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Minimalism in terms of interior design is characterized by a simplistic design, monochromatic base hues (color palette), clean lines accentuated by texture, and a splash of color to create a bold statement.
The space should be deliberately uncluttered and simple – not cold and sparse.
Less is more.
But how do you design a minimalist bedroom when you want to keep costs down?
The best way to design a minimalist bedroom on a budget is to use the cookie milkshake colors (white, black, and brown) to create a sophisticated style; whilst using white bedding, picking an upholstered or metal headboard, decreasing clutter with hidden storage furnishings, and using artificial light selectively.
The rest of this article explains in more detail how to create and style a minimalist bedroom on a budget.
Related: discover 13 ways to style your bedroom wall.
7 Ways to Design a Budget Minimalist Bedroom
Here are 7 ways to design a minimalist bedroom on a budget:
1: Use Cookie Milkshake Colors – White, Black, and Brown
The cookie milkshake colors are white, black, and brown and are an excellent choice for creating a minimalist bedroom when used correctly as follows:
1.1: White Should Make Up the Majority of the Color Scheme
White is the best minimalist color to use as the primary color on your bedroom walls because it creates a clean backdrop that epitomizes minimalism – which can be extended throughout the room by having a white floor, ceiling, furnishings, soft furnishings, lighting, and accessories if you so desire.
1.2: Use Black to Create Clean Lines
Black accessories, furniture legs, and light fixtures help to create the clean lines that stand out boldly against the white backdrop to create the classic ‘edged’ minimalistic look.
1.3: Include Brown Wood Finishes to Create Texture and Depth
Brown wood tones (such as cherry wood) can be used selectively to add texture and depth to the room by contrasting with the white backdrop and complementing the black lines whilst also adding warmth.
1.4: Apply Bold Accents for a Selective Personal Touch
Bright accent colors like reds, oranges, pinks, and even greens can add personality to your bedroom – use them in your scatter cushions, bed throws, accessories, wall art, door hangings, and plants, to add interest without losing the minimalist feel.
1.5: Create Pinterest Boards for Inspiration
A great and free way to develop an understanding of bedroom minimalist color palettes is to create Pinterest boards to give you visual ideas and inspiration.
This will allow you to quickly find out which aspects of a minimalist bedroom design appeal to you the most.
For example, you might like to reduce the amount of white and instead include more black lines, accents, and/or wood tones to create a room with more character according to your taste and preferences.
1.6: Upcycle Furnishings to Reduce Costs
To keep your new minimalist bedroom budget-friendly, you can upcycle your existing furnishings by painting them white, black, or brown so that you can adhere to the minimalist cookie milkshake color scheme without having to go out and buy new furniture.
This can be done with the bed, side tables, and any other furniture that fits the minimalist silhouette.
2: Choose Crisp White Bedding and Add Textured Accents
A minimalist bed is characterized by crisp white bedsheets and a white duvet/comforter that can be personalized by adding accent colors and textures as follows:
2.1: Choose Natural Bedding Materials Over Synthetic Ones
Pick natural wool, cotton, and linen over synthetic materials for your bedding to create a cleaner and more natural finish that will look sublime in your minimalist bedroom – thread counts of 400 – 600 are perfectly acceptable in terms of quality and can help to keep costs down (with silk bed sheets being the more luxurious option).
2.2: Get the Right Fitted Sheet and Duvet Sizes
Opt for a snug-fitting white fitted sheet for your mattress to eliminate trailing fabric that can detract from the clean minimalist look – these can be bought from department stores or online for a very reasonable cost (see the best sheet sets to buy here).
Similarly, make sure that the duvet/comforter has the corresponding measurements relative to the size of the mattress that you are using.
For example, a king-sized duvet on a twin bed won’t look good because there will be too much overhang and this will create material bunches that will spoil the minimalist look.
2.3: Apply a Textured Duvet to Make the Bed Feel Inviting
Duvet covers are a great opportunity to incorporate texture into the design scheme, making the bed feel inviting and warm.
This texture softens the bed despite the clean lines of the bed frame.
Waffle, quilted, cotton textured, baubles, silk, chevron, seersucker, and herringbone are just a few of the styles to look out for.
