Do You Have Room For a Spare Room?

We all do it... we decide we need a house that's either new or new-to-us and we, for some unknown reason, look for a house with more bedrooms than we need. If you don't do this, you're in the minority, in my opinion. For instance if a family includes two parents and two children, we automatically look for a four bedroom house.  Why?  Because we want what has always been known as a "spare" room.  Again, why?  Perhaps you need a spare bedroom because you're expecting overnight guests. In reality, though, how often do you entertain overnight guests?  Our last house had a spare bedroom.  We lived in that house for 5 years and we had visitors once, for 10 days.  That's 1815 other days when that room did not live up to it's potential.   If you do frequently need to house your in-laws for example, by all means, dedicate the space to relaxing and sleeping.

Another reason to include a spare room in your search is perhaps you need a home office or could use additional storage space. In these cases, an extra bedroom makes sense.  What I'm proposing is instead of using valuable square footage to store your husband's childhood bedroom set, use the room.  If you require an office, set the room up as a functional office space.  Have a deskspace, computer connectivity, and proper paper storage solutions.  Make sure you're comfortable in that space and are able to use it as you intended.  You could also include a seating area and bookshelves, essential in any home office, and use it as a den while the kids use the desk for homework. Check out this classic home office and den combination from brilliant designer Sarah Richardson.  If that sectional included a pull-out bed, this would be the perfect use of extra bedroom real estate.

If you require extra storage, for clothing, for instance, use the room as a dressing room.  Include functional shoe, purse, and accessory storage.  Make it comfortable and accessible for your every day needs.  Here's an example of a beautiful space* to get ready for the day ahead.

It may seem indulgent to use a spare room as a dressing area, however, I think it's more indulgent to set up a spare room as a bedroom and then only use it a couple of times a year.  If you really need a space for out of town guests, and it's only a short stay, couldn't you sacrifice your Master Bedroom and bunk with your kids for a week or so? Or better yet, force the kids to bunk together and take over one of their rooms entirely?  It may be a little bit inconvenient but think about it, for the other 50 weeks of the year, you have a dedicated, useful space that you could enjoy on a daily basis.

*(Photo from beautiful abodes.blogspot.com)