The One Spot In Homes Today That's A Wasted Space (And Innovative Ways To Use It)

Once upon a time, an extra bedroom was a must-have for homeowners. However, with a shift in lifestyles, people are finding themselves with more bedrooms in their homes than family members to occupy them. These extra rooms, which are often kept for guests or storage, are underutilized. Having an entire room that's barely in use is a waste of space. If a spare room in your home is gathering dust or functioning as a glorified storage area, it's probably time to explore its potential.

There are several ways you can transform the single space into multiple functional rooms to maximize your square footage. Whether you want to keep it ready for guests in the future or are planning a total overhaul into a dedicated space for work and recreation, there are a myriad of creative spare bedroom design ideas to consider. A project like this actually opens up a lot of possibilities when it comes to interior design, too. Like a blank canvas, an extra room grants you the liberty to experiment with colors, textures, finishes, lighting, and various layouts without any pressure to keep up with the ongoing theme of the rest of the house.

The growing popularity of work-from-home culture has seen many families converting extra bedrooms into home offices. These rooms can be cleverly organized as hybrid spaces with a little bit of imagination: Swap a classic desk for a standing work desk and a treadmill, like the DeerRun Walking Pad  — a combination that lets you get your steps in while productively ticking items off your task list. A home gym is another popular set-up for a spare room. The extra floor space can welcome bulky equipment, like a Peloton bike, a rowing machine, a Pilates reformer, or a simple yoga mat, for your daily exercise sessions.

If you've always dreamed of having a room dedicated solely to your hobbies and passions, an extra bedroom is the perfect place to cultivate a creative ambiance. Create a library by adding bookshelves and comfortable seating areas, or convert the room into an arts and crafts area. If you're a cineaste, set up a video projector and use your extra room's bare walls to screen movies. Burgeoning photographers can even utilize the area as a studio.

Pining for a garden but don't have the outdoor space? Turn the room into a greenhouse to create the perfect indoor garden. If there isn't sufficient natural light, make your own sunshine with grow lights. Whatever the transformation, ensure the space becomes an area that you actually use often. And if you want to covert that empty room into profit, you can always rent it out on platforms like Airbnb.