Creating a Functional Guest Room

Having a guest room has always been something I have mixed feelings on. On one hand, I want to open my home up to friends and family. On the other, I don’t want to sink money into a room that we won’t use. A common idea I’ve seen around the web is the home office with a sleeper sofa. An idea that really doesn’t appeal to me at all. Sleeper Sofas are either A) uncomfortable, B) huge, and/or C) expensive. Plus, our desk is always a cluttered mess of papers despite our best efforts. No one wants to see that (and I don’t want to stress about cleaning it up when we have a party if someone needs to stay the night).

So what do we do with the guest room to give it function in a way that will feel unobtrusive to our guests? We turn it into a listening room. A room where I can keep my music collection, and have a place to go listen to it uninterrupted. A place to unplug. It’s basically a more specific version of a Walden Room.

I’ve already shown you a lot of what has gone into this room. The console I refinished, some Mod Podge projects, the floor lamp, and one of the dog beds (that Claire now has because her dog is appreciative of things) I made were all for this room. Since then, I also made a bedside table, and spruced up a Target lamp with rose gold spray paint. We also moved some shelving from the nerdcave down (those cabinets are the perfect depth for CDs). The bed was the only major purchase we made specifically for the room, and it was only $450 from Ikea (and it pulls out to a king size!).

The most important part, as far as I’m concerned.

I’m pretty proud of how this room turned out since I put so much DIY energy into it. However, I still have some improvements I’d like to make. I’d like to come up with a better storage system in the closet. I have the wine my husband makes, and a variety of paints and stains in there now. I’d like to organize those better so that guests would have a place to put their clothes if they stay for an extended period. I have some old audio gear from my parents I’d like to display in some way. And I’m in progress of making a new ottoman, since Pixel chewed a hole in the corner of the one I made earlier. But, for now, the room is a great little getaway.