Unless you live in a massive home with tons of rooms scattered throughout, designing spaces that can do double duty just makes sense.
Take the guest room, for instance. How many times is that space going to be used to accommodate overnighters? Maybe a few times a year? So what are you supposed to do with that room when you don’t have overnight guests (besides using it to store your junk)?
Why not design this room to double as your home office that can be easily converted to a guest room when the need arises?
Having a functional floor plan is a great start. But it all comes down to the furniture pieces you select to outfit the space so it can be easily converted back and forth as needed.
Here are a few clever options for furniture that will help you do just that.
Vanity and Chair
An office isn’t really an office without a desk and chair. But you don’t exactly have to opt for the typical cubicle-looking type of office furniture that you’d normally see in a workplace. If you’re working from home, odds are you don’t want that type of look anyway.
Instead, your home office/guest room can be outfitted with a glamorous chaise to substitute for the conventional office chair, and a stylish vanity that will have no problem housing your paperwork after your guests use it to temporarily store their belongings – as long as there’s space underneath for you to comfortably pull up a seat.
Folding Beds
You know those beds that neatly tuck into the walls like you saw on old shows on TV? Well, they’re called ‘Murphy’ beds, and they’re real! And they’re super convenient when you need a space to perform multiple functions.
If you want your home office to accommodate guests, but don’t exactly have the space for a queen-sized bed, there’e still hope. All you need to do is move the desk out of the way and fold that baby down, providing a perfectly comfy bed for your guests to nestle in.
Room Dividers
OK, so these aren’t exactly furniture pieces, per se, but they definitely make the transition from home office to guest room a cinch! Using simple division can change the function of a room on a dime.
You can opt for the traditional accordion-style room dividers, or even hand simple curtains to literally get all of your office belongings out of sight when your guests arrive. Full-length drapery in particular will look more sophisticated.
Armoire and Secretary Desks
Don’t have the space for a big closet to store all your office stuff out of site when guests arrive? No problem. Just get yourself a funky secretary or armoire desk equipped with cabinet doors that hide all your office items out of site, while still acting as a dresser to store guests’ belongings.
If you can fit everything you need into a decorative and stylish secretary desk, then you can close up the desk while still hiding your office. These unique desks typically feature a fold-down desktop, cubbyholes for storage, drawers and cabinets.
Futons
These versatile furniture pieces aren’t limited to just dorm rooms on college campuses. They’re perfectly acceptable to be used adult homes too. You can use them in your guest room/office to act as a sofa for your office, then unfold it to act as a bed for your guests. With lovely bedding and pillows, your guests won’t even know it’s a futon!
You don’t have to haul out all your office furniture whenever you’re having someone overnight. Instead, be smart and savvy about your furniture choices so they can perform double duty. These pieces can help you solve your furnishing dilemmas in your mixed-use space so you don’t have to choose one specific use over another.
