22 Small Guest Bedroom Ideas to Maximize Your Space

Choose a Classic Bed Frame

When outfitting your guest room, pick traditional pieces that won't look dated with time. We love the traditional wrought iron bed and cozy layered bedding in this space from Rebecca Driggs Interiors.

Add a Side Chair

If you have enough space, add a side chair that can double as a place for guests to toss coats and bags after a long day, like this guest room from Pine Street House, which features an antique side chair.

Embrace Color

A guest room is a perfect place to take risks with color and decor that might feel too overwhelming if you had to live with them every day.

Brighten up a smaller guest room with a rainbow of color accents to make friends and family feel welcome, like this bedroom from Erika Barczak.

Try an Accent Wall

One way to make your guest room feel instantly complete is a bold accent wall. Use either stencils or wallpaper to create an eye-catching accent wall that acts as both a focal point for the room and a starting point for the rest of the decor, like this graphic black-and-white guest room from Gray Space Interiors.

Decorate With Plants

One of the best ways to brighten up a small space is to add a touch of greenery, from a nightstand plant as seen in this room from Rochi, or a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Choose a Storage Bed

Add extra functionality to a small guest room with multipurpose furniture like a storage bed that will allow you to hide away extra linens or luggage, like this bright modern farmhouse space from Thistlewood Farms.

Try a Moody Paint Color

Paint your small guest room in a moody dark shade to create a cozy and enveloping feel, like this space from Christina. Take your pick of colors, from soft black to chocolate brown, forest green, charcoal gray, or midnight blue.

Hang Photographs

Hang framed black-and-white photos on the wall to give your small guest room a finished and welcoming feel, like this space from Desiree Burns Interiors.

Add a Storage Bench

A vintage trunk or crate adds character to a small bedroom, like the painted wood crate at the end of this small modern farmhouse-style guest bedroom from My 100 Year Old Home. The inside can be used to store extra pillows and blankets and the sturdy top provides guests with a convenient place to rest their suitcases.

Choose a Statement Bed

You can make a smaller guest room feel bigger by choosing a statement bed with a light profile that will create a focal point, like this vintage rattan bed frame from A Beautiful Mess that sets the tone for the boho-style decor.

Maximize Storage

Look for storage opportunities in a small guest room by choosing a nightstand with drawers or cabinets. This colorful twin guest room from Tyler Karu Design + Interiors has a shared nightstand with two drawers for storing essentials out of sight and giving each guest their own space.

Add a Snacks Cart

A rolling bar cart is a small guest room's best friend. Stock a bar cart with snacks, a guest book, and a vase of flowers, like this space from A Beautiful Mess.

Choose a Tall Dresser

Save space in a small guest room with a tall dresser that can store extra linens, like this space from Velinda Hellen for Emily Henderson Design. Be sure to leave some empty drawers up top so that friends and family can unpack their suitcases.

Use Coastal Colors

Make your guests feel like they're on vacation with a breezy coastal decor theme. Tones of white, blue, and sandy beige will make a small guest room feel light and airy, like this space from Desiree Burns Interiors.

Try an Office Guest Room

Create a functional hybrid office guest room by turning the bed into a daybed with plenty of extra throw pillows and blankets. Use the wall space to install a magazine rack so that guests who forgot to bring a book will have something to read, like this space from Emily Bowser for Emily Henderson Design.

Try a Blanket Ladder

A leaning ladder is a space-saving way to stock your small guest room with extra blankets or towels so that guests will have what they need at their fingertips without having to ask, like this space from A Beautiful Mess.

Add a Clothes Rack

If your small guest room lacks a closet, bring in a freestanding rack with built-in storage for clothes, shoes, extra towels, and accessories, like this London basement en suite from Emilie Fournet Interiors.

Add Bookshelves

Turn a small guest room into an off-duty home library reading nook by adding bookshelves stacked with reading material, like this sunny space from Fantastic Frank.

Include a Reading Light

Be sure to include adequate bedside lighting for guests who like to read before they nod off. Choose space-saving wall sconces, a desk lamp, or a large table lamp like this space from Desiree Burns Interiors.

An old-school alarm clock on the nightstand is a nice touch to encourage guests to unplug from their phones overnight.

Squeeze in a Desk

Give your guests a place to check emails or write postcards that isn't the bed with a small writing desk, lamp, and chair, like this space from A Beautiful Mess.

Use Vertical Stripes

Vertical stripes will make the ceilings of your small guest room feel taller, making the space feel bigger. Kate Marker Interiors paired white beadboard wainscoting with gray-and-white wallpaper with a vertical stripe motif to create an airy cottage feel.

Add Bunk Beds

Maximize a small guest bedroom with bunkbeds, like this guest cottage from Kate Marker Interiors. Paint them the same color as the walls to help them blend in, and style with boho-style accents to add warmth.