off!

9- A small bedroom with glass partitions to maximize brightness

photo: Planète déco

Once again, the bed in this room has been installed high up to add smart storage space. The other strong point of this room layout is the use of glass partitions. These partitions create an open environment that appears larger than the dimensions of the room.

The colour choices are also interesting, as they’re quite a daring combination for a bedroom. However, with plants and decorative accessories, it works!

10- A small yellow, black and white bathroom

Petite salle de bain noir blanc jaune_small white yellow black bathroom

photo: Steffy's pros and cons

We end this list with a small bathroom in a fairly typical format for apartments. Here, the decorative choices caught our eye, with a pretty yellow, white and black colour scheme.

The owners have also achieved a great feat: marrying two tile patterns without creating an overwhelming result. It’s certainly thanks to the choice of colours.

Photo de couverture: Tina Dawson - Unsplash

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