13 Creative Ideas For Making The Most Out Of Your Spare Room

Spare rooms often become catch-all spaces for storing unused furniture and seasonal items. They are filled with forgotten items and are as underutilized as an unorganized garage. These rooms are full of potential and can be transformed into functional spaces you can love again.

Do you have a spare room in your home, or maybe your kids are moving out, and you want to transform that room into something else? In this post, we share tips and creative ideas to give your spare room a purpose.

Convert your spare room into a guest room

The most common way to utilize a spare room is by turning it into a space for guests. This is a great option if you live far from your family who comes to visit or have a regular flow of friends coming to see you and need a place for them to stay.

Spare bedrooms are a great way to experiment with color schemes and design ideas that you may be too afraid of using in your own room or living areas. When setting up a guest room, don’t shy away from new ideas and trends. It’s a good way to experiment before deciding if you want to extend this look in other rooms. Plus, your guests can offer feedback on your design to help you decide.

Turn your spare room into a home office

If your room is on the smaller side and you´re not a fan of working from the dining room table or your bedroom, create a dedicated home office space. A home office can make you more productive and help you concentrate. Most small spaces will fit a desk and a chair so you can set up your workstation.

Having a dedicated workspace is also great for separating your living space from your workspace so you can better manage your time. Use neutral colors, take advantage of vertical space and install shelving for books and important documents to keep the floor space clear.

Transforming your spare room into a playroom

If you have kids and a spare room, consider creating a dedicated play space for them. Much like a home office can separate work and play spaces, a playroom can do the same for your kids. This way, you can keep their toys in one room instead of cluttering your home.

Add cushions on the floor, foam mats and small tables for arts and crafts. Don’t forget to add storage solutions for toys and crafts. Creating a playroom will give your kids their own space and teach them about space planning and organization.

Set up a lounge bar

Every home has unused rooms in the house that can be repurposed for more practical use. A home lounge bar is a great solution if you love to entertain. Creating a home bar is a great way to elevate family gatherings and friendly get-togethers. You don’t need a lot of space for this, just some creative thinking.

To create a home bar that will impress friends and family, check out our post with tips and ideas to get started. No matter how big or small your spare room is, it can easily become your entertainment showpiece.

Create a study area

A study room is similar to a home office. All you would really need is enough space for a desk, chair and space for your books and study supplies. You can add an armchair for extra comfort and reading or a cozy fireplace for ambiance. Any spare room can be converted into a study area, giving you a personal space to relax.

A room like this is perfect for kids to study and do homework. You can even schedule times if you have more than one child needing to use the room or if space allows, you can add more than one desk.

Unleash your creativity with a creative studio

Another perfect solution for a spare room, especially if you are the creative type, is to turn it into a room solely dedicated to your creative talent. Set up a room that stimulates your creativity and space for all your tools of the trade, be that a desk for writing, an easel for painting, musical instruments or crafts.

Your creative studio can be a place where you record your podcast, scrapbook or do DIY projects. It’s a space where you can utilize as much space as possible with the multitude of storage solutions out there that are available for you to keep all your necessary bits to get your projects going.

Turn your spare room into a literary haven

If you love reading and need a comfortable space to curl up with a great book, then a library is a perfect solution for your spare room. Setting up a library is easier than you think. All you need are bookshelves, a sofa or a reading chair and good lighting. Add some plants, art and a side table, and you got yourself a library.

Depending on the style of your library, you can either buy shelves for your books or install some built-in bookshelves. Rugs, blankets and pillows are also a great addition to any library where you can enjoy quiet to read your favorite book.

Convert your spare room into a home gym

Looking for a convenient way to work out? Convert your spare room into a home gym. Having a dedicated space for all your workout equipment makes it easier to actually work out and find what you’re looking for. Your gym can be a simple setup like some mats and free weights or more extensive with a treadmill, rowing machine or popular brand workouts equipment like Peleton or Bowflex.

You can easily design your gym to be a wellness space where you meditate and do yoga or other workouts without weights. For tips on how to set up your perfect gym, check out our gym planner and give that spare room another purpose.

Set up a game room

A game room is a great place to have fun for the whole family. Whether you have older kids or you’re a kid at heart, having a dedicated space for entertaining is a great way to turn your spare room into a place you can enjoy.

Add a pool table, dart board or arcade cabinets to create a place that’s dedicated to fun. Get an oversized couch, a TV for your video games, and lots of storage for your equipment. Love to do puzzles? Make sure you have a large, flat surface to lay them out. Add a popcorn machine, a minifridge and a small bar to create an area for refreshments and snacks.

Build a personal home theater

Love movies? Take your viewing experience to another level with your very own home theater room. Dark paint and blackout curtains will block the light and create that movie theater vibe. This works exceptionally well if you have a spare room without windows or where the windows can easily be covered up.

You’ll need a projector or a large-screen TV, surround sound and recliner chairs or a large sofa. If you have enough space, you can arrange your furniture into a couple of rows to create more seating space. Add a popcorn machine for the ultimate cinema experience, and never watch movies the same way again.

Convert the spare room into the closet of your dreams

Having a nice, walk-in closet is a luxury that many dream of. However, not all homes come with that option. If you have a spare room and want to give it another purpose, consider converting it into a closet. This solution works well for smaller rooms that don’t have a lot of functional space, but you can also use bigger rooms that you don’t need for anything else.

You can install rods and shelves, cabinets and wardrobes, and a mirror and seating space to accommodate your clothes, shoes and accessories. You can buy many existing solutions from the store, or you can opt for a custom closet solution tailored to your needs.

Go practical with a laundry room

A laundry room is also a great option for spare rooms or small spaces without a lot of practical use. You can install a counter for folding laundry, cabinets, and shelves for storing laundry detergents and related products. Use large baskets for separating dirty laundry.

To have a laundry with a washing machine and a dryer requires plumbing and electrical. However, if adding plumbing is not possible, you can still use the room to store your laundry supplies, fold laundry, iron out, and perform other related tasks. This will make your life a lot easier.

Design an oasis for your pets

Pets play an essential role in our homes. For some, they are the only family and support they need. It’s not surprising, then, that creating pet-friendly spaces is a priority for many. You only need to look at TikTok to realize that many people are creating custom spaces for their pets, and some are very creative.

Just like children, pets are curious and love to be entertained. So, if you have a spare room and pets, consider creating a space dedicated to them. Instal floating shelves, build an obstacle course, and add climbing towers and toys your pet loves. Creating a whole room dedicated to your furry family member is not only a fun project but also a practical way to create a safe place for your pet to play and relax.

Conclusion

Big or small, spare rooms have a lot of unused potential. Sometimes it might be challenging to envision what to do with them, so we hope this post has sparked your imagination to transform your unused space into something you can love. With some imagination, you can transform an overlooked part of your home into something incredible.

Still trying to figure out where to start? You can use Planner 5D to try out different designs and uses for your spare rooms virtually before you do any actual work. See how your space can look in 3D and do virtual walkthroughs before you commit to your design.