Small bedroom decor: the measurements that make the bed, the wardrobe and you fit
Updated
To decorate a small bedroom, I start with the bed and the space around it. I pick the mattress, leave at least 50 cm free on the side where someone gets into bed, and only then fit the wardrobe, nightstands and decor into what is left. If the numbers work with a tape measure, a small double bedroom works. If they don't, no cushion will fix it.
Start with the bed: mattress size
The most common mattress sizes in Brazil, from Ortobom mattresses:
| mattress | width x length |
|---|---|
| Single (solteiro) | 88 x 188 cm |
| Double (casal) | 138 x 188 cm |
| Queen | 158 x 198 cm |
| King | 193 x 203 cm |
The bed around the mattress is always a bit bigger. The Habitual double bed from Meu Móvel de Madeira, made for a 138 x 188 mattress, measures 145 x 203 cm with the headboard. That outer size is the one that goes into the room math.
In a small bedroom, going from double to queen costs 20 cm of width, which is often the space missing beside the bed.
The measurement that matters most: 50 cm beside the bed
NBR 15575, Brazil's building performance standard, has an Annex G (informative) with the furniture and circulation measurements used in housing design. For the bedroom, it indicates 0.50 m of minimum circulation between a piece of furniture and the wall or another piece, and 0.60 m between two single beds.
In practice, I use 50 cm as the minimum beside the bed, enough to make the bed and get up without hitting your knee, and 60 cm when it fits, because that is comfortable.
In a double bedroom, both sides need that clearance. Pushing one side of a double bed against the wall saves space, but one person has to climb over the other to get out.
What is the minimum size of a double bedroom
It depends on who is asking. São Paulo law gives the minimum to approve a build: Decree 57.776/2017, which regulates the city's building code, asks for a sleeping room of at least 5.00 m², with room for a circle 2.00 m in diameter and a ceiling height of 2.50 m. That is the 2017 text; I haven't checked for later changes, and other cities have their own rules.
That minimum is for the empty room. In a 2.24 x 2.24 m room (5 m²), the Habitual double bed fits, but you are left with 21 cm at the foot and about 40 cm on each side, with no wardrobe.
For the standard's double bed (1.40 x 1.90 m), 50 cm on both sides and at the foot, and a sliding-door wardrobe 50 cm deep on the foot wall, my math gives 2.40 x 2.90 m, close to 7 m². With a hinged door, the space in front of the wardrobe needs about 10 cm more than the width of each door, so the room grows a little. Below that, something leaves the room or some passage gets narrower than 50 cm.
A 9 m² double bedroom, piece by piece
The example is a 3.20 x 2.90 m room (9.28 m²), with the headboard on the 3.20 m wall and the door on the opposite wall, in the corner. The measurements are a sample: swap in your own room's.
The plan, left to right, along the headboard wall:
- Wardrobe against the side wall, near the foot of the bed, taking 56 cm of depth.
- 60 cm free between the wardrobe and the bed. It is one person's side and also the space in front of the wardrobe.
- The bed: 145 cm wide.
- 59 cm free on the other side, up to the wall.
Adding up: 56 + 60 + 145 + 59 = 320 cm. In length, the bed takes 203 cm and 87 cm is left between the foot of the bed and the door wall, which is the path of whoever walks in. With 87 cm there is no room for an ottoman at the foot of the bed; where one fits in a small bedroom is in ottoman in the bedroom (in Portuguese).
The wardrobe is 129 cm wide with 3 doors, so each door is about 43 cm and opens within the 60 cm of free space, with about 17 cm to spare. For a hinged-door wardrobe I ask for at least the door width plus 10 cm in front; 80 cm is comfortable. Before buying, I check the real door width on the store page.
