At some point, every parent who sends their kids off to college and out into the world will face a conundrum. Now the bedroom down the hall that was once filled with teenage belongings is empty, or at least feels that way. However, there is no reason for that valuable space to go unused! Make the most of your spare bedroom by remodeling it into something you’ll enjoy, and that the kids might even use when they come home to visit.
A spare bedroom has so much potential; you can do so many different things with it. You can hire a contractor crew for a dramatic remodel, or just get some new furniture and transform the room just as effectively. Before you start remodeling, have your kids stop by and grab any souvenirs or mementos from their former bedrooms. Once that’s out of the way, it’s time to start creating the room of your dreams!
Don’t know what to do with the spare space? Here are some ideas to inspire you:
Home Office
One of the most obvious first options is a home office (if you don’t already have one). Having a home office is great for a lot of reasons. For starters, you’ll start to feel more organized by finding places for those piles of documents and mail. You’ll also have plenty of space for the pens, receipts, and coupons that are scattered around the house. Lastly, you’ll have somewhere to work when you’re home, that isn’t the kitchen table.
Home offices are extremely popular, so if you don’t know where to start, don’t worry – there are thousands of spare bedroom to home office remodel ideas on the internet.
Dressing Room – The Ultimate Closet
So, you’ve been sharing your closet space for years, but it’s not really that great, is it? If you have a bunch of clothes, shoes, and accessories, do yourself a favor and build a dressing room that will become your new favorite closet. Are you having storage issues? Not anymore! Never again will you have to stuff those sweaters and huge winter coats into a small shelving unit or under the bed. And never again will you have to fight for who gets the closet first when getting ready for work.
When creating your dressing room, have fun, and get creative by putting up some rods and shelves, mirrors, accessory storage, and shoe storage. Also, consider getting a roomy chest with big drawers to hold lots of clothing. You may even want to add a vanity if you have nice lighting so that you can complete your look all in one room. If you’re looking to add a little more functionality to the room, you could even add a washer and dryer.
Library
Are you a bookworm? Consider turning your spare bedroom into a library. While a dedicated library may have been impossible with a full house, with an empty nest, it’s finally possible to create a quiet place to curl up with a good book. Spice up your home library with some soft blankets, comfy chairs, and reading lights. You can even add some warm personal touches by adding items like vacation souvenirs, family photos, and other keepsakes. Before you know it, this will become your favorite room in the house!
If you don’t want to take up the whole room for your library, you don’t have to. Add some shelves to one or two of the walls and fill them up with your books. This is a great way to share your favorite novels and provide reading material for your guests when they visit.
Exercise Studio
Home gyms are convenient and a great way to utilize your spare room, especially if you’re a fitness buff. Just think of all the money you’ll save on gym memberships by just having an exercise studio at home! Sure, you’ll probably have to spend money on some equipment if you don’t have any, but if you know you’ll use it, you’ll end up saving even more money in the long run.
If you’re not as big on fitness, but you’d still like to have a place to work out on occasion, just get some of the essential home gym equipment – like a exercise ball, treadmill or stationary bike, and some weights. At the very least, you’ll have privacy and won’t feel like you’re being judged when trying to figure out how to work that complex exercise machine at the gym!
Having an at-home gym can be enough motivation to get even the most sedentary person up and moving. It’s hard to come up with an excuse not to work out when you have a treadmill right down the hall.
Arts & Crafts Room
If you’re the crafty type, you probably know by now that you can end up with a lot of craft supplies. All those materials end up finding their way into every room throughout the house. Rather than trying to remember where you put those sewing needles or that wood glue, put it all in one room!
With craft rooms, you’ll need something to store and organize your items in and a solid space to work on, which will probably mean taking a trip to IKEA and looking at the shelves and tables. Once you’ve done a little planning and shopping, you can finally have a place to store your materials and keep up with the hobbies you love.
Meditation Room
If working up a sweat isn’t your thing, maybe you would enjoy a meditation room instead. Turn your spare bedroom into a quiet, calming, serene place to think, meditate, read a book, or even just take a nap. Jazz up your meditation room with some big, soft floor pillows, a daybed, some cozy blankets, and a portable speaker. Use soothing colors throughout the room and dimmer switches on the lights. Soon you’ll have the perfect place to relax and decompress.
Guest Bedroom
When remodeling your spare bedroom, the transformation doesn’t have to be major. Now that the kids are out of the house, you can take down their posters and put away their sports memorabilia and replace them with decorations of your choice for a guest bedroom. Guest bedrooms are great for when the kids come back home to visit or if you have other friends and family coming in from out of town.
If the bedroom has an attached bathroom, that’s great – but even if it doesn’t, that’s ok too. If you have multiple empty rooms to choose from, pick the one farthest from the master bedroom so that your guests can maintain their privacy.
Nursery or Children’s Room
If you have an empty nest but have become a grandma or grandpa, you could turn the spare bedroom into a nursery or children’s room. This is the perfect way to welcome your kids and their families when they come home for visits. Parents love to feel like their kids have a place to play without disrupting the household. You don’t need to go all out on a nursery or children’s room to make a place for the grandkids – just getting a portable crib or trundle bed and a few baskets of toys will do the trick.
Game Room
If you like to have fun playing Friday night poker, darts, pool, and board games, you might like the idea of turning the empty bedroom into a game room and bar! Have fun creating your game room and design it to fit the way you like to spend game night. One popular furniture trend for game rooms is a bar, even if you don’t particularly care for alcohol. Consider getting a bar or wine cabinet to store your favorite beverages and drinkware.
Conclusion
Your kid’s former bedroom doesn’t have to be preserved for them or for the sake of memories. Use this valuable extra space to create a room you’ll love and enjoy. If you need some ideas for transforming your spare bedrooms, the internet is full of inspiration. And if all of this seems like a lot to take on by yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help. The first step is to declutter the old room to make space. A professional organizer can help with that and can help with organizing your new space to make it work for you. So, what are you waiting for? Go use that space to design the room of your dreams!