Putting the Spare Bedroom to Good Use
Functionality
Perhaps you have always wanted to have your own home office, or a room in which to set up arts and crafts; you should always consider ideas that have been lurking in the back of your mind. The important thing is to get motivated about redecorating, because it will give you the drive you need to finish what you start. If you just want to use it as a place to store junk, then you won’t want to work on it as often as you would an art studio.
If you live alone, then this decision is entirely up to you, but if you live with other family members, then you should seek their opinions before going ahead with plans. Figure out how you can use the spare room so that everyone can enjoy it. And if you know that it might cause an argument among siblings, have everyone give you their suggestions in private.
Practicality
When considering ideas for a spare bedroom, think long and hard about practicality. Factor your budget, your available time, and prospective needs before making a concrete decision. Often, people jump into a project before they have really thought it through, and eventually have to give up on it because it isn’t something that can be accomplished.
For example, if you have kids who want a game room, consider their ages and how long they will use it. Are your kids active in playing games? Do they play well with one another? If all you foresee are arguments over toys, then it isn’t something that you should pursue. There is nothing worse than spending weeks on a project, only to find out that you regret having done it.
You also don’t want to commit to something that is going to end up costing too much. Use your creative genius to think up ways to cut corners on cost so that your newfound project doesn’t wind up breaking the bank.
Possibilities
If you need a few ideas to get the creative wheels spinning, here are some options for turning a spare bedroom into a functional, practical space for everyone to enjoy.
1. Home Office
I mentioned this earlier, and it can be an invaluable convenience. If you work from home quite a bit or if you constantly find yourself messing with the computer, your own private office space will make your life much simpler. Studies have shown that people work much better in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere that reflects their own personality. You can select your desk, chair, artwork, plants, and other furnishings with your personal tastes in mind. Include a CD player so that you can listen to music while you work, and place your desk by the window to offer yourself a view.
Home offices don’t have to be traditional in any sense of the word. Since this is your space, you can organize it however you want. Maybe the kids are constantly getting into your drawers, messing up your carefully organized documents and supplies. In your home office, things will always be as you left them.
This might also give you an opportunity to get the fax machine you’ve been eyeing at the office supply store, or maybe a new color printer where size isn’t an issue. You can have a couch or chairs for occassions when colleagues visit your home, or an extra table where you can spread out your work.
2. Family Room
Perhaps you have always wanted to turn your downstairs living room into a formal sitting area, but you need a place where you can kick back and watch television with your family. The spare bedroom can be an answer to that problem. The only difficult decision is deciding which room to redecorate; do you move the living room furniture to the spare bedroom, or buy new furniture for the family room? The choice is yours!
This can also have a personal touch for your kids. Get them involved when you go shopping and let them help pick out the furniture. Maybe you have sons who are fascinated with super heros, or daughters who love princesses and castles. You can decorate according to everyone’s tastes, and always have a place to relax.
If you or a family member is particularly handy, you might consider building a custom entertainment center for your television, VCR, and DVD player. This can provide extra storage for movies and CD’s, and will give your own personal touch to the room.
3. Reading Room
I don’t know about you, but I love to read, and it would be wonderful to have a room dedicated to my own personal library and a place to relax with a good book. Turn your spare bedroom into a retreat for the mind, with bookcases full of your favorite reading material and plush armchairs perfect for kicking back and letting books carry you away. Decorate in soft pastel colors or bold bright ones – whichever is conducive to relaxation – and exchange miniblinds for curtains to allow for maximum sunlight. You could also have a table so that you can work in private, or a computer desk for when you just want to be alone.
4. Entertainment Room
Are you constantly throwing parties at your house? Do you have guests over two or three times a week, either for business or pleasure? A spare bedroom – depending on the size – is a great place to put couches, chairs, and maybe a television. You can install a bar along one wall if you like to serve drinks, and keep a mini-fridge in the corner to keep things cold. Add the theme of your choice to serve as ambiance, and you have a wonderful new place to entertain guests.
5. Holiday Room
If your family is big on holidays, then you might need a place to put all of your decorations. Sometimes living rooms are too small to hold Christmas trees and everything else that goes along with the holidays, especially if you’re a decorating fanatic. Use the closet to store off-season holiday decorations, labeled neatly in cardboard boxes, and have a new place to display all of your seasonal decorations.
Along the same lines, maybe you have tons of collectibles, and you no longer have enough room to display them. Make your spare bedroom into a theme room, with whatever you collect on shelves or tables all around the room.
6. Arts & Crafts
Are you a painter? A sculptor? Or do you just like to try new things? Set up a table, an easel, and anything else you might need to fascilitate your creative genius, and get right to work on your list of projects. As an added bonus, you can display your work as you finish it, either on shelves or on the walls. It will be a shrine to your artistic talent!
7. Antiques
It seems like every member of my family collects antiques, and sometimes we don’t realize just how many we have! Start your own collection in your spare bedroom using display tables and shelves for your most precious pieces. If can be a room that you privately enjoy, or one that you show off to all of your guests and friends. True collections deserve their own all-inclusive space, after all.
This also works if you are an art connoiseur, and are running out of places to display your favorites. Hang paintings from the wall, stand sculptures on the floor, and lay beautiful rugs on the carpet or hard wood floors
8. Exercise Room
It is one of the most popular New Years’ Resolutions, and most of us complain that we have nowhere to do it! Now you have no more excuses, because your spare bedroom can make a wonderful work-out room. Bring in a TV for exercise tapes, start looking at treadmills, and collect weights for muscle strengthening. You might also want to include a Yoga Mat, a Balance Ball, and a Stretch Rope – to be trendy, if for no other reason!
And if you are into Yoga and Meditation, make your spare bedroom into a meditation room. Surround yourself with calming colors and objects, and let your mat be the center of the room. You can do your Yoga stretches and meditate right after from the privacy of your new room.
9. Spa
Believe it or not, you can have your very own spa right in the middle of your house! Hot tubs can be installed indoors if the plumbing is right, and saunas can be built into closets. This will probably be a very expensive endeavor, but imagine all of the peaceful hours you can spend soaking in your Jacuzzi or sweating toxins in your sauna. Keep a mini-fridge next to the Jacuzzi for drinks while you relax, and install a bar on the wall to hold your towels.
NOTE: Talk with a contractor before beginning this project, and make sure that it can be done according to the layout of your house. Also, if the room is carpeted, you will probably want to think about laying tile instead; you don’t want moldy carpet from drips!
10. Guest Room
I originally planned for only nine ideas in this article, but when I reached the end, I realized that I forgot the most important one: a guest bedroom!
Are you constantly playing host to visiting relatives and friends? If so, create your own B&B inside your home! There might be only one room for rent, and you might not charge guests to stay, but the dÃ?©cor can be just as unique. Choose a luxurious sleigh bed or an elegant four-poster, and include an antique dresser and perhaps a small television for your guests’ comfort. Decorate it however you like, and your friends will always choose to stay with you!