The pieces (prices from, on Oct 19, 2026):
| piece | store | size (cm) | price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitual double bed, amber, with headboard | Meu Móvel de Madeira | 145 x 203 x 94 | from R$ 881.37 on Oct 19, 2026 |
| Lin nightstand, 1 drawer, beige and wood (2) | Tok&Stok | 40 x 35 x 47 | from R$ 422.91 each on Oct 19, 2026 |
| Timber wardrobe, 3 doors and 2 drawers, wood | Tok&Stok | 129 x 56 x 200 | from R$ 2,069.10 on Oct 19, 2026 |
| Tambor table lamp, beige and wood (2) | Tok&Stok | 20 x 20 x 29 | from R$ 152.91 each on Oct 19, 2026 |
| Rustic cotton rug, 200 x 140 cm, beige | MadeiraMadeira | 200 x 140 | from R$ 144.99 on Oct 19, 2026 |
| Quwakira wooden wall art | Westwing | 91 x 48 | from R$ 352.90 on Oct 19, 2026 |
These are Brazilian stores, and most deliver only inside Brazil. Prices are in Brazilian reais (R$) on the dates shown.
Total: R$ 4,600.00 for 8 pieces from 4 stores (prices from Oct 19, 2026), without mattress, bed linen, curtain, shipping and assembly.
The nightstands go one on each side, against the headboard, and the path along the bed stays clear. The rug goes crosswise under the lower half of the bed, so your feet land on it when you get up, and the 91 cm wall art is centered above the headboard.
On a budget: where to save
In the same room, swapping three pieces for cheaper versions from the catalog:
- Mônaco double bed, off-white, MadeiraMadeira, 144 x 193 cm, from R$ 289.98 on Oct 19, 2026. It is lower and has no headboard.
- Baori nightstand, white and jatobá, Meu Móvel de Madeira, from R$ 321.17 each on Oct 19, 2026.
- Vesta wardrobe, 4 doors and 2 drawers, freijó, MadeiraMadeira, 102 x 46 cm, from R$ 336.30 on Oct 19, 2026. It is sold as a single-bedroom wardrobe: it holds less, but frees up 10 cm of depth.
With the lamps, rug and wall art unchanged, the total drops to R$ 2,072.33 (prices from Oct 19, 2026). The biggest difference is in the wardrobe (R$ 1,732.80), so that is where I decide first how much to spend.
If the bed you pick has no headboard, a painted wall behind it does the job for much less.
Small single bedroom
In a single bedroom, putting the bed against the wall is a good move: one whole side stays free and only the other side needs the 50 cm. The standard uses a 0.80 x 1.90 m single bed as its reference; the Ortobom single mattress is 88 x 188 cm. Two beds from the catalog:
- Habitual single bed, amber, Meu Móvel de Madeira, 99 x 203 cm, from R$ 755.37 on Oct 19, 2026.
- Loop single bed with trundle bed, MadeiraMadeira, 101 x 207 cm, from R$ 879.98 on Oct 19, 2026. Worth it if the room also hosts guests.
A furnished 9 m² single bedroom, with desk and wardrobe, is in single bedroom decor (in Portuguese). If the desk needs a bookshelf, the measurements are in desk with bookshelf (in Portuguese).
If the small bedroom is a child's, what to fix to the wall and what to buy first is in kids' bedroom decor (in Portuguese).
Light and curtain
A small nightstand fills up fast. A pendant light beside the bed frees the top for your phone and a glass of water; the heights are in pendant light height (in Portuguese). For the curtain, the measurements are in curtain height (in Portuguese).
Mistakes I see most
- Measuring the mattress and forgetting the bed. The headboard and frame add 5 to 15 cm, and that comes out of the walkway.
- A hinged-door wardrobe with no space for the doors. Measure the width of each door before buying. If it won't open, think sliding doors.
- A small rug floating in the middle of the room. It looks better under the bed, showing on the sides.
- Buying before measuring. What to measure and the rest of the bedroom list are in new home furniture list (in Portuguese).
If you're furnishing a place in Brazil and want to see your bedroom furnished before you buy, Curvinha, an iPhone app on the Brazilian App Store, measures the room with the scan on an iPhone Pro or Pro Max (12 or later) or an iPad Pro (2020 or later), or from a photo or PDF of the floor plan, and suggests furniture from Brazilian stores that fits, within the budget you chose. Each piece comes with its measurements and the reason it was picked, and with the clearance when a wall or a walkway limits the piece. The curation is made with architects from Curva Interiores. To measure your bedroom and see the furniture in 3D, see how to plan a bedroom in the app (in Portuguese).
