It isn’t often that you will hear me say, “I love a good two-timer”. But when it comes to our homes we can all benefit from having a space that has more than one purpose.
There is the little office that hosts your occasional guest.
The Media room to watch TV or play games.
And those great rooms that we basically do all living in.. and eat in.
We know it makes us feel good to combine these spaces. But how do we do it?
1. How do we fit everything we want in those spaces?
2. How do we make the most of them?
3. How can we make sure the rooms flows together?
1. Lets put some thought in it
When a room becomes available, whether you moved into a new home or someone is moving out, you want to put some thinking into what this room will become. You do not want to start filling it up and hope that you will go through it later. We call these rooms attics! You want more out of your space than storage. SO first think of what your room will be used for.
Start by putting only the necessary items in the room. An overcrowded room is suffocating. Yeah~ I’m talking to you! If you have something covering every wall, pull some things out and see what that does to the room. The last thing you want is to feel closed in.
2. Find pieces that act as Double Duty
There are lots of furniture options that can pull a double duty for you.
*In an office- a good looking filing cabinet can double as a night stand. (But lock it up before your guests know your bills!)
*In a Bonus/Media Room- A coffee table can also have storage for toys and games.
And here is the beautiful part! It doesn’t have to scream “I’m storage for her scrapbooking!” Who said you had to store you mom’s China (that you will never use) Put that in the attic and store your picture albums and scrapbooking tools in the gorgeous dining room hutch. The point is to make each item in each room serve you and how you use that room.
3. Blend the two worlds
So, you have two (or three, four… ok stop there) things going on in this room. But your furniture needs to look like they are friends. Friends don’t mean they are the same, but that they get along. Stand back and see if everyone is getting along. What is the common thread tying them together? Color, pattern, and texture can help you blend this room’s dual purposes.
Still need help planning these rooms out? Check out our Design Services! Our DIY service is completely Virtual. The same design team that works on our Full Service projects, puts these packages together. You can space plans, 3D renderings, suggestions of exactly what you can buy and the recipe to put it all together.
Good advice!