Need To Revamp Your Spare Room? Discover 20 Simple Ways To Make The Most Of The Space

A yoga studio is on our list of spare room ideas. Image c/o Poster Store

So I guess you’re looking for spare room ideas? A spare room is a luxury that many people take for granted. I dream of having a spare room but before we can reach that point we first need an extra bedroom. We can either opt for a loft conversion to get the extra space we need or we will need to move house. Neither of those options are possible at the moment so a spare room will remain on the vision board for the time being.

However, if you are one of the lucky ones with a spare room at home and you are not currently making the most of that space, it might be time to consider how you can put that extra room to best use. It’s important to weigh up all the different potential uses and figure out what makes the most sense for your family and your circumstances. To get you started, here are 20 simple spare room ideas that you could consider.

Guest Bedroom

If you already have more than enough space at home for everyone and everything you enjoy doing, the easiest option is to turn your spare room into a guest bedroom. That way you can have family or friends to stay whenever you like.

If you’re more enterprising you could consider turning your guest bedroom into an extra source of income by renting it out on Airbnb or taking on a full-time lodger.

Additional Bathroom

Depending on the size of your family and the age of your children you may find yourself often queuing for the bathroom. Mornings are becoming increasingly stressful in our house. Our girls are approaching secondary school age and are more interested in grooming and skincare now. So one bathroom for four of us is a challenge.

If you find yourself in a similar position, an additional bathroom could be the solution. Even a tiny room could be large enough to squeeze in a toilet, corner sink and shower cubicle.

Additional Living Room

I really love the idea of having two living rooms. In an ideal world I would have a casual and relaxed family room where we spend most of our time and a second living room that is more formal where we can entertain guests. The family room would be the TV room and would feature cosy furniture, blankets and cushions. It would be all about comfort. The formal living room would be much more minimalist because I would want it to always be ready to welcome guests without me having to worry about styling the sofa.

Home Office

If you regularly work from home, having a dedicated home office space is a must. I’m currently working from home until my coworking space reopens and I do not have a dedicated home office. I can tell you now that working from the sofa seems like a great opportunity but it is absolutely not conducive to productivity. It is also terrible for your posture and can cause health issues.

Study

Image c/o Desenio

A study could be a useful space, especially if you homeschool your kids. But even if you are not homeschooling, it could be a place for the kids to concentrate on homework or even a place for you to study if you’re doing a course.

Walk-in Wardrobe

Sharps, Manhattan Walk-In Wardrobe

Is your bedroom overflowing with clothes? A walk-in wardrobe could give you a dedicated space to store all your outfits and try them on. There are companies that can help you install bespoke walk-in wardrobes with storage and mirrors designed to your specs. This is a great idea if your spare room is adjacent to your master bedroom.

Home Gym

A home gym. Image c/o Green Retreats

I have managed to convince myself that if we had a home gym, I would definitely be fitter. I often think about a garden room with a home gym inside and how easy it would be to pop to the bottom of the garden to work out. So setting up a home gym in your spare room could be a great idea if you’re serious about keeping fit. You can keep all your own equipment here to use and work out whenever you want. 

Library

Charming Home Library. Image c/o Essential Home

This is the ultimate dream for me. If you love reading and own lots of books too, creating a home library would be a great option. Setting up a room for storing all your books could also free up space in other rooms while giving you a dedicated space to read. Consider adding a cosy armchair or a window seat or one of those giant human dog beds. Have you seen them? 

Laundry Room

White plastic storage boxes in a laundry room. Image c/o Orthex Group

I have tried to create a laundry room for myself. Downstairs we had a spare room that was used for storing garden stuff. Our kitchen is super small and I was desperate for a dishwasher. The only way I could fit one in was if I moved the washing machine out (American readers note: in the UK the washing machine is often in the kitchen). So we made that downstairs room into a laundry room and I can’t tell you how great it is to have the washing machine, dryer and laundry baskets out of sight. Consider whether having a dedicated room for laundry could benefit you.

Pantry

Handpainted Bespoke Shaker Utility Room by Searle & Taylor

My husband would probably love to have a pantry if he were to choose from these spare room ideas. He loves to cook and requires a lot of ingredients and also has a love of gadgets which take up far too much space. If we had a pantry we could store the bread maker, the food processor, the Lomi home composter, the smoothie maker, the waffle maker and the endless list of other gadgets. We really don’t have the space in our tiny kitchen for all these appliances. If you’re running out of storage space in your kitchen too, consider setting up a pantry for storing ingredients and cooking equipment.

Art Studio

For those of you who are particularly creative, maybe an art studio would be a great option. Whether you love painting or sculpting, or mixed media arts, a studio could be a handy space for letting your creativity shine.

Home Bar

Home bar. Image c/o DelightFULL

How expensive is it to go to the pub these days? Even if you don’t drink alcohol, buying drinks for the whole family is now a considerable expense. If you love going out for casual drinks with friends but are finding this increasingly unaffordable, a spare room could make a great home bar. It could contain all kinds of authentic bar features from drink fridges to a jukebox to a pool table.

Music Room

A piano in a music room. Image c/o Green Retreats

This is what my husband would like to make our fictional garden room into. He loves making music and is hugely talented. He created his own music, writes his own lyrics and is a DJ. But sadly, we don’t have enough space in our home for him to really embrace his creativity when it comes to music.

A music room could be used for practising, recording or simply listening to music. If you’re a musician, you can store your instruments and equipment here. If you’re a vinyl collector, it could be a place to store all your records.

Home Theatre

LUXXU, Abu Dhabi Penthouse Home Cinema

Cinephiles could consider setting up a home theatre for watching movies. You can paint the room black, add surround sound speakers and set up a large TV or projector and screen. You could even buy some cinema-style chairs.

Workshop

Tom Raffield Workshop

If you’ve got a craft hobby or are thinking of setting up a craft/repair business, a workshop could be a useful space to have. It may even allow you to invest in more heavy-duty equipment like pottery kilns or band saws. It could be particularly useful if you are renovating your home.

Playroom

The Tidy Books Kids Wall Bookshelf

When our girls were tiny, our living room was full of toys. It did not feel like a grown up room at all which made it hard to relax in there even after the kids were asleep. So another of our spare room ideas is to set up a dedicated space for kids to play and store all their toys. This could help to prevent bedrooms and living rooms getting cluttered up with toys and you could lay down mats to make cleaning easier. 

Games Room

Games room. Image c/o Green Retreats

Spare room ideas for older kids could include a games room. Whether they love video games or board games or any other games, having a games room could provide the perfect private space to play and practise. It could be a chance to create the ultimate gaming setup or add a pool table. 

Exercise Studio

Spare room ideas could also include an exercise studio. A yoga studio is a good option for those that do yoga. Similar studios could be set up for interests like dance, martial arts or pilates.

Sauna

You could even turn your spare room into a sauna. This could include adding insulation, wooden panelling, benches and sauna rocks for an authentic sauna feel. 

Meditation Room

If you are trying to live a more mindful life, you may want to consider setting up a dedicated space to meditate or pray. This could include sound bowls, crystals, oracle cards or any other activity that calls to you. This should be a place to get away from other household distractions and focus on quieting your busy mind and being more grounded and present.

So what do you think of these spare room ideas? Which one is your favourite? Have you already transformed your spare room into a more useful space? Let me know in the comments below.