So you’ve found yourself with an extra room in your house. Maybe someone’s moved out, or maybe you’ve always had a vacant room that you’ve been meaning to do something with. Now that we’re in a new year (and a new decade), there’s no better time than now to do something with your extra space. Check out our cool room ideas for some inspiration!

Guest Bedroom 

One of the easiest and most practical uses of an extra room is to convert it into a guest bedroom. If you frequently have company, it’s great to be able to offer them a temporary place to crash for the night.

A guest room can be any size, as long as the bed comfortably fits, but for ideal comfort, we recommend room dimensions of at least 8’x7’. The larger the space is, the more sought after your guest room will be by your guests.

All you need is a bed frame with a mattress, an end table, and a dresser. From there, you get to design your extra bedroom to be whatever your heart desires. With so many different paints and wallpapers to choose from, you have the authority on designing the space to fit your specific taste and style. 

Painting a bedroom can completely change the feel of the space. Considering the paint color you choose, the walls could make guests feel subconsciously sleepy. If you choose a light, pale color, your guests might subliminally become more tranquil and at ease. If you want your guest room to be sought after by everyone who visits your home, pay special attention when choosing the color of paint for your walls. 

A guest bedroom is perhaps the easiest extra room idea, but there are plenty of other options you can consider.

Home Office

Do you have the option to work from home? Maybe your work day doesn’t end just because you’ve left the office. It’s great to work in a specifically allocated space that’s free of clutter and distraction, so creating a space in your home where you can productively work is another great way to use your spare room.

When deciding which room to make your home office, think about what kind of space your job requires. Depending on your industry, your home office can be as small as a 5’x6’ room, or as large as a huge 14’x12’ space. As the homeowner, it really is up to you. 

You’ll need to purchase a desk, a comfortable chair, a trash can, and ideally some sort of cabinet space. Consider applying a minimalist’s touch when designing your home office so that the space will be used for its intended purpose. While you could certainly add a television to your office, it might limit your productivity. 

Your home office can be as large or as small as you see fit. If you spend most of your work day on a computer, you won’t need as much space as if you were an architect. If you have the additional space available, think about adding a few comfortable chairs and a coffee table. 

Pay special attention when choosing the color for your home office’s walls. While a bright, vibrant color might seem like an awesome idea, it could hinder your productivity. Light, muted colors can help you get more work done and limit distractions. 

If you’re looking for a light blue paint, we recommend Harbor Fog or Blue Hydrangea. White might seem like a solid wall color choice, but we recommend finding a slight variation on pure white, as it could be numbing. A color like Ballet White or Seahouse is light and bright without being purely white. Browse through Benjamin Moore’s plethora of paint colors to find which paint would fit into your home office best.

Home Theater

Everyone loves going to the movie theater, but as home video technology keeps increasing, going out to the multiplex is no longer your only option. 

While you could renovate any sized room into a home theater, we recommend reserving this for a large space. For optimal home viewing pleasure, we suggest a room with dimensions of at least 20’x13’. 

Additionally, you’ll want to consider either soundproofing the room, or choosing a location where there won’t be any noise to disrupt the film. If you’re looking for an authentic movie theater feel, you won’t want to be taken out of the movie by the phone ringing in the kitchen.

After you get a large television mounted to the wall, you can let your inner interior designer decide how to best fill the space. Maybe your family enjoys spending quality time watching movies together. Think about adding a few couches, recliners, and/or bean bag chairs so that you’ll all be able to converge together and enjoy the film. 

Or perhaps you’re looking for a more authentic movie theater feeling. You can purchase the big, comfortable recliners and a popcorn machine to give yourself the feeling that you’re really at the cinema without leaving your home. Your wall decor can be some of your favorite movie’s posters and film memorabilia. Show your friends what a film buff you are by inviting them to your home theater!

Game Room

No matter what your game of choice is, converting an extra bedroom into a game room is a fun and creative use of the vacant space.

The ideal size of a game room varies depending on the amenities you’re planning to include. If you’re planning on having multiple game tables, you’ll need to allocate a larger room with dimensions at least two and a half times larger than the game table. Since the average pool cue length is 58”, you’ll want at least that much space between the pool table and wall, so you don’t accidentally bust a hole in the wall when going for a shot. If you plan on having a pool table, house it in a room with dimensions of at least 14’x12’. 

