Tips To Turn Your Spare Bedroom Into A Multi-Functional Space

What a wonderful gift it is to have a spare bedroom, or a dedicated space to comfortably host out-of-town guests. But odds are that, unless you are an avid entertainer or have a longer-term visitor, you likely want to make use of this space in other ways when you aren't expecting company. Creating multi-functional guest rooms is not only common, but a smart way to maximize square footage so that your home works well for you all the time, even when you are not playing hostess with the mostest.

Whether you plan to use your off-duty guest room as an office, playroom, home gym, hobby space, library, movie room, combination of several of those, or any other spare room ideas you have planned, there are so many ways to gracefully achieve a functional and aesthetically pleasing space for multiple purposes. The key is to get creative about the footprint of the bed itself, opting for space-saving alternatives like Murphy beds or sleeper sofas, and prioritizing concealed, organized storage to keep the room feeling open and uncluttered, ready to enjoy. With some clever space planning, sleeping arrangement, and storage solutions, you can make the most out of your spare bedroom, no matter the size.

Let's first address the elephant in the room: the bed. It has, by far, the biggest footprint when planning a sleeping space. A traditional queen mattress alone takes up approximately 33 square feet of floor space. That's a 5 by almost 7 foot area being utilized for absolutely nothing else but the occasional sleeping visitor. Not very efficient.

To recapture that space, consider looking into alternative bed options that allow you reduce the size of the footprint when not in use. Sleeper sofas function beautifully as cozy extra seating most of the time but can be pulled out into a bed for overnight visitors. If you don't have room for an entire sofa, there are incredible sleeper loveseats, daybeds, ottomans, or even chairs, which can be used individually or pulled together to form a larger bed as needed.

Murphy beds, which tilt up to a shallow vertical position against the wall or within a cabinet when not in use, are another great way to reduce the floor space a bed requires. Many have attached storage with nightstands or have another function, such as a fold-down table, desk, shelving, or a sofa to maximize your space. If you have a small room, there are horizontal twin Murphy beds and folding options that can be contained in small pieces of furniture. If you have a larger room, you could even DIY a platform to contain a slide-out bed while maintaining full floor space on top. Whichever option you prefer, getting rid of a traditional bed is the first place to start making extra room.

Once you've gained some serious floor space back for your multi-purpose bedroom, the next step for optimum functionality is to plan well-thought-out storage behind closed doors to avoid clutter. When trying to make the most of a small guest room, concealed, well-organized storage allows the space to shift, clutter-free, between purposes without giving one the short end of the stick. Getting clever with storage options will improve the flow, utilization, and aesthetics of the room, both for guests and your other uses.

Because floor space is often at a premium in secondary bedrooms, think vertically and take advantage of off-ground options, such as floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets, open shelving for books or display, or floating organizers inside a closet. Depending on your alternate purpose for the space, consider multi-functional furniture like a wall-mounted fold-down table. Another space-saving storage idea for small bedrooms is to create built-ins to streamline the space and blend it in seamlessly as an integrated feature of the room. For example, float a desk between large full-height cabinets or add a custom window seat with storage drawers below for extra seating and concealed organization. 

Finally, when it's time to turn your space back into a guest bedroom, use beautiful decorative options such as room dividers or lush curtains, for partitioning the space or covering less attractive necessities like exercise equipment. By reclaiming the floor space of the bed and planning smart, concealed storage, you have given your spare bedroom the ability to shift beautifully between purposes and take full advantage of the square footage, whether you have overnight guests or not.