Summer is here! If you’re hosting summer houseguests, it may be time to give your space a little update. In today’s blog, the interior design experts at Star Furniture provide you with some of our best guest room home office ideas that can help you make the most out of your hybrid space.
Spread Out with a Sleeper Sofa
If you’re decorating a small guest room-office combo, you may be wondering how you’re going to fit all of the furniture you need into such limited space. That’s where sleeper sofas come in. Not only do they provide some great guest room seating by day, but they fold out into a comfortable bed so your guests will sleep soundly at night. And because they can fold up into a standard sofa size or smaller, you’ll still have plenty of space to work without feeling overcrowded by furniture when you aren’t hosting guests in your home. The best part? Sleeper sofa technology has improved greatly since you were a kid. In fact, you can even choose sleeper sofas with memory foam mattresses for optimal comfort. Plus, they come in a wide range of sizes and styles. You can choose a chair-and-a-half sleeper sofa that measures a few inches shy of the width of a twin bed or a large sleeper sofa that pulls out into a standard queen size bed. Whatever size you choose, sleeper sofas are a versatile addition to your small guest room-office combo.
Opt for a Writing Desk
If you’re looking for office guest room ideas that will save you space without sacrificing functionality and style, you’ll want to opt for a writing desk. Writing desks are small desks that were traditionally used for letter writing but are now often used for working on a laptop or desktop computer. While they sometimes have one or two drawers for storage, they tend to be compact enough that they don’t overpower the room. And because they have limited surface space, they encourage a clutter-free desktop that will blend well with the guest room when it isn’t in use. Plus, writing desks come in a wide range of styles that will help you level up your look whether you’re decorating your home office guest room in the modern, traditional, transitional, or farmhouse style.
Take Advantage of Vertical Space
Wondering how to decorate a guest room that has to double as a home office? You’ll want to take advantage of the vertical space within the room. While there’s only so much furniture you can fit in a small home office guest room, there’s likely vertical space in the room that you can utilize. Making use of more wall space can make the room feel more proportional and visually interesting, and all of that untapped space can go a long way toward making the room feel more functional. You might, for example, include a tall etagere or bookshelf to help with storage, include hooks for hanging up jackets, or design a gallery wall to help give the space some personality and style. Whatever you choose, you’ll find that dialing in on unused vertical space will go a long way toward creating a room that functions well as both a home office and a guest room.
Swap Out a Nightstand for a Desk
Want to create a home office guest room that perfectly serves both purposes? There’s room to get creative with your furniture. In fact, one of our favorite guest room office ideas involves swapping out a more traditional nightstand for a desk. While you’ll likely want to choose a small writing desk if you go this route, you can let your desk work double duty as a place for guests to hold their phones and reading material as they drift to sleep and a place where you can sit down to get work done during the day. In fact, it can even give your guests somewhere comfortable to take care of their own business during their stay. Not sure which desk to choose? Pay special attention to the wood tones, the design style, and the visual weight of the desk to make sure it matches the rest of the room and doesn’t draw attention to itself. You’ll also want to make sure it’s the right height to be functional as both a nightstand and a desk.
Maximize Your Space with a Daybed
Like sleeper sofas, daybeds can also work particularly well in small home office guest rooms. Not only do they take up less space than traditional beds, but when they’re not in use, they can serve as additional seating in the room. Whether your guests are looking for a nice place to sit back, relax, and read, or you’re looking for a comfortable space to catch up on some emails, a daybed is a versatile piece of furniture that functions well in both a home office and a guest room. Plus, many daybeds feature a trundle with an additional mattress that can tuck underneath the bed, which means they can easily accommodate multiple overnight guests without taking up the same amount of space as a queen or king bed. And they’re not just functional. Daybeds can be a stylish addition to any home office guest room, especially when you factor in both the bedding and throw pillows.
Convert Your Closet Space
While closets are often essential storage space in master bedrooms and children’s bedrooms, since guest bedrooms don’t need to store an entire wardrobe, they don’t necessarily require the same amount of closet space. In fact, if you’re dealing with a small guest room-office combo, you may want to get creative with your design by converting your closet space into a small home office nook. Not only will this allow you to tuck away your office furniture, but with a few decorative touches, your mini office can start to feel cozy, stylish, and productive. Depending on the setup, you can even utilize barn doors, curtains, or room dividers to make your home office a bit separate from the guest room so you and your guests will both enjoy your privacy during their visits.