Textured bedding has become incredibly popular in the last few years, it means that instead of the style being monopolized by high-end retailers; supermarkets, retail stores, and online retailers stock a large variety at a fraction of the price.
2.4: Place Accent Pillows to Create Pop
Placing even just one or two accent pillows on the crisp white bedding can have a profound impact on the room’s ambiance and personality to suit your style.
3: Draw the Eye With an Upholstered or Metal Headboard
An upholstered headboard can be used to create a focal point – opt for soft pastels to create a subtle effect, or go for a bold black or brown leather headboard to create a statement and draw the eye in.
Alternatively, you can opt for a spacious metal headboard in black to create clean lines that will stand out against the white backdrop of the walls and the crisp white bedding without being too overpowering.
Less is more when it comes to using a headboard in your minimalist bedroom.
4: Decrease Clutter With Hidden Storage Options
To achieve a minimalist look in even the smallest of bedrooms, use coffin or ottoman style beds, built-in wardrobes, mid-century modern or Scandinavian design drawer units, dressers, and desks to maximize hidden storage and decrease clutter.
Stick to the minimalist cookie milkshake colors and lean towards wood, metal, and glass for the materials for a sleek and clean look.
Whilst some extreme minimalist designs refrain from using bedside tables to avoid spoiling the lines of the bed, this isn’t entirely practical in many cases.
Instead, look for sleek and discrete side tables with built in storage to hold bedtime essentials.
4.1: Limit the Furniture to 3-5 Items For Small Bedrooms
If you class your bedroom as small, you are going to want to keep the number of items of furniture to between 3-5.
This includes your bed and side tables leaving you with space for 2 more items.
It is therefore imperative that each item of furniture has adequate and smart storage.
4.2: Limit the Furniture to 4-6 Items For Larger Bedrooms
If your room is slightly larger, you can increase this number to 4-6.
Built-in wardrobe solutions are the number one savior when creating uncluttered minimalist space.
Although many companies now offer built-in storage solutions at competitive prices there are plenty of cheaper alternatives.
Wardrobes and drawer sets are a great substitute and you will most likely need one of each.
It is important to consider the form and lines of any current furniture within the design scheme to make sure whatever you have is coherent.
4.3: Reduce Costs With Flat-Pack Furniture and Up-Cycling
Flat-pack and ready assembled furniture is an excellent way to keep costs down and can be bought in the cookie milkshake colors.
This means you can acquire the perfect items for both the minimalist aesthetic and storage.
If you are a dab hand at up-cycling (or just want to give it a go) don’t be afraid to look at the second-hand market.
There is an abundance of Mid Century, Modern, Scandinavian, and flat-pack furniture that fits the minimalist design style out there for a fraction of the cost of brand new furniture – it just needs a bit of work.
5: Be Selective With Artificial Light to Create a Cozy Ambiance
If you have large windows and therefore copious amounts of natural light, this is a fantastic way to highlight the elegant lines of your minimalist interior.
If, however, you don’t have this luxury it is important to inject artificial light through robust, well-built light fittings with sleek and refined design silhouettes.
Metal and glass should be the materials you are considering.
Successfully navigating the balance between artificial and natural light can be incredibly difficult.
The ambiance of a bedroom can be transformed from dark and dingy to cozy and warm with the right lighting design.
Metal fittings, brass, silver, gold, or black with glass are the safest options.
Dimmer switches are your best friends.
Whether you are going for flush mounts, chandeliers, pendants, or wall lights, ensure that the design is unfussy, elegant, and robust.
Light design warehouses both online and in-store provide thousands of options at varying budgets.
In keeping with the minimalist design, you are not going to want too many lights cluttering the design scheme (ideally placed in recessed spots).
Quality over quantity; choose lights that are higher powered and emit more lumens (the higher the lumens the brighter the lightbulb).
If you are using pendant fixtures, exposed filament bulbs are a great way to create further warmth through the hue emitted by the warmer filament.
Always ensure your artificial light is sufficient by testing it in the evenings.
6: Limit Artwork and Accessories to Avoid Clutter
Accessories, wall art, and other decorative items should be kept to a minimum when designing your minimalist bedroom – not buying these items will also help to reduce costs.
Avoid excessive photographs, piles of books; too many lamps, candles, vases, and other items that can cause clutter and spoil the elegance.
