10 Ideas for Multipurpose Rooms

Just like people, homes come in all different shapes and sizes. Yet, one thing that every homeowner or renter can agree on, regardless of the size of their home, is the desire to maximize the living potential of their personal space. 

It's not too difficult to make your home more utilitarian by testing out the mutable boundaries of your house or apartment.

10 ideas for multipurpose rooms in your home

1- Living Guest Room

Credit: Stocksnap

If you've got a smaller home but still want to entertain overnight guests, a living guest room is a great option. Incorporating a daybed into your living room can work wonders. Include plenty of throw pillows to keep the room cozy but still functional.

Also, remember to build hidden storage below the bed to hold extra blankets and pillows. Installing a rod onto the ceiling with a stylish but retractable curtain can offer your guest privacy during those late-night or early morning moments.

2- Library Lounge Studio

source: Flickr; iBSSR

As our society becomes more screen-centric, it would nice to have a space in the home that eliminates tablets and television to focus on older forms of media: drawing, painting, collaging etc. Having a multipurpose library lounge studio can offer a lovely escape from the realities of the world. 

Incorporate tall bookshelves with a cutout space for potential craft table or easel, as well as surrounding storage for art supplies. Even consider keeping a yoga mat close by, as the lounge could be used for a quick meditation session to refocus the mind.

3- Office Guest Room

The office guest room is a common staple in smaller homes or apartments with social occupants, as having a space where one can both work and host guests seems fairly ideal. Common in office guest rooms is the murphy bed, or wall bed, a bed that folds up into the wall when it's not being used. 

If a murphy bed isn't possible in your home, or aesthetically pleasing to your taste, tucking a bed or desk neatly into a corner can be a handy option to further optimize functionality and maximize space.

4- Laundry Home Gym

Photo: BHG

Confine all messy tasks to one room with the idea of a combined home gym and laundry room. Gleefully contain the often noisy washer/dryer unit as well as exercise equipment to a space separate from the home. Install light hardwood floors for simple to scrub surfaces or safety in the case that any liquids should spill. 

Hopefully, the space will have access to the outside world, so fresh air can flow.  A bonus is the ability to throw your workout gear directly into the washer when you've finished getting your sweat on!

5- Artist Loft

source: Flickr; Ashley

A loft space often requires an individual with serious feng shui skills to make it liveable, as it's generally one room with no closed doors or stand-alone walls. However, with a little bit of creativity, a loft can be simply turned into a multipurpose space. Using fold away partitions, hanging artwork and plants as well as standing sculptures to break up the space, one can seclude a bedroom without feeling too boxed in.

Another key is to house some multipurpose furniture, such as a stool that functions as a bookcase or side table as well as a foldable dining table that can be turned into a shelf. Anything is possible in a loft with a little bit of thought and innovation!

6- Use Colour to Breakup a Shared Bedroom

Photo: Apartment Therapy

Are your children sharing a room, but both differ so aesthetically that they're fighting over the colour of the walls and furniture? How about compromising and allowing both children to shine by painting the walls in two separate colours? Although this may sound time-consuming or costly, it doesn't have to be!

Try adding white to a paint colour with a darker hue, creating two different shades from the same colour paint. This way each child can feel as if they possess an individual space. Keep different furniture colours and designs on either side, and even consider attaching a curtain in the center of the room for added privacy, or when the little ones are fighting. 

7- Basement leisure room

Crédit: Unsplash

The cat doesn't have to be away for the mouse to play with the basement leisure room concept. This hidden space can hold all of the materials potentially inappropriate for the living or dining room: pool table, bar, dartboard and entertainment system. This space could co-function as a playroom for children, or for any other activities that may want to be kept out of sight and out of mind from regular home life.

8- Large Closet Converted to Mini Workspace

Photo: CB2

A "cloffice," or closest/office is as cute as it sounds. For individuals with large closets but small wardrobes, turning a closet into a workspace could be optimal. Simply install a shelf in place of a desk, grab a small rug, a chair, a stack of pens and you've got yourself a home cloffice.

Bring along your laptop and add a bulletin board to your closet door; start penning new ideas in no time! Plus, if you find your cloffice is starting to get a little cluttered, it's easy to hide behind closed doors.

9- Loft-Style Bed 

Photo: Glaminati

Although the bed is usually the most important feature of a bedroom, there isn't always space in your kingdom for that king-sized bed. If you don't have a fear of heights, and the ceiling allows, why not try raising the bed off the ground?

Creating a loft-style bed is an inventive way to save space in smaller bedrooms or apartments. If you raise it high enough, you can place a desk underneath, making it easy to go from the office to bed on those nights when it's late and you're still stuck working.

10- Dining Music Room

This last one might be for the more lavish of individuals, but something to consider for the music lovers out there. Decorate a dining music room with classic features, like a soft rug, large plants and a grand piano (or a few guitars.) Make sure the space has good acoustics, and you're ready to wine and dine the night away with friends or practice your solo Chopin.