When you are designing a multi-functional room, there are plenty of trouble that you might find that you come across and one of these problems may be that you might find yourself a little short on space. Choosing furniture that can provide multiple purposes is the perfect answer to this problem. For example, a futon/sofa bed that folds out into a bed provides extra sleeping space for guests. Benches with inside storage help keep toys organised while giving children a place to sit down.
You also need to make sure your traffic flow is not interrupted in a multi-functional space, as in any other room of the house, meaning that there should be a clear walking path that doesn’t mean you have to zigzag around the room.
Colour Scheme
Life is frantic. We’re forced to multitask constantly just to keep up. If you can handle work and play then your extra bedroom can, too. Many people are in the lucky position to have a spare bedroom, unfortunately because we have very little space to spare, we all want to make sure that we are utilising our space.
Paint your room a neutral colour so that it will be light, bright, airy and suitable for a room of any use. Try adding window blinds that can easily add privacy without being bulky or taking up much space. Embrace a pale, monochromatic colour scheme that’s soothing for both work and play. Stick to solid, tone-on-tone, and small scale patterns. However, floral patterns look sweet in the bedroom, they’re a little too precious for a double-duty space.
Bedroom
Having an office in your bedroom isn’t normally endorsed since many of us feel that it should be a place to relax in peace. To easily stash your office necessities, add a desk with storage units at the side to get your office out of sight.
Having it double as a makeup table will get the most out of your money and save you space! Use nesting tables so they can store easily within each other when not needed, but easily pulled out when put to use, whether as a guest nightstand or as a board game holder.
Create a sitting room on one end of your bedroom with a couple of comfy lounge chairs or a love seat that can easily pull out as a bed. Arranging them around a fire place or even a faux fire place will create an intimate and welcoming feeling to your bedroom. Having a day bed in your room with plenty of comfy pillows on the back part is also a clever idea since it can serve as a bed at night time and a couch during the day.
Man of us have always dreamed of having our own library, but you can create this feel without having to lose an extra room. Add floor-to-ceiling bookcases and add two comfy lounge chairs in the corner of your bedroom. Having a clever storage area at the bottom of your shelf can double for bedroom linens and towels.
Do you dine in the dining room?
There’s a lot of debate about whether the formal dining room has gone out of style and whether it is frankly necessary at all. Our modern day lifestyles are more casual and certainly a lot busier. Across the country it is plain to see that many families find it virtually impossible to get everyone to sit down together for a family meal as everyone is out busy doing their own thing. So it’s no wonder really that so many homeowners don’t bother having a dining room as it can feel a bit of a waste of space – an expensive room that gets little use!
However, I have strong beliefs about the dining room and its important role for socialising, table manners and communication, all which I think reflect healthy relationships.
Why not turn your dining room into a music salon with piano in one corner and a more intimate dining area by the fireplace and windows across the room. You can host parties, with the empty feeling a large space has. Strapped for cash?
Then why not mix your dining room into an office/library? With beautiful cabinetry and built-ins for all the family’s books, magazines and artwork of course! Reading room by day and dining room by night, using rustic oak furniture, you can reuse the same pieces over and over again as they last for decades – a real investment.
Books and beautiful objects can create an atmosphere with lots of warmth and personality, which is sometimes lacking in the average dining room. If a library isn’t your thing, but you do need a home office or craft room? Practical for all that paperwork that we normal keep lying around somewhere.
Author Bio: Karen loves nothing more than creating a house into a home and making it her own when it comes to decorating. She enjoys having a bit of luxury in every room and her pieces of solid oak furniture definitely bring that to her home. Karen has a few places where she visits when purchasing furniture, a personal favourite of hers is Homeward Bound Interiors.
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