Cut Out the Clutter
When you use your home workspace every day, it can be easy for the space to grow cluttered with documents and other work-related items. But a messy desk can negatively impact your guest room, making it feel cramped, uninviting, and stressful, rather than warm and cozy. Before your summer guests arrive for their visit, make sure you take the time to tidy up your workstation, removing any nonessentials to hidden storage. In fact, keeping your workstation clear of clutter can even have a positive impact on your own day-to-day happiness and productivity at work. Not sure where to start? These helpful decluttering tips from the design experts at Star Furniture can help you create a home office guest bedroom that’s both stylish and clutter-free.
Save Space with Multifunctional Furniture
When you’re trying to combine two distinct functions into one room, you’ll have to make some tough furniture choices. That’s why one of our favorite guest room office ideas involves saving space by choosing multifunctional furniture. By definition, multi-functional furniture combines two or more functionalities into a single piece of furniture. But it’s not just swapping out a desk for a nightstand or a sleeper sofa for a traditional bed. You can also find storage beds with built-in drawers or bedroom benches with a lift-top that covers up additional storage space. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your furniture options so that you can find the exact right piece to meet your unique needs.
Be Smart with Your Lighting
Since offices and bedrooms have different lighting needs, it’s important to layer your lighting so that you can accommodate both spaces. In addition to overhead lighting, you’ll also want to prioritize task lighting. Your desk, for example, will likely need a desk or table lamp so you can brighten up the space enough to get your work done. In the same way, your nightstands would benefit from a table lamp, so your guests have the option to stay up reading in bed. Plus, it will help prevent them from banging into objects after they shut off the overhead lighting for the night. You’ll also want to pay attention to which light bulbs you use. While white or blue light is good for doing office tasks, your bedside lamps would be better off with warm lighting that won’t keep your guests awake. Want to amplify any natural lighting in the room? Try placing a mirror next to or directly across from the windows in the room.
Separate the Spaces Visually
Just because you’re trying to combine two functions into one space doesn’t mean you need to completely blend them together. In fact, separating the two spaces visually can help compartmentalize the spaces for a better working and sleeping experience. Need ideas for how to get started? There are several ways you can visually separate spaces within a room. You might, for example, try separating the two areas with curtains, wall dividers, large plants, or other home décor. You can also create distinct zones using the layout of your furniture, area rugs, or by painting the walls a different color. No matter how you choose to separate the sleeping part of the room from the workspace part of the room, we think you’ll find that creating designated zones will make both spaces more impactful.
Pay Attention to Scale
Furniture scale refers to its size. Generally speaking, the scale of the furniture in any given room should be proportional to one another. You wouldn’t, for example, want an oversized sleigh bed paired with a compact, minimalist writing desk. When you’re decorating your home office guest room, you’ll want to try to choose furniture that’s all about the same scale. And because you’ll likely be short on space since you’re trying to combine two room types together, it’s likely you’ll want to find small scale furniture for your space. In terms of the bed, that means you’ll likely want to choose a platform bed, sleeper sofa, or daybed, as they tend to be smaller and take up less space than other bed types. As far as the desk goes, you’ll likely want to choose a small writing desk, rather than an executive desk or a computer credenza, which tend to be larger in scale and take up more space. Remember, while the scale of the furniture should reflect the room, it also depends on the amount of furniture in a room. Be careful to choose furniture that makes an impact so that you don’t end up overfilling the room with too much furniture.
Keep it Cozy
Guest rooms should be a cozy, comfortable place for your guests to retreat during their stay. But pairing them with a home office can alter the vibe of the room. That means that you have to go the extra mile to make your home office guest room feel as cozy as possible. Looking for guest room office ideas that will make your space feel cozier? Start with an area rug. Practically speaking, area rugs reduce noise, protect your floors, and help keep your space clean. But they also have other benefits. Not only do area rugs warm up a room in terms of coziness, but they also anchor your furniture and provide a soft place to walk. But that’s not the only way to make the room feel cozier. The right bedding, decorative plants, and wall décor can also make the space look and feel as cozy as possible. Ready to start shopping for your home office guest room? We’ve got you covered. Browse our huge selection of home office and bedroom furniture online or visit a Star Furniture store near you to start saving. In the meantime, check out our interior design blog where we cover everything from guest room essentials for your home to bedroom ideas for better sleep hygiene.