We originally wanted to include a few shots of the office as it looks when it’s converted into a guest bedroom in this morning’s post, but we just snapped too many pics to squeeze it all in! So here’s a p.s. post of sorts, with photos of the little tweaks and twists that we implement when we need it to work full time as a guest bedroom for our friends and family.
Here’s the full-sized sofa bed all folded out and dressed for company (with linens that we already owned from the full sized bed that used to exist in the space before the room was converted into a two-person office). The pillows are from Pottery Barn and the quilt is from Bed Bath & Beyond by the way:
We use the bigger sofa cushions to create a headboard of sorts behind the fold out bed (and the two smaller sofa cushions that are removed in order to fold things out get stashed under the bed so they’re out of the way). We also toss our files and paperwork into the open desktop cubby or our file boxes underneath the desk when guests come to stay. And we move one of our our laptops out into the den (since we still have a small desk in the corner where I used to work full time).
Our other laptop can be slipped right into the bottom cubby to free up some nice tabletop space for our guests (and to make it feel less like they’re sleeping in a cubicle).
It’s easy to wonder how much spare space is in a small 10 x 10.5′ room that has to house a slim two-person desk and a fold-out full sized bed. The answer: not much. Admittedly we would love to have more than a foot of space between the bed and the desk, but our guests have all said it’s still easy enough to squeeze through if need be (luckily there’s not much that they need access to on the other side of the bed anyway). Frankly we’re just happy that the bed can fully fold out without hitting the desk since a standard depth desk wouldn’t have worked out as well.
We always believe in offering some sort of a nightstand drop zone for guests to remove jewelry, charge their cell phone, place a glass of water, etc. So we quickly tweak this nightstand-height bookcase shelf that can easily be reached from bed. Here it is before the guests-are-a-comin’ edits:
And here it is after we get it all ready for friends and family:
We just stand the books up to make room for a coaster and a glass of water along with a charging cell phone (there’s an available outlet nearby as well). We also like to switch out the photo in the frame with one of us and our visitors if we have a moment.
Here’s another when-guests-aren’t-coming photo, this time of the closet:
But when guests are in town all the bedding is on the bed, which frees up the shelf for any luggage that our visitors may have (and leaves more room for hanging up clothes that might otherwise get wrinkled).
We also love to leave some Richmond related maps and magazines out so people who are here from out of town can get to know our beloved city. It’s also nice to leave some other mags that might suit your visitors’ interests, so we try to grab something that seems like it could be up their alley (like a gossip mag, a gardening glossy, or a parenting pub) and toss it into the mix as well. Note: stay tuned for more info on those two patterned boxes on the top shelf below- we’ll be back with a tutorial soon!
Oh and we can’t forget that we erase our to-do list on the mirror (which we write with a dry erase marker) and throw up a welcome message for our guests instead.
And since this room definitely has three functions as opposed to just two- here it is in all of its playroom glory:
We love that we have lots of room on the rug for Clara to spread out and do her thing. And we really look forward to her playing with the magnetic wallflowers and interacting with her flash card clothesline above the sofa. Safety note: twine, wire, or ribbon can be strangulation hazards. Hanging things out of reach and keeping an eye on children who may get hurt is always advised!
Plus the bookcase dedicated to all of her toys, books, blocks and blankets really helps control the chaos (along with the $27 ottoman that we snagged from Target).
We’re just psyched that we were actually able to wrangle three separate functions into one small space where we spend at least 80% of our time (believe me, we had our doubts). Check out what the room looks like every day as an office right here. Do you guys have any guest bedroom tricks or toy-storage secrets to share? We’d love to hear how you make people feel right at home when they’re visiting or how you keep the kid clutter to a minimum. We’re definitely still learning when it comes to that…
Oh and don’t forget to check out our decorative clothespin tutorial over on Babycenter today!
Psst- Wanna follow the entire office/guest bedroom/playroom makeover? Click here for the intro post, here to read about the big sleeper sofa hunt, here for the DIY desk play-by-play, here for the homemade light fixture project, here for our hacked Ikea bookcase, here for the file storage we built, here for how we squeezed in some toy storage, here for how we picked out some DIY art that we could agree on, here for how we wrangled our wires, here for the play-by-play of creating our postcard art wall, here for our magnetic wallflower paint project, here for our closet overhaul, and here for the whole shebang big reveal post.
Corie @ Red Letter Rising says
Whoa, it came out SO GOOD! Love the colors and those awesome shelves above the desk. Amazing job!
