Have a spare room in your new home?

Wondering how best to use a spare room?

Some people are lucky enough to have a spare room in their home, but no idea how to use it. Often, it becomes a junk room, filled up with boxes of unwanted stuff, but there are plenty of ways in which better use can be made of a spare room.

One for the kids

A spare room can make an excellent playroom for children, helping to keep the rest of the home free from toys and games. Kids love bright colors, so use strong primary colors such as blues and reds side by side, while one or more walls can be painted to display a mural, a fairy tale kingdom for girls, for example, or a dinosaur scene for boys. A playroom will need plenty of storage, so use bookcases to hold different sized storage boxes for toys and books.

One for the big kids

Another use for a spare room could be to turn it into a games room. An obvious choice for a large spare room would be a pool table for the center, with perhaps a bar or a comfortable seating area around the walls or to one end. If cue games are not a favorite, then perhaps a smaller room could accommodate a football table or arcade games. For those who love ball games, a spare room could be turned into a mini-basketball or tennis court. Decoration in this type of room can be fun, with perhaps large, wall-sized prints of casino scenes or sports game crowds.

One for relaxing

With home cinema equipment becoming ever more sophisticated, a spare room provides an excellent opportunity to create a movie theatre at home. Install either a drop down screen with projector or a large 80” television mounted on the wall for a truly cinematic experience. Make the spare room look like a real movie theatre with rows of seating or keep it intimate with just a sofa and a couple of armchair recliners. Keep wall décor dark and sophisticated, and use up-lights on the walls.

One for culture

Think like a stately home and turn the spare room into either a library or a music room. Piano lovers could have a grand or baby grand piano occupy the center of the room as a focal point, with a good sound system to play their CDs and vinyl records. Consideration should be given to the other members of the home, so a thick carpet or wall insulation may be necessary to contain the sound. Good wall colors for a music room include red, which helps to stimulate the senses, or blue that promotes creativity.

A library or reading room should have subtler colors, such as soft fawn and creams, teamed with warmer, earthier colors of green, red and brown. Floor to ceiling bookcases are the best way to store books, while other essentials include a comfortable chair for reading, and a desk for working at. Good strong reading lamps, either free standing or desk, are also a necessity.

A perfect, sophisticated window dressing for a music or reading room are wooden shutters. These are ideal as they can regulate and angle the daylight, as well as offering privacy whilst still providing adequate ventilation.

If you are planning on selling your home in the near future, however, you should try to neutralize all rooms in your home. A fresh coat of neutral-tone paint, removal of clutter, and simplification of décor are key to emphasizing size of the spaces and allows the potential buyers to envision their own future retreats. 

Contributed by: Charlotte Stafford. Charlotte Stafford is a well-educated, enthusiastic freelance writer with a passion for interior design.

 

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