Bell Tent Interior Ideas: How to Decorate & Style Your Bell Tent

A bell tent is one of the most versatile interior spaces you can work with. The circular floor plan, high central pole, and warm canvas walls create a naturally beautiful backdrop and with the right accessories, it transforms into something genuinely spectacular.

Whether you are styling a personal tent for a camping trip, dressing an Airbnb glamping pitch to drive five-star reviews, or creating a wedding guest suite, the principles are the same. Here is everything we know about making a bell tent look and feel extraordinary.

Start With the Floor

The floor is the foundation of every bell tent interior. Get this right and everything else becomes easier. Get it wrong and the most expensive lighting in the world will not save space.

Layer one , polypropylene or coir matting: Your base layer should cover the entire circular floor. Our fire-retardant polypropylene matting is the practical choice durable, easy to clean, available in multiple colours. Coir matting gives a more natural, textured feel but very heavy, itchy, rough and easy to stain, we don’t recommend these. 

Layer two , rugs: A large central rug transforms the matting base into a living space. Our Indian Rag Rugs in earthy tones terracotta, ochre, sage green, natural cream are the most popular choice and immediately create that boho glamping feel. Layer two rugs of different sizes for depth.

Layer three , floor cushions: Scatter floor cushions around the central rug for informal seating. This is especially effective around a central stove or firepit guests naturally gather around the warmth and the cushions make it comfortable.

The Sleeping Setup

The bed is the centrepiece of any bell tent interior. Everything else is dressed around it.

Position: Place the bed at the back of the tent, opposite the entrance. This creates a natural focal point when the door opens the first thing guests see when they arrive is a beautifully dressed bed framed by canvas walls.

Frame: A proper bed frame raises the mattress to a comfortable height and allows for storage underneath. A folding camp bed or a low wooden platform both work well. Avoid airbeds as the centrepiece; they look temporary rather than intentional.

Bedding: White linen reads as luxury regardless of price point. Layer with textured throws a chunky knit blanket, a faux fur throw across the foot of the bed and pile the pillows. More is more on the pillow front in a bell tent.

Canopy effect: Draping sheer fabric from the central pole down to the sides of the bed creates a four-poster canopy effect that photographs beautifully and feels genuinely special.

Lighting , The Most Important Styling Element

If there is one area to invest in for a bell tent interior, it is lighting. Warm, layered light transforms a canvas tent from a camping experience into a boutique hotel feel.

Fairy lights: String warm white solar fairy lights along the inside of the canvas at mid-height roughly where the wall meets the roof slope. This line of light makes the tent look larger and creates a magical effect at dusk that no other light source replicates. Solar charging during the day means no battery management needed overnight.

Central lantern: A large statement lantern hung from the central pole at chest height provides the ambient base light for the space. Choose warm white (2700K) cool white kills the atmosphere immediately.

Table lamps: Small rechargeable table lamps on bedside surfaces create intimacy and allow guests to read without turning on a main light. These are the details that guests mention in reviews.

Festoon bulbs outside: String festoon bulbs along the entrance awning and across the outdoor seating area. This is the lighting element that photographs best on social media and creates an immediate impression of quality when guests arrive after dark.

Browse our full lighting collection at Bell Tent Sussex.

The Stove , Functional and Beautiful

A wood burning stove inside a bell tent is both a practical heating solution and one of the most beautiful interior features you can add. The glow of a stove through a glass door on a cold autumn evening is genuinely atmospheric.

Position: Centre the stove on the opposite side of the tent from the sleeping area typically to one side of the entrance. The flue pipe runs up through the stove hole flap in the canvas.

Styling around it: A small pile of seasoned logs alongside the stove adds to the aesthetic and provides the practical message that the stove is ready to use. A simple metal log basket keeps the wood tidy.

Safety: A carbon monoxide alarm fitted to the central pole is non-negotiable. Make it visible and it also communicates to guests that you take safety seriously.

Browse our stoves collection for bell tent-specific stove designs.

Popular Interior Themes

Boho Glamping

The most popular bell tent interior theme in the UK. Layered rugs in earthy tones, macrame wall hangings from the canvas walls, dreamcatchers, brass lanterns, dried pampas grass in a vase, and warm textured fabrics throughout.

Colour palette: terracotta, sage green, dusty pink, natural linen, warm ochre. The boho aesthetic is intentionally eclectic mixing patterns and textures works in a way it does not in conventional interiors.

Scandi Minimal

A clean, calm aesthetic that is increasingly popular on Airbnb glamping sites targeting adult couples. White linen, neutral grey and natural wood tones, clean lines, minimal clutter. A sheepskin rug on the bed and a simple concrete lantern are more effective in this style than pattern and colour.

Forest / Nature

Bringing the outside in. Foraged branches used as decorative elements, pressed leaf frames on the canvas walls, wooden camp furniture, forest green and brown tones. Works especially well for woodland glamping sites where the views through the tent door contribute to the theme.

Luxe Hotel

White linen, hotel-quality pillows, a proper lamp on each bedside table, fresh flowers, quality toiletries in a wicker basket, robes on hooks. This theme maximises nightly rates on Airbnb because it signals hotel quality in a natural setting, the combination that glamping guests are specifically paying for.

Outdoor Space , The Extension of the Interior

The area immediately outside the tent entrance is as important as the interior for the overall experience.

Awning: A Sussex Superior Canvas Awning creates a covered outdoor room that extends the living space and allows guests to sit outside in any weather. Dress with a small table, 2-8 chairs, and a string of festoon lights.

Firepit: A private firepit 3 metres in front of the tent entrance is the single most reviewed feature on Airbnb glamping listings. Guests consistently cite it as the highlight of their stay campfire evenings are why people choose glamping over hotels.

Welcome touches: A small chalkboard welcome sign, a bottle of something local on the table, a basket with firelighting supplies. These cost almost nothing and generate the kind of personal detail that drives five-star reviews.

Interior Checklist at a Glance

Shop the Styling Essentials

Everything on this list is available at Bell Tent Sussex from flooring and rugs to lighting, stoves, furniture and awnings.

Browse our full glamping accessories range or call us on 01323 401400 , we are based in Newhaven, East Sussex and happy to advise on what works best for your tent size, use case and budget.