30 Chic and Strategic Nail Designs If You’re Short on Nail Space

When it comes to manicures featuring nail art, it’s easy to forget that there’s only so much space to work with. We’ve stepped into a salon too many times with a Pinterest design only to realize our nails weren’t big enough for it. What if we told you there’s more than enough inspiration to draw from for nail designs that work with all lengths?

Naturally, we’ve looked to our favorite nail artists for hints as to what nail designs look best when you’re short on nail space and came up with hundreds of examples to re-create at home or request on your next trip to the nail salon. Below are 30 we’ll be copying, ranging from simple minimalist dot designs to sunset-inspired ombré effects that make our hearts skip a beat. We’ve even pulled a few of our favorite products to prep your nails and keep your manicure looking fresh long after the initial polish application (because no one wants to lose a picturesque manicure in mere days).

The Best Short Nail Designs

Gold French Tips

What’s chicer than a gold French manicure? It’s clean-looking with just a hint of eye-catching glam.

Inverted Pastels

We’re fans of minimalist, inverted designs. This one, created by Imarni, achieves this with a colorful mix of pastel and primary colors against a blush-colored base.

Milky Minimalism

Milky white nails have been on the comeback lately! One of our favorite ways to wear a sheer white manicure is by adding fun, minimalist designs to each nail.

Tuxedo French

Keep things classy with this twist on a tuxedo French design. Rather than sticking with one color, consider going monochromatic and playing with minimal space.

Shades of Red

A pop of red can add a bold touch to any manicure, but a lot of red can change the whole vibe. If you haven’t tested out the red nail theory, now’s your chance to experience the effects firsthand.

Inverted French Manicure

Can’t get enough of inverted French nail designs? Save this monochromatic manicure before your next trip to the nail salon. The polish placement at the very tip and near the cuticle gives the appearance of length.

The Evil Eye

Derived from a Greek supernatural belief, the evil eye is believed to defend its wearer from the jealous gaze (and the curses that come with it) of others. Plus, this manicure by Hang Nguyen is too good not to try.

Monochrome Designer Motifs

For this manicure, Betina Goldstein drew inspiration from minimalist and monochrome Chanel motifs. She combined Chanel’s Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in Dénudé with the Boy de Chanel Nail Color in Black to pull off the look.

Green and Blue Ombré

Chrome Heart Tips

Remember when we couldn’t escape from bright ombré nails? This is a subtler approach to the colorful trend, as the blue-and-green ombré design doesn’t take up too much real estate on the nail.

Fact: You don’t have to wait until Valentine’s Day to embrace your lover era. This manicure combines three of the biggest trends at the moment: French tips, negative space, and chrome à la Hailey Bieber.

Colorful French Manicure

We’re not done just yet with simple and colorful French manicures. Check out how gorgeous this electric-green shade looks against a nude pink base!

Retro Starburst

Chocolate-brown tones always make statement. The next time you reach for your favorite shades, take notes from nail artist Hang Nguyen and add a retro-inspired starburst to the ring finger.

Minimalistic Waves

Scalloped nail designs are the perfect ways to add dimension to an everyday manicure. Here, Nguyen only features the art on three of her nails and covers the rest with a glossy black shade.

Orange Ombré

Here’s another ombré nail look we’re obsessed with. Imarni created this orange manicure for singer-songwriter and actress Paloma Faith.

Half-and-Half

If you can’t decide between nude and tortoiseshell print at the nail salon, try this flirty design. It looks gorgeous year-round and goes with everything.

Negative Space Dots

If busy nail designs aren’t your thing, Georgia Rae’s simple dot nail design might be the most elegant way to bring a little intrigue to your manicure. Use a dotting tool with your favorite polish, and you’re all set.

Modern Shapes

Speaking of simple nail designs, take a look at this timeless black-and-white nail art on short nails. The best part is your shapes of choice can be as big or tiny as you need.

Dripping in Gold

We can’t get enough of how high-fashion this gold drip design by Nails of L.A. looks on short and mid-length nails. It’s so striking against the barely there base.

Black Heart

Intriguing and understated, Iram Shelton’s negative-space nail art draws attention to one finger with a flirty heart design that features a gem at its center.

Sunset Color Scheme

According to Goldstein, this nail design was inspired by the moment during a sunset when the sun perfectly aligns with the horizon. She uses the Chanel Le Vernis in Lagune and Sun Drop as well as Chanel Le Baum in Mermaid.

Barely There French

Clearly, we love a negative-space moment (especially when French tips are involved). Nguyen shows us how it’s done with this timeless manicure.

Mermaid Chrome

In case you haven’t noticed, chrome manicures like this one by Paragon Beauty aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They also look good on nails of all lengths!

Red Tortoiseshell

The red tones of this tortoiseshell nail design by Goldstein are bold yet refined. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s famous printed headbands come to mind every time we come across similar designs.

Delicate Black and White

These delicate black-and-white tips are the picture of elegance. The Mani Club’s Christiana may be known on her platform for simpler manicures, but we’re in love with the way this one turned out.

Aquatic Velvet

Another trend we have on our radar is velvet nails. Reminiscent of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, this one is created with a magnet that pushes all the glitter to the center or side of the nail and a jelly topcoat.

Electric Green Blooms

Youthful, spring-inspired nails will always be a go-to for us beauty lovers with short nails. To get the look, Imarni Nails used The GelBottle Inc polish in the shades Fries and Iridescent.

Berry-Toned Tips

Our last French manicure of the edit features these burgundy tips by Rae. Brilliant berry shades like these are all we’ll be wearing come fall and winter.

Moody Tortoiseshell

You can never have too many inspirational tortoiseshell designs to replicate at the salon. The polish shades used for this manicure look especially good against this client’s skin.

Iridescent Snakeskin

To get this gorgeous snakeskin nail effect, Imarni used soap bubbles against the surface of the bright-green polish from The GelBottle Inc and topcoat. It’s the perfect festival nail look!

Gold-Foiled

If you thought gold-foil nails should be reserved for the holiday season, it’s time to reconsider. Nguyen’s design is everything a gold-foil manicure should be and more.

Mother of Pearl

Aquatic nails are stunning year-round, but especially call to us Who What Wear beauty editors by the time the warmer months roll around. This nails, by Nguyen, combine opalescent shades of white, cream, and shimmering gold and 3D textures for a manicure that looks straight from the ocean.

Hand-Painted Cow Print

Western-inspired beauty never falls out of style, so why try an ultra-realistic take on cow print nails for your next nail look? We love how each nail has a different design.

Minimalistic Mod

The minimalist mod design is ideal for anyone who loves neutral polish shades and playful-yet-minimalistic mod nail art. This one, by Nguyen, uses Orly’s Coffee Break: an earthy, cinnamon brown color that screams fall without being overly “traditional”.

From The Garden

If you love delicate, floral nail designs and want to add a unique touch to your next manicure, add pressed micro flowers of different shapes, sizes, and shades to a neutral pink base.

Milk With Micro-Tips

Milky manicures have been on the rise, and we’re loving Shelton’s take on the trend. The milky base and gold micr-tip combination is both stylish and understated.

This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.