It's the room no one goes into. It's full of boxes, old exercise equipment, and clothing that doesn't fit anyone anymore. In short, your guest room is full of clutter. When you do have guests over, you panic and, in a brave effort to clear the clutter out, you shove it under the bed and hope they don't look under there.
We've all been there, right? Who doesn't wish they had a guest room they can be proud of, instead of a room that often feels like the family's distant cousin who ran off with the Elvis impersonator and no one talks about? Well, even if your guest room doesn't make you feel quite that uncomfortable, it still needs to be cleared out and redecorated, doesn't it?
Well, without further ado, here are 5 handy tips to help get your guest room shaped up back the way it was supposed to be!
- Your guest room is a small space so we have to get creative. You know the first tip already, so let's chant it together: Purge, Purge, Purge! Yes, we have to declutter in here. We have to start with a clean slate, so the first step is always going to be to get rid of the stuff you don't need or want. Be strict, and donate most of it. If it's languishing in here, you probably don't need it anyway.
- Many people also use their guest room for their home office or computer room. If so, take a look at how big your desk is. Chances are it's bigger than it needs to be. Consider selling or donating this one and getting one that is smaller and more streamlined.
- Now let's look at the bed itself. Takes up a lot of room, right? Well, how about this idea: get a Murphy bed. You know those cool, upright beds that you pull down from the wall only when you need to? They don't have to tuck into the wall either. You can buy external units that look like a giant armoire, and you can even get them with bookshelves on each end. The result? You’ll get ample floorspace and a room you can use much more often.
- Now that you've got a lot more room in here, think about what you’d like this room to be when guests aren’t in it. Could you turn it into a homework room? A reading room? A craft room? A TV room for the kids? These are the advantages of a Murphy bed, and if you decide to get one you can add a lot more living space to your home. Yes, it’s safe to say they’re worth the investment.
- If you do want (or need) to stick with your regular bed, then don’t underestimate the underbed storage that the bed will give you. You can store off season clothing under there, as well as rarely used linens or pictures.
Remember, the guest room doesn't have to be just a guest room. When you think about all the activities you could be doing in here, you realize it can be so much more! Yes, you still need a place for your guests to stay, but clearing out the clutter in here will give your family some more room too.
You can also think about it this way: if your guest room is being used for junk storage only, then take the total square footage of your home and divide it by your monthly mortgage payment. That's what you're paying per square foot each month. Now, if your guest room is 100 square feet, times that by the number you just got. Now you've got a REALLY EXPENSIVE storage room, right? It'll pay to clean it out and actually use it!
