Few homeowners have the luxury of a spare room. Unfortunately, many of those who do have a spare room don’t put it to great use. You’d be surprised at how many homeowners simply use their spare rooms as storage areas for boxes, outdated electronics, or old furniture. If you have an extra room in your home, you could be putting it to much better use than a makeshift storage space. There are plenty of spare room ideas that you can use as inspiration to get the most out of your extra room.
Where Are Your Spare Rooms?
What exactly defines a “spare room?” Any room in your home that isn’t being regularly used for a specific purpose. You could argue that using a spare room as storage space is a purpose, but if you’re doing this, you’re not using the room regularly. It means the room has about as much function to your home as an off-site storage unit. If you do need storage space, then why not just use an off-site storage unit? This way, you can put your spare room to much better use. The following are a few common examples of spare rooms:
Extra Bedroom
You may have purchased a house with more bedrooms than you needed because you could afford it — or maybe you had children who have all grown up and moved out, leaving you with a bedroom that’s no longer being used.
Unfinished Basement
So many homes have basements that aren’t being used. Unfinished basements are particularly common, which is a shame since the basement area tends to provide a significant amount of space that you could leverage for all kinds of purposes.
Unused Attic Space
Like basements, attics are often relegated to being nothing more than storage space. While they are rarely as spacious as basements, an attic can still be better used with a little bit of creativity. You can often treat the attic space in the same way you treat an extra bedroom.
1. Guest Bedroom
If you regularly put up friends and family throughout the year, you might want to consider setting up a guest bedroom. If you had adult children who have moved out recently, then converting their bedroom to a guest bedroom will be much easier since you may still have access to bedroom furniture (unless they took everything with them). If this is the case, you can re-decorate the room to make it more appropriate for guests. However, if you don’t have a spare bedroom, you can always convert your attic or basement into a guest bedroom as well.
The attic or basement might not seem like ideal locations for a bedroom, but as long as you insulate them properly to ensure that they provide comfort, they can be quite charming as guest bedrooms. An attic with a window can be lovely as a guest bedroom, although it might take some work to convert it to one. The basement can be even more fitting as a guest bedroom if there’s a bathroom down there as well. One of the advantages of converting your attic or basement to guest bedrooms is that your guests will have much more privacy (especially if your basement has access to a bathroom).
2. Home Office
If you work at home, then a home office is a must. Trying to get work done in other rooms of the house, whether in the living room, dining room, kitchen, or bedroom, can be incredibly challenging. Working in these areas can be particularly difficult if there are other people at home using these spaces. It’s much easier to be distracted if you don’t have a dedicated home office space. By turning an extra room into a home office, you can create a private, distraction-less space that will allow you to focus on your work.
One of the advantages of converting a spare room into a home office is that you don’t need a lot of space. If you have a smaller bedroom or a smaller attic space, you may still be able to turn it into an office. The only thing you need space for is a desk, after all.
3. Laundry Room
If your washer and dryer are hooked up in their own little space, there are still things you can do with that space. Many homeowners use this area as storage space, especially if their washers and dryers are in the basement. However, why not just convert the site around your washer and dryer into a laundry room? Install shelves or cabinets where you can keep all of your laundry items organized, add storage space for your laundry baskets, and build a bench where laundry can be folded on the spot. A dedicated laundry room can make the process of doing laundry much more efficient.
4. Home Gym
If you want to turn your spare room into something you can use daily, a home gym is a good option. While an attic space might not be ideal for a gym, a spare bedroom, or an empty basement certainly is. The basement will make an excellent home gym, even if it’s unfinished. Basements usually provide lots of space, which means you have an opportunity to build out your gym by adding a weight rack, a bench, a treadmill, an exercise bike, and more. Plus, you’ll have plenty of space to stretch out and work out in as well, which means that you could set up a personal home yoga studio. The basement is ideal for a home gym due to how isolated it is from the rest of the house, which means you can work out in peace — and any noise you make won’t echo throughout your home.
5. A Walk-In Closet
Do you have a tiny bedroom near your master bedroom that you don’t know what to do with? If you don’t need a guest bedroom or home office (or it’s so small that you don’t think it will make a very comfortable bedroom), then you could turn it into a personal walk-in closet. Converting a small room into a walk-in closet can help keep your clothes much more organized. It can also free up a significant amount of closet space in your actual bedroom, making it less cluttered and more relaxing as a result.
6. An Extra Entertainment Room
The living room is typically the main entertainment room. However, it may not be best suited for focusing on a single type of entertainment because it’s used for all forms of entertainment. For example, you can’t use the living room to watch a movie without distraction if other people in your home are using the space and aren’t interested in joining. Fortunately, that extra bedroom or basement space can be turned into entertainment rooms that focus on a specific type of entertainment. The following are just a couple of entertainment room ideas:
Home Theater
Setting up your home movie theater in the living room rarely works since the noise made in other parts of the home may disrupt your home theater experience. Also, the noise of watching a movie in surround sound can disturb anyone who isn’t watching with you. Finally, most living rooms are well lit and have lots of sunlight coming in. Such lighting is not ideal for a home theater environment.
The basement is perfect for a home theater because you can control the lighting more effectively, especially if there are no windows. Additionally, because basements are isolated from the rest of the house, you won’t disrupt others in your home — and other sounds won’t distract from your movie experience.
Home Bar
There may not be a lot of space in your living room or kitchen areas to set up a home bar. If you’re a bit of a cocktail enthusiast or you enjoy serving guests drinks, a home bar is a nice setup to have. The basement can be a great place to set up your home bar as you can also use the space to create a second living area, allowing guests to lounge around while enjoying the drinks you’ve made.
Video Game Room
As a home theater room, a video game room is more effective if isolated from the rest of the house. Video games tend to be incredibly noisy, which is why you’ll want to set up in a space where sound won’t come in or out. The basement is the perfect place to set up your video game room.
7. A Playroom For The Kids
One of the most frustrating challenges of having kids is keeping your home from being flooded with toys. A designated playroom can be the solution to this common problem. Turning your basement or extra bedroom into a playroom can prevent your living space from becoming cluttered with toys. It can also help keep the kids’ rooms clean and clutter-free, creating a more peaceful home for everyone.
8. A Library And Reading Room
If you’re something of a reader, then having a room that you can retreat to for peace and quiet while you escape into the pages of your favorite book can be incredibly satisfying. People who read often know how difficult it can be to find a comfortable spot to settle down and concentrate. For example, reading in the living room can be nearly impossible if other people share the space and watch TV. So why not turn that spare room into a private reading room? Not only can you outfit it with a comfortable reading chair, but you can also set it up as your home library. A reading room is great for keeping your collection of books from cluttering up shelves in the rest of your home while providing you with a quiet place to focus on the book you’re currently reading.
Don’t Know What To Do With A Spare Room? Use These Spare Room Ideas
The purchase of your house in Denver was probably one of the most significant investments you’ve ever made. It certainly is for most homeowners, which is why you should get the most out of every inch of space you have. If you currently have a spare room going unused (or that’s being used as a makeshift storage area), consider one of these spare room ideas. These spare room ideas will help you get the most out of every room in your home, whether you have an extra bedroom, an unfinished basement, or an unused attic space.
