Simple Ways to Repurpose a Bedroom

Transforming an underused room into a VERY used room is easier than you might think! We did a complete room makeover for my client Kathy by turning her spare bedroom into a creative studio.

Kathy had just retired and was looking forward to entertaining more and diving into the creative projects she never had the time to do. She is a lover of beautiful fabrics, rich colors, and unique beads and stones for jewelry making. She is a creative spirit at heart and I wanted to give her a space to call her own where she could flourish!

Here are the key steps we took to turn her unused bedroom into a room she loves and uses every day!

Added an anchor piece.

The first order of business was to bring in a good work table.  The Ikea GALANT is sturdy and large enough to have a couple projects going on at once! We chose a white table top and simple chrome legs so the large table wouldn’t feel big in the room.

Reorganized the closet.

Inside the closet was an existing Elfa system. We kept the draws, removed the hanging bars, added a few Elfa components, which created a functional craft closet with easy access.  The Elfa utility boards are a great solution for organizing all your bits and pieces.

Anything Kathy needs for sewing, crafting or wrapping a beautiful gift lives in this easy access closet (even her sewing machine, when not in use)! We finished it with soft linen curtains, which Kathy already had on hand. Close them completely and the room is peaceful.

More specifics on what we did to the closet on another post coming up! 

Created extra storage.

What to do with a not so attractive brown vertical bookcase?  Lay it sideways; drill a few new holes, screw in shelves to fit, and voile’!  A new horizontal shelving piece. Perfect for storing treasures and supplies.

Updated furniture with chalk paint.

We gave worn and loved furniture pieces a makeover with a quick coat of grey paint. By using only one chalk paint color we were able to unify the eclectic pieces. Now, the light wood desk, the shelving unit and the small round side table (a sentimental piece made by Kathy’s father-in-law), flow peacefully in the room.

Kathy originally booked an appointment with me to consult about doing a home makeover. Specifically, how to improve the layout of her family room and how to make her formal living and dining rooms more inviting and not quite so formal.

She showed me two spare bedrooms one seemed to be a catch-all.  As we walked down the hall, Kathy opened a closet, packed to the ceiling with partially done and waiting to get started projects.  I saw a craft closet and no place to craft!

I knew immediately our first priority should be to create a studio space that Kathy could call her own. Could we turn one of the bedrooms into Kathy’s creative studio?  Yes! She was thrilled at the prospect! We would address the other parts of house once the studio was completed.

Due to our change of focus and Kathy’s husband who was quick to remove all the unwanted items out of the bedroom, I did not get any before photos.  But then again, if you have an unused room, you already know what that looks like!  Turn your underused room into a space that makes you happy!