If you have only occasional overnight visitors in your home, it may not make sense to reserve a whole room for accommodating them. If you don’t have an extra room to spare in your house, a dual-purpose guest room is a practical idea. Many people use their guest rooms as a home office to make the space more functional and practical.
In a case like this, your workspace needs to quickly and easily transform into a welcoming guest room when you have company—so you’ll need some tricks up your sleeve. Let’s take a look at a few tips and ideas for easily transforming dual-purpose guest rooms so you can welcome visitors to your home.
#1: Sleeper Sofa or Daybed
Obviously, your guest room will need a bed. But you still need space for your desk, chair and any office supplies you need in order for it to be a comfortable workspace. One of the best solutions is choosing a bed that can fold up, slide away or otherwise hide when not in use. A few good options include sleeper sofas and daybeds. Sleeper sofas feature a bed frame and mattress inside that folds out to create a full-size bed for your guests. Daybeds are essentially beds that look like sofas, and often feature pull-out trundles for additional sleeping space. Either way, it’s a perfect solution for your dual-purpose room.
#2: Desk
There are a few things to consider when choosing a desk for your home office/guest room combo. If it’s a sizeable room, you may have the space for virtually any desk. But if you’re working with a limited area, there are a few tricks you can follow to make the space work without feeling crowded:
- Utilize corner space. A diagonal desk in the corner of the room can give you a functional area without taking up as much floor space as a traditional desk shape. If all you need room for is a laptop and a lamp, this is perfect for you.
- Choose a slim desk design. A sleek desk with a slim profile takes up as little space as possible while still giving you a nice surface to use.
- Find a comfortable office chair. Not only do you need a comfortable desk chair if you’ll be using your office regularly, but be sure to choose a chair that can double as an accent chair for the room. This is another way you can leverage dual-purpose furniture to preserve floor space and make it easy to transform your office into a welcoming guest room. A stylish cushioned chair gives your guests a place to sit while winding down for the night.
#3: Privacy Screen
To give your guests a sense of privacy and a space their own, a privacy screen is a great idea—particularly if you’ll still need to use the office section of the room while they’re staying with you. A screen or partition also serves to keep the bedroom visually separated from your office area when you don’t have guests.
#4: Shelves & Storage
Make use of wall space in the room to keep as many items as possible off the floor but within easy reach. Wall cabinets or built-in wall storage are ideal, so you can quickly store any office materials to make room for your guests. Under-bed storage options like pull-out drawers or totes are also great for storing your visitors’ belongings if needed.