What a whole apartment costs, room by room, is in cost to furnish an apartment in Brazil.
Sources
Public pages opened on October 22, 2026. All are in Portuguese. Store prices move: the ones in the article are the catalog prices of October 19, 2026.
- Ortobom, mattresses: single 88 x 188, double 138 x 188, queen 158 x 198 and king 193 x 203 cm
- NBR 15575-1, Annex G (informative), public copy of the annex: 0.50 m minimum circulation, 0.60 m between single beds, double bed 1.40 x 1.90 m and single bed 0.80 x 1.90 m
- Decree 57.776/2017, Annex I (City of São Paulo): housing sleeping room with 2.50 m ceiling height, 5.00 m² and a 2.00 m circle
- Meu Móvel de Madeira, Habitual double bed: 145 x 203 x 94 cm, price from R$ 881.37
- Meu Móvel de Madeira, Habitual single bed: 99 x 203 cm, price from R$ 755.37
- Meu Móvel de Madeira, Baori nightstand: from R$ 321.17
- Tok&Stok, Lin nightstand: 40 x 35 x 47 cm, from R$ 422.91
- Tok&Stok, Timber wardrobe: 129 x 56 x 200 cm, from R$ 2,069.10
- Tok&Stok, Tambor table lamp: 20 x 20 x 29 cm, from R$ 152.91
- MadeiraMadeira, rustic cotton rug 200 x 140 cm: from R$ 144.99
- MadeiraMadeira, Mônaco double bed: 144 x 193 cm, from R$ 289.98
- MadeiraMadeira, Vesta wardrobe: 102 x 46 cm, from R$ 336.30
- MadeiraMadeira, Loop single bed with trundle: 101 x 207 cm, from R$ 879.98
- Westwing, Quwakira wooden wall art: 91 x 48 cm, from R$ 352.90
The standard itself (NBR 15575) is paid; the link above is a public copy of Annex G only, in the informative edition of 2013.
Calculated by the app. The 7 m² estimate, the 2.24 x 2.24 m check, the 9 m² room plan (56 + 60 + 145 + 59 = 320 cm), the door-clearance rule of thumb and the totals (R$ 4,600.00 and R$ 2,072.33) are our own math from the sizes and prices above, not an outside source.
Frequently asked questions
How do I decorate a small double bedroom?
Pick the bed first and leave at least 50 cm free on both sides, the minimum circulation in NBR 15575 (Annex G), Brazil's building performance standard. Then fit the wardrobe where its doors open without hitting the bed, and use narrow nightstands and a painted wall behind the headboard.
What is the minimum size of a double bedroom?
In São Paulo, Decree 57.776/2017 asks for 5 m² for a bedroom, with a circle 2 m in diameter. With a double bed, 50 cm of clearance around it and a sliding-door wardrobe, the math lands near 7 m².
What are the measurements of a small double bedroom?
A 3.20 x 2.90 m room (about 9 m²) fits a double bed with headboard, two nightstands and a 3-door wardrobe, with about 60 cm free on each side of the bed. Below roughly 7 m², something has to leave the room.
How do I decorate a small bedroom on a budget?
Spend less on the wardrobe and the bed, the most expensive pieces, and use a painted wall instead of a headboard. In the 9 m² example, swapping the bed, nightstands and wardrobe for simpler versions took the total from R$ 4,600.00 to R$ 2,072.33 (prices from Oct 19, 2026).
How do I arrange furniture in a single bedroom?
Push the single bed against the wall and leave at least 50 cm free on the side you get in from. With two beds, leave 60 cm between them, as NBR 15575 indicates.
Guides
- Small living room decor. How to decorate a small apartment living room: floor plan first, the right sofa, home office and dining table, in a real 15 m² room.
- Cost to furnish an apartment in Brazil. What it costs to furnish an apartment in Brazil: one living room at 3 budgets, piece by piece, and how to price your own.
- Dining room chandelier size. Dining room chandelier size by table width, how many pendants to hang, the spacing, and real lights from Brazilian stores.
- Living room dimensions. Sofa to coffee table, walkways, TV by inch, armchair and heights: living room dimensions with the source of every number.
