An Empty Nester's Guide to Spare Bedrooms

When your kids lived with you, they most likely decorated their rooms with posters, photos, eclectic paint colors, twinkle lights, sports trophies, and other trinkets. Their bedrooms may have evolved a lot over the years!

But when they grow up and move out, you’re left with extra space you never had before. You suddenly have a spare bedroom — or maybe even two or three spare bedrooms. How can you take advantage of this new square footage?

This guide will offer up some ideas for what to do with your spare bedroom and how to make sure you end up with a new space that you love.

How can this space make your life better?

Is there something you’ve always dreamed of having in your home but never had space for until now? Think about what you could do with your spare bedroom that would make your life easier, more convenient, or more fun! 

This is your chance to create a new place in your home that brings you joy. The possibilities are endless, but as long as you focus on what you love, you’re sure to find a great use for your new extra space. 

If you’re feeling stuck, try getting a pen and paper and just start writing down anything and everything that comes to mind. Revisit your list tomorrow and see if any of your ideas jump out at you!

Here are some suggestions:

Combing the spare bedroom with an already existing room

A great way to leverage this newfound space is to structurally change the way this room exists in your house. The best way to do this? With a home remodel that combines the spare bedroom with another existing room or space.

Some ideas include:

• Combining 2 bedrooms into 1 master bedroom: If the vacated bedroom is next to another bedroom, why not combine the 2 rooms into 1 master bedroom? Whether it’s 2 spare bedrooms or combing the spare with a bedroom you still use, this is a great opportunity for a master bedroom remodel.

• Opening up a first floor bedroom for use as an extra living room or formal dining area: If the bedroom is on the first floor, why limit yourself to keeping the extra space as a stand alone room? Opening up this space to add an extra living room, or adding space to an existing kitchen or dining room is a great way to add functionality to the spaces you already use most.

• A first floor or whole home remodel: If you’ve been contemplating a whole-home or first-floor remodel, a recently vacated bedroom presents the perfect opportunity to take the plunge. The added space this spare room gives you is like having square footage just added to your home!

Guest Bedroom

Sometimes the most obvious solution is the best. A luxurious guest room is a great way to treat your guests (including your grown children) when they come to visit. When you’re designing a guest bedroom, try to make it a space where anyone who sleeps there will feel at home, including friends, in-laws, and other relatives.

If guests have traveled a long way to visit you, they might be tired by the time they arrive. Some people even have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places. Here are some tips to help create a cozy, relaxing environment for your visitors: 

• Choose a serene, unified color scheme with calming hues like muted blues or greens.

• Leave plenty of drawer and closet space for guests’ clothes and other belongings.

• If it makes sense with your layout, consider adding a half-bath nearby.

• Add homey touches like a bedside clock, lamp, and nightlight.

• Position the bed close to an outlet so guests can charge their phones overnight.

Home Office

Putting in a home office is one of the most popular ways to convert spare bedrooms, and for good reason! A quiet, comfortable room with a desk and computer makes life easier in so many ways. Not only is it a place to get work done, it’s also great for sending emails, writing holiday cards, and catching up on your finances.

If you’ll be spending a lot of time in your home office, it’s worth investing in extra comforts like a cozy rug under the desk for your feet and an ergonomic chair, mousepad, and keyboard.

Hobby Room / DIY Room

Do you have a favorite hobby that deserves its own dedicated room? Once kids are grown up and no longer need constant care, you have more time to dedicate to the activities you enjoy.

Maybe you love to:

• Sew

• Raise plants

• Collect artwork

• Take and develop photos in a darkroom

• Write fiction

• Paint

• Play a musical instrument 

As a bonus, you’ll get to free up more space elsewhere in the house by moving everything related to your hobby into your DIY room.

Home Gym

Maybe you’ve been hoping to quit your gym membership and put in a home gym instead. The great thing about home gyms is that you get to choose only the exercise equipment and machines you actually use. Maybe that’s just some free weights and a workout mat. Maybe you prefer a treadmill and a TV. Or maybe you want several machines and an exercise ball. Just think how quick and easy exercising will be when all you have to do is walk down the hall!

To make your home gym feel just like the real thing, consider incorporating:

• Flooring with good traction and shock absorption (like rubber)

• Full-wall mirrors

• Good lighting

• A closet or shelf with clean towels, extra water, and a gentle cleaner to wipe down workout equipment

Library

Do you have a crowded book collection sprawled around various rooms of your house? A small home library or reading room is a great place to consolidate them. Think about adding some comfy chairs, reading lamps, and a coffee maker. It’ll be the perfect place to escape, have a warm drink, and enjoy your favorite book on early mornings.

If you have a huge book collection, you may even want to get custom, built-in shelves installed. A fireplace (or even a faux fireplace) can really bring a warm, cozy feeling to your home library.

What if your empty nest has more than one spare room?

If you’re planning on making one of your spare bedrooms into a guest room, a general rule of thumb is to locate it as far away from your bedroom as possible to give your guests extra privacy so they can relax and unwind after a long trip.

Still, it depends on what you do with the other spare bedrooms, too. If your partner likes to exercise late at night, for example, you might not want your home gym right next to the bedroom where you’ll be sleeping. If you’re planning on creating a dedicated painting space, you may want to position it as close to a bathroom or kitchen as possible so you can easily wash your brushes.

Forward Design Build can help you transform your empty nest into the home you’ve always wanted

At Forward Design Build in Ann Arbor, our design-build process focuses on creating a space you love and enjoy. Whatever you decide to do with your spare bedroom, we’d love to talk about your ideas and how we can bring them to life!

Give us a call at (734) 228-4322 or contact us online to schedule your free initial consultation.

For MORE INFORMATION: Visit our Home Page to learn about our complete list of services.