How To Make The Most Of A Spare Room In Your House

Up and down the country, too many homes have empty rooms that have quickly become nothing more than overflow storage spaces, with many items misplaced among the disorder.
To combat this, and help turn your wasted area into a purposeful place styled around productivity, we’ve outlined our top ideas for spare bedroom transformations, offered interior design tips, and suggested small spare room ideas.
What to do with a spare room
Whether you’ve moved to a bigger home or your children have all grown up and left behind empty living space, you may find yourself wondering what to do with all the spare room. Rather than have it go to waste, however, consider transforming your unexciting area into something that offers so much more. Reading on, discover just what to do with a spare room.
Guest bedroom
One of the most common spare room transformations is into a guest bedroom, ideal for friends or family who come to visit. As far as guest room ideas go, consider incorporating a practical sofa bed that folds away when not in use. This allows you to change how you use your space on a whim.
Rent out to a lodger
Instead of preparing your spare room for the occasional guest, consider topping up your income with regular rent from a lodger. It’s worth noting that this option isn’t suited to everyone, and you should be aware of the costs of renting out your property, even if it’s only to a lodger.
Home office
Home working has become increasingly prevalent over the last year, so take advantage of your vacant room and turn it into an office space styled around productivity, efficiency, and privacy. Spare room office ideas include positioning a big desk in front of a wide window, so you can enjoy the natural light, with comfortable capacity for laptop or computer, files, and note taking.
Home gym
Instead of spending money each month on a costly gym membership, why not turn your spare room into a work-out space? Depending on the available room, fit a running or cycling machine for your cardio, and a weight rack and bench for weight-training exercises.
Dressing room
If you’re still wondering what to do with a spare room, and fancy transforming it into something a little more luxurious than a home office or guest bedroom, consider turning your space into a dressing room and walk in wardrobe. All you’ll need is closet space and a little table and mirror, and you’ll have yourself a fabulous dressing room.
Home cinema
Have you always dreamed of setting up your very own home cinema? If so, scrap the rest of your guest room ideas and make your fantasy a reality, complete with comfy sofas, a huge wall-mounted TV or projector, and surround sound. Create the perfect cosy environment to enjoy your favourite films the way they were intended.
Games room
Whether you’re hoping to keep the kids entertained or wanting to style an area perfect for weekend hangouts, you can’t go wrong with fitting a games room within your spare space. Whether you’re into pool or snooker, table football, or ping pong, make your games room vision come to life. Alternatively, if you’re restricted to small spare room ideas, you could simply convert your vacant space into a video game retreat, with a convenient mini bar for the adults.
Creative studio
Unlock your passion and feed your creativity with a studio dedicated to art, music, writing, or whichever hobby you tend to at the weekend. Create a space that really allows you to express yourself, without fear of interruption or distraction from the family.
Cosy snug
Instead of racking your brain for creative guest room ideas, why not just transform your empty space into an intimate, cosy snug. Make comfort your main priority, with sofas and lounging chairs, a bookshelf full of your favourite reads, and a coffee table fit to hold a brimming teapot. This is one of the simpler small spare room ideas, and allows you to benefit from a space that’s too big to use as storage yet too small to remodel as a bedroom.
Spare room design ideas
When coming up with guest room ideas, it’s important to consider the design and style of your space. Your spare room design ideas might be best orientated around neutrality and simplicity, with classically chic furnishings complementing a timeless finish.
Not only does this make for a warm and welcoming visitor environment, if you have friends over to stay, but it also allows you to adapt your style as your requirements change, or if you want to make use of the space between visitors.
Alternatively, if your additional space is styled solely for personal use, consider taking the opposite approach and engulf the room in rich and vibrant character. Your spare room can be your opportunity to experiment with features and colours that reflect your personality.
Small spare room ideas
If you’re wondering what to do with a spare room of limited size, we’ve got you covered. There are numerous ways to maximise the space on offer, to create an energetic environment perfect for guests, home working, or the kids. Our top small spare room ideas include:
- Make full use of wall space
Look to include shelving throughout your small room, to reduce the need for floor-based storage. Additionally, implement wall mirrors to offer the illusion of extra space.
- Capitalise on natural light
Where possible, try to flood your small spare room with natural light, to increase the feeling of openness and warmth.
- Use bright colours
Similarly to the benefits of natural light, painting your walls in white exudes brightness makes your space feel that little bit larger.
Having an empty space in your home could open up a world of possibility, if you’re willing to consider creative and practical ideas for spare room adaptation. Whether you’re styling something for the family or a private retreat for yourself, there’s so much you can do. For even more helpful guidance and expert household advice, head on over to our blog.