Instead, a single coffee table book (such as a Rizzoli or Taschen publication) placed on a nightstand is a subtle but effective way to at style to your minimalist bedroom.
Other options include an elegantly designed desk lamp or a vase with a dried bouquet of flowers.
Less is more.
6.1: Cover Blank Wall Space With Abstract Monochromatic Prints
Hang abstract monochromatic prints or posters to cover up large blank wall spaces whilst keeping costs down.
Acrylic prints are a great way to provide texture to the more one dimensional white walls.
Color can be considered but should be used sparingly as with the soft furnishings.
6.2: Consider Plants to Add Color and Texture
Plants are a fantastic and underrated decorative element that works perfectly in the minimalist design scheme – not only do they add subtle color and texture but the lines and different plant styles can create drama, or just cover parts of the room that feel bare.
Never underestimate plants and their ability to completely transform a sparse minimalist scheme into an elegant one – filling blank corners or empty walls with plants are excellent choices.
Consider hanging pots, Macrame pots, wall planters, floor planters, large plants, small plants, trailing plants, and everything in-between.
If you don’t have green fingers, faux plants are increasingly realistic and do exactly the same job without the upkeep.
7: Use Blinds Instead of Complex Window Treatments
Window treatments should be simple in a minimalist bedroom – go for Roman or roller blinds instead of curtains, pelmets, rails, pleats, and drapery.
The most hardcore of minimalists would not use any window treatments but this isn’t practical for most people, so blinds offer an unobtrusive solution.
Roman blinds can offer texture without disturbing the lines of the window, whilst roller blinds can be boxed into the window – making them very discreet.
Blinds are also relatively inexpensive – to keep costs down – and can also be used to darken your bedroom for better sleep.
Less is More
Less is more in minimalism and this benefits your finances because it means that you don’t have to buy as many things – making it a better style than maximalism if you are cash strapped.
Focus on the cookie milkshake colors (white, black, and brown) for the decor and keep furnishings to a minimum – give preference to built-in wardrobes and beds with storage to minimize clutter.
Artificial lighting should be used selectively to create a cozy ambiance, whilst artwork and wall decorations should be limited as far as possible – opt for abstract prints and even consider filling spaces in the room with plants.
If you want to take minimalism to the extreme, you can have no window treatments at all – although blinds are a functional option that will suit most people better.
Up next: how to design a master bedroom with ensuite in 9 steps.
Image Attribution and Licencing
Main image: ‘Minimalist Bedroom With Panoramic View’ by Stephan Karg – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Image #1: ‘Scandinavian Minimalist Bedroom’ by ArchiViz (Getty Images) – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Image #2: ‘Minimalist Bedroom’ by tulcarion (Getty Images Signature) – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Image #3: ‘Minimalist Bedroom With Round Double Bed’ by Stephan Karg – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Image #4: ‘Minimalist Bedroom’ by tulcarion (Getty Images Signature) – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Image #5: ‘Minimalist Bedroom’ by archideaphoto (Getty Images) – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Image #6: ‘Minimalistic Style Bedroom Idea’ by Katarzyna Bialasiewicz (Getty Images) – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Image #7: ‘Spacious Modern Architectural Bedroom Design’ by Stephan Karg (Getty Images) – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
Dan
Dan is the founder and head content creator at Bedroom Style Reviews.
He has been working as a professional online product reviewer since 2015 and was inspired to start this website when he ended up sleeping on a memory foam mattress that was too soft and gave him backache.
Through in-depth research and analysis, Dan’s goal with this website is to help others avoid such pitfalls by creating the best online resource for helping you find your ideal mattress, bedding, and bedroom furniture.
Dan is a qualified NVQ Level 2 Fitness Instructor with 6 years’ experience helping clients improve their health through diet, exercise, and proper sleep hygiene.
He also holds several college and university-level qualifications in health sciences, psychology, mathematics, art, and digital media creation – which helps him to publish well researched and informative product reviews as well as articles on sleep, health, wellbeing, and home decor.
Dan also has direct personal experience with insomnia, anxiety, misophonia (hypersensitivity to sounds), and pain from both acute and long-standing sporting injuries – he enjoys writing insightful articles around these subjects to help fellow sufferers of such conditions.
Learn more about Dan here.