However, If you’re planning on using your game room for video games or stand alone arcade games, you don’t need as much space, going as small as 6’x5’. You can decide which size room fits best with your specific gaming needs. 

You can purchase a ping pong, air hockey, foosball, and/or pool table. Alternatively (or additionally, depending on your budget) you can get old school arcade games and give the room a retro vibe. If you’re part of a strictly video game family, you can design your game room around a large television with easy access to all of your consoles. 

If old school board games are your family’s favorite, you can fill a closet with games taybe you’re looking for more of a casino vibe. Casino chips and traditional casino game tables can be added for authenticity. 

Whether you go for a traditional arcade, casino, or video gaming room, you’ll be sure you have a cool and exciting space to entertain. 

Walk In Closet

Is your house limited in its available closet space? Maybe you just have more clothes than you know what to do with them. If you want to be able to look at all of your possible outfit selections for the day, consider renovating a spare room into a walk in closet. 

The fun thing about this option is you really can design it however you’d like. There are no set size dimensions, meaning any room can be renovated into a walk in closet, depending on how much storage you need. The space can be as small as 3’x2’ if you simply plan to hang clothes, but if you’re going for a more professional vibe, consider using a medium or large size room.

You can load the space up with dressers and wardrobes. You can install bracket shelves and inwall shelving. From there, it’s all up to your personal preference. You can set it up like a traditional closet, or you can design it to mimic a boutique clothing store.

 

Home Gym

Many people say the hardest part of working out is convincing themselves to get up and go to the gym. If you convert a spare room into a home gym, you’ll only have to walk a few feet and you won’t have to worry about membership fees or other people occupying the equipment. 

When choosing which room to make into your home gym, remember the size of each individual piece of equipment. You’ll want to have enough space to comfortably exercise without stumbling over equipment. Nothing kills your workout mentality like banging your head on the squat rack. If you plan on adding at least three pieces of exercise equipment into your home gym, shoot for a space with dimensions of at least 10’x10’ to ensure you’ll have enough room to complete your workouts

You can customize the entire space and hand pick which machines and equipment you want to implement into your workout routines. A home gym is a fantastic way to get in shape at your leisure.

Art Studio

An additional room can easily be converted into an art studio. Depending on your preferred medium (paint, sculpture, graphic design, pencil, etc.), you can set up a clutter free workspace with the sole function of being a place for you to create. 

One of the most liberating things about setting up an art studio is that it can be as small or as large as you’d like! If you’re a graphic designer who works primarily on your laptop, you can even convert a closet into your studio. If you’re a sculptor or painting on huge canvases, you’ll want a larger space to house all of your materials; ideally a room with dimensions of at least 6’x6’ will suit all of your needs perfectly. 

Consider hanging your previous work, mimicking a gallery wall. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase your previous art and draw inspiration as you continue creating. 

Private Bar

Whether it’s a spare bedroom or a vacant basement, you can think about possibly transforming the space into a private bar. There are few better places to entertain a group of people than at your home bar. 

Standard bars are 42” tall and 20” wide with about 8” overhang. While you can customize your bar to be whatever size you’d prefer, these dimensions are a strong starting point. Again, any room can be converted into a bar, we’ve found houses with the most eye-catching and functional home bars are located in the basement. Ideally, you should convert a room with minimal dimensions of 10’x12’ because as the drinks keep pouring, you’ll want your guests to have enough space to be comfortable.

After installing the physical bar, getting seats or stools, deciding on your preferred lighting and stocking the shelves with booze, you’re all set to become the chief entertainer of your friend group. No one’s going to want to go out and spend money on watered down drinks when you’ve got a fully stocked bar in your home!

No matter what you decide to do with your spare room, the team at Tandem Contracting can help you at every step of the way. From conception and design to execution and implementation, Tandem Contracting will have your back throughout the entire process. 

If you’re curious about converting your spare room into a more functional space, reach out to the team at Tandem Contracting today!