Spare Room Ideas: Convert Yours to a Home Office & Guest Room

Space can be at a premium in small homes and condos. Perhaps you find yourself craving a proper home office space, but have overnight guests on a regular enough basis to make you reluctant to change the design of your guest bedroom.

Maybe you have an existing home office space and only have guests stay over a few times a year, but their sleeping accommodations could be improved.

One of the best spare room ideas is to turn your extra room into a multipurpose home office and guest room.

Add a practical, space-saving wall bed to your spare room

A practical wall bed will be one of the key components of your new multipurpose room. Wall beds are also referred to as “Murphy beds” and their biggest benefit is how much space they’ll save you. During the day, the wall bed folds up, creating plenty of floor space. When it’s needed, the wall bed easily unfolds for use.

If your idea of a wall bed involves antiquated images of thin, ugly mattresses and creaky mechanisms, you’ll be surprised at how far they’ve advanced. The modern quality wall bed is stylish and just as comfortable as any other bed.

They’re also a much nicer sleeping option for your guests than makeshift arrangements that has them sleeping on a pullout sofa, futon, cot, or an air mattress on the floor.

Custom wall beds can be built as an individual unit or as part of a larger custom cabinetry unit. You can enjoy the benefits of open shelving, drawers, and built-in lighting in the beautifully crafted cabinetry unit whether the wall bed is down or up.

Depending on your needs, you can choose from a single, double, or queen-sized wall bed. The hardware on our wall beds also comes with a lifetime warranty.

A wall bed creates an instant guest room in a condo.

A wall bed creates an instant guest room in a condo.

Include a closet organizer for your guests’ comfort

If you have guests that stay for lengthier visits than just one night, a closet organizer will help them feel more at home, especially if they’ve brought more than one suitcase. A closet organizer will make it easier for guests to manage their wardrobe during their stay.

And if you’re not entertaining guests for awhile, you can take advantage of the closet organizer’s helpful storage features for temporarily storing some of your extra wardrobe.

Spare room ideas: keep your office supplies organized and hidden

Your dual-purpose office/guest room needs to be kept organized. This makes using it on a daily basis easier and it will require minimal cleanup when houseguests require the space.

Use elegantly designed customized cabinetry for the office to keep all of your office supplies and belongings organized and out of sight.

custom closets and cabinetry

Add some final cozy touches to your multipurpose space

Along with these main design elements of your multipurpose room, add a few tasteful and cozy touches to the space. A rug, fresh plants, and artwork are well-suited to both guest rooms and home offices and add a nice touch of warmth.

Use these spare room ideas to create a multipurpose room and maximize your home’s space. Your guests will definitely appreciate the comfortable surroundings you’ve thoughtfully provided for them!

One of our design consultants will be happy to meet with you in your home to discuss your spare room ideas, so book your free consultation today.

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Front Entryway Organization: 9 Helpful Tips for Reducing Clutter

As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”.

That expression can be applied to your home and how it’s perceived by others. When you invite someone into your house, apartment, or condo and are in your front entryway, what’s their initial impression of your home and how you maintain it?

Is it clean and organized or dirty, cluttered, and not very welcoming to guests?

While making a good impression to others is important, that shouldn’t be your most important reason for having a well-maintained front entryway.

Getting this frequently used area of your home organized pays dividends on a daily basis to you and your entire family. Make your daily routine easier with these nine front entryway organization tips for reducing clutter.

1. Use a handy table for front entryway organization

A small table for the front entryway becomes a handy place to temporarily place items you’re carrying after entering your home (just remember to move them once you’re settled so you’re not accumulating clutter).

A table here will be the centrepiece of your front entryway area, so don’t compromise on quality.

2. Organize your mail with a letter holder

Leaving your mail scattered on your front entryway table isn’t practical. A letter holder can be both a stylish accessory in the entryway and a smart storage solution.

If space allows, you might also consider placing a recycling bin in this area for your junk mail.

3. Transform your entryway closet space with a custom closet solution

Closets near the front door are considered “high clutter areas” in most homes. One of our custom closet solutions can help you get the most out of your entryway closet space and be tailored to your exact needs.

entryway-closet space-custom-closet

Maximize your closet space with accessories like an extra hanging rod, shoe racks, and decorative hooks for hanging bags and hats. It’s a good idea to free up closet space by moving off-season clothing items elsewhere.

Winter clothing, especially, takes up lots of space because there’s more of it (with all those scarves, gloves, earmuffs, toques, etc.) and it’s bulkier. Ask us about out garment racks, which are great for storing off-season clothing.

4. Keep your floors dry with an umbrella holder

Add a convenient umbrella holder to your front entryway corner. Umbrella holders provide another dedicated home that makes finding this item easy when you really need it.

They also don’t take up much space and will keep your floors dry after coming in from soggy weather.

5. Consider a multi-purpose storage bench

Storage benches provide a helpful sitting area for putting on or removing shoes and boots. You can also store items inside the bench, making this a multi-purpose asset to your front entryway area.

Multi-purpse storage bench from Organized Interiors.

6. Front entryway shoe storage solutions

Shoes and boots are one of the main sources for clutter at entryways. Whether you add a shoe storage organizer to your entryway closet or just inside your front door, you’ll be adding a smart solution for managing your footwear.

Shoe racks, hanging shoe organizers, cubbies, and boot trays will keep your front entryway area organized and clean.

7. Storage boxes and baskets for minimizing clutter

Another useful front entryway organization idea is to use storage boxes and baskets. For smaller items that get mixed up easily and are hard to find, storage boxes and baskets in your closet or entryway help to keep them organized.
Organized Interiors felt storage box

8. Have a home for your keys

Keys are small and easy to misplace. That’s why a home for them on the wall in your front entryway makes so much sense. Some of the advantages of key racks (also known as key holders) include:

  • keeps keys in one place, making them harder to lose
  • they take up little space
  • are inexpensive
  • makes all household keys accessible in case vehicles have to be moved
  • keeps your front entryway table surface clear

A key rack is a front entry organization solution that will save you from future panicked hunts throughout your entire home searching for your lost car keys. You’ll quickly get in the habit of hanging your keys on your key rack when you enter your home.

Now when you’re ready to leave, you can do so without even giving a second thought to where your keys might be.

9. Change your household’s “dump and forget” mindset

Now that you have some practical front entryway organization and storage systems in place, try to change the rest of your family’s mindset of just “dumping and forgetting” their belongings in the front entryway area when they come home.

Stress the importance of taking advantage of these organization solutions. Remember, having the means and tools to accomplish something isn’t all that’s required. Motivation and effort is even more important to get any job done properly. Regularly maintaining the front entryway area is additionally critical.

Apply these tips to your front entryway organization problems and this area will be clutter-free, more functional, and more inviting in no time.

Request a free in-home consultation with an Organized Interiors expert now to get your front entryway transformation started.

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3 Highly Effective Customized Shoe Storage Ideas

Finding a place for every pair of footwear you own can be quite aggravating without the proper storage