Alison says
I love the room, it looks amazing. I also love that you switch the photo in the frame to one of you and your guests. Thats a very nice personalized and homey touch. Could those flowers be a choking hazard?? I was thinking of getting them but my 1 yr old would have those in her mouth in a heartbeat.
YoungHouseLove says
They have since retooled the latest edition of wallflowers to snap instead of being magnetic (they snap onto push pins that you place on the wall) so we can’t speak as to whether those are manufactured in a way that could pose a choking hazard. But the ones that we have (which are magnetic) are too big to be choking hazards as a whole, and the magnets are fully enclosed in plastic so they can’t possibly be popped out and swallowed. Safety first! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Megan says
I’m so happy you posted this! We have our TV/play room that one day (when baby #2 comes, not that we’re pregnant..), will be turned into a guest room as well. It’s probably a bit bigger than your room, but it’s nice to know how well you put your room together. It gives me hope! Now we just need to buy a sofa bed like your’s that is super comfy and nice looking. Thanks!!
Megan {Honey We're Home} says
That room is seriously functional and fun. Looks like a happy place to work, play and stay:) I’m a longtime reader but don’t know how to “follow” you so I just have your blog bookmarked.
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
Love rooms that serve more than one purpose! I also love that storage ottoman from Target…I keep looking at them when I am in there, but I can’t decide on a shape/color…
MelissaOklahoma says
Great job! I’m so going to make those pretty clothes pins sometime…
Emma Woo says
You’ve inspired me. We live in a communal house where there is lots of space downstairs but our own living area is tiny. With 2 children that is always a fun challenge. I love the way you carefully edit your belongings and don’t seem to have stuff around that isn’t part of your aesthetic or useful. I shall get cracking and send you some before and after shots!
Carolyn says
Good job and very inspiring!
Boise Real Estate says
It is great article. it has great converted to change the office into a one room bed gust house. I love your house. Thanks for great post.
laura says
Hi Sherry, Hi John,
Another great post! Thanks for taking the time to explain all your steps :) It’s certainly a process to get to this!
Bit of a tough question for you, how do you judge for yourselves that a room is “finished”?
Much success for all that follows!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
A room is never done in our minds! Seriously our whole house is always a work in progress. But we usually get to a point where we’ve added a few finishing details (like the flash card clothesline and the post card art) and it just feels compete. For now…
xo,
s
Leslie says
I know Clara is not overrun with toys right now but do you have a plan for when the toys/gifts start rolling in? I feel like I had a great handle on everything when my daughter was born then they slowly started taking over. We have a dedicated playroom now. I also don’t pretend to be as creatively organized as you are but I wish I were.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Leslie,
We just plan to learn and evolve our house as we go! We also plan to store out of rotation toys in bins and even in the basement if they’re not Clara’s favorites. We definitely believe that kids don’t need 500 toys to be happy (we were both raised with a few toys to pick from that went in and out of rotation) so we’ll hopefully have a few tricks up our sleeves to control and edit the chaos. Stay tuned for all of those details as Clara grows and we navigate those challenges!
xo,
s
jami nato says
so cute. makes me motivated to do the 18million projects in my old house. maybe i’ll take my husband for a spin around your blog too and he’ll get the productive bug. ha.
Suzanah says
It looks so great! You did a great job wrangling all of your office wires.
I came across this way to conceal wires and found it interesting.
http://unclutterer.com/2010/08/09/hide-cables-in-rain-gutters/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+unclutterer+(Unclutterer)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Lila Ferraro says
Wow, that’s a great room. I really love those little flowers on the wall. They’re just a little touch of something that makes it special. I also use our mirrors and to-do lists. The dry erase marker is a lifesaver for my forgetful mind!
xoxo
Lila Ferraro
Rebecca says
Does Burger still use his crate when you have guests over?
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, he sleeps in our bed (just like he does every night). We only crate him when we’re out, but he loves his crate anyway (so he hangs out in there with the door open while we work in the office). Love that dog. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
alison@ semi- fab lane says
looks good. you guys are such great hosts!
LiveLikeYou says
That was inspiring! What a wise use of space. Now I want to go home and start organizing my house. I love how everything has it’s place.
Jessica F says
Would love to find the brown and white quilt online, I searched Bed, Bath, and Beyond with no luck? Love the room!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, it’s a few years old now Jessica so we’re not surprised to see it’s gone (it was on clearance when we got it). Maybe try eBay?
-John
Rachel W says
i guess if i wouldve waited till i got to this post i wouldve found out about the pillow cases!
Thanks S!
YoungHouseLove says
No worries!
xo,
s
Shannon says
I have to say it again – I love your blog. You two have done a great job with it and your home. I love that you make such great spaces and you do it frugally. Our family of five live in a 1000 sq. ft bungalow, so we’ve always been small on real estate and big on multi-use spaces.
Shannon
Cat says
Aww! We always feel welcome at your house!
xoxo
Cat (& Travis)
PS – Claraphernalia. Mwahahaha!!
jennifer f says
So amazing…now I want to be a guest :-) We have 2 guest rooms (aka, junk rooms) currently. One will eventually be a nursery when we decide to start ba family, but the other we have an old futon in and an old dresser. We debated doing anything with that room because we are pondering upgrading our master bedroom to a king, and maybe getting a whole new set. But, it’s nice to see that in the meantime, you can create a “cheap looking” but not cheap feeling, guestroom.
Libby says
I bought the same filing boxes from Target without knowing you all had them… and I didn’t know that it had a top compartment until you showed me.
Kateka says
Hello! I am huge fan of your site/home. I just want to pack up and move in. :) Ha, ha. I do have a question though. I’ve been looking through old posts and can’t find the answer to my question… basically, I own a TON of movies, and I don’t want to have a shrine of movies in my living room, and was wondering what you do with your movies? Maybe you don’t buy a bunch like I do so you don’t need to worry about it, but if not… do you have any suggestions? Thank you so much for all you do!
YoungHouseLove says
Kateka,
We would just remove them from their cases and store them in a cd/DVD binder. You can keep around 100 movies on hand in a binder that’s the size of a photo album. We don’t own more than 10 videos which we keep in a storage ottoman, but if we had a ton like you we’d use the binder method. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jamie says
Well done!! You’ve given me some new ideas for making guests feel welcome! I like the idea of having some magazines and local maps, etc, for guests.
I like to leave a nice basket on the dresser filled with a set of towels (washcloth, hand towel, bath towel) for each guest nicely rolled up, as well as a set of travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, soap & body lotion in case they forgot them. Then I try to put a small vase of fresh flowers in the room and a scented candle with matches. I’ve even considered leaving a couple of chocolates on the dresser too! The best joy is seeing the smile on our guests’ faces when they walk into the room and see those things. Makes them feel a little pampered!
Christina says
So great! Where is the sofa from?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Christina,
It’s from a local place called Sofa Designs here in Richmond (the maker is Rowe). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kelly says
How I’d love to be a guest in your home! Fantastic space!
Roberta says
Hey! I have that same ottoman. Just got in for 19 on clearance at Target. Love it. We got our kids the brightly colored square ones for each of their rooms. Love. Love you guys! You are just like us!
Emma Neate says
Hi there, love the room. I was wondering where you got the funky pillow cases from? The ones which are shown in the top picture where the bed is made up? We have a pair of these http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20134107 from ikea as nightstands either side of the bed and I think that vibrant colourful print would tie in nicely!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re from Pottery Barn (the organic woodland collection we think?). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Steve Moulton says
I love the color you painted your walls. If you don’t mind what paint color is that?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s Sand White by Glidden. They’ve since discontinued it but they can look up the formula at the desk or you can go with Glidden’s Natural Linen, which is super similar. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Daria says
Love your room in all three functions. I have a suggestion for when guests come. You could move the chairs in the area between your bookcase and the desk, under the window (you may have to remove the magnetic flowers or rearrange them a bit). You say your guests don’t usually need to get on that side of the room anyway, so the chairs won’t bother them. In fact they could use the chairs in that area for some of their stuff, like clothing, if they don’t want to use the closet, and even store some small bags under the chairs. But the main advantage is that your guests would also have 2-3 more inches of space between the bed and the desk. It will also give the illusion that the room is more spacious when the high back of your chairs will no longer be in sight, and your already uncluttered desk will look more like a console or side table than an office desk.
YoungHouseLove says
Definitely something to think about! Thanks for the suggestion!
xo,
s
Jenni says
Oh what a beautiful room!!
My other half is a musician and has the spare room as his office/studio and I long for a pretty spare bedroom… such a shame he has way too many large belongings (amps, guitars etc) or I would definitely be stealing this idea and trying to make him do it!
Cherry Menlove made a Guest Bag for when people came to stay – you may want to check it out!
http://www.cherrymenlove.com/entertain-celebrate/2009/05/creating-a-guest-bag-for-when-precious-ones-come-to-stay.html
Jenni
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet! Thanks for sharing the link!
xo,
s
heather s. says
I was also going to suggest moving the chairs to under the window for the extra few inches. People may not need to access anything on that side of the bed as you mentioned, but if they are like me, they likely don’t want to climb over their partner to get out of bed in the middle of the night. Having those extra inches would be helpful when trying to get out of the room for whomever sleeps on that side of the bed. :)
YoungHouseLove says
So true! We never thought about crawling out of bed at night!
xo,
s
MeckMom says
What a gorgeous space! I adore all the little touches to make your guests feel comfortable. Thanks for sharing!
Julie says
I’ve also switched out photos as different guests pass through. Then one day it hit me, why don’t I buy one of those photo flip frames to keep photos of frequent visitors? Might save you guys some trouble too. This one isn’t my favorite, but it does show you what I have in mind:
http://www.target.com/Wood-Flip-Frame-Black-4×6/dp/B001LJQPLC/ref=sc_qi_detaillink
Clara in Paradise says
I have a room in my home that serves three functions as well, mine is guest bedroom, office and my sewing/crafting room. I call it the Swiss Army Room, because I can hide the rooms other uses when they are not needed (you can see it herehttp://www.thehomeinparadise.com/2010/08/swiss-army-room.html).
Unfortunately is the room in our home that I’ve neglected the most and it sorely needs some TLC. Yours is beautiful and inspiring, I hope mine turns out nearly as pretty as yours when I am done with it.
Amy says
I love the desktop cubby! May I ask where you got it from? It’d be perfect for my desk. =)
YoungHouseLove says
It’s from Target in the office/scrapbooking section. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Susan says
Wow – you saved me! We are in exactly the same situation and our rooms are identical except for our door opens the other way, and we don’t have the window along the magnetic flower wall. But I am going to totally copy you guys!! I am going to make the desk, the color pillowcases, and the wall/postcard shelving! You did all the research and I can’t begin to thank you enough! Love it!!
Amanda says
Quick question: where did you get that sleeper sofa? I have been scouring online websites to find a decent one for our new guest room, but I can’t find one anywhere! Yours looks really nice. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ours is by Rowe and it was sold by a local sofa retailer named Sofa Designs (just call the sofa dealers in your yellow pages to find one nearby who sells Rowe- it’s a super common brand for them to carry). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Very much, thanks!
Faith says
Okay, I love this color too! I am looking at grays for our living room (really hard to pick out) and blues for my kitchen! Can I get this color too?? Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
That’s Sand White by Glidden. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
danielle honea says
Where did you get that tray (cubby) that holds your lap top? cute idea!! totally using it-thanks! :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from Target a while back (in store in their scrapbooking aisle, not online). Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Jessica says
What color/brand is the gray paint you used? I LOVE this blog and the office inspired me to make over my own!
YoungHouseLove says
That was Sand White by Glidden. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Martha Sneed says
Do you happen to have any idea where you got that desk? We have a little nook in our living room and we’re looking for a small white desk to put there as a little home office BUT we need to it fit my Mac and my husbands laptop when he works there! Help!
YoungHouseLove says
We built that from an old door! Here’s that old post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/06/office-progress-deciding-to-diy-a-desk/
xo,
s
Kerry says
Love your ideas, especially the dry-wipe on the Mirror!! I’m ready to start transforming my small room!
Virginia says
Where did the black and white bedspread come from? I’ve tried searching through all the comment feed but didn’t see any indicator. My husband saw it and said “we need a bedspread like that!” and I though “yay! something decor wise we both like!”
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Virginia! It’s from Bed Bath & Beyond a while back. It’s actually a quilt. Hope it helps.
xo
s
Kelly says
Sorry if this has been asked already…Where did you get the desktop cubby?
YoungHouseLove says
That was from Target a few years back.
xo
s
Brittany says
I know this is years old, but I’m inspired – you guys are such thoughtful hosts! I love the idea of switching out the photo for one of the guests, and the thought you gave in making the room comfortable. Currently my guests have to sleep in the living room which isn’t ideal for anyone, but I love the little edits you do before people stay and I will definitely keep them in mind.
The only suggestion I have is if you know your guest isn’t the type to bring their own laptop, maybe leave out your extra one with a post-it with any necessary passwords and internet codes. That way your guest can check their email and send notes home if they’d like.
YoungHouseLove says
Smart!
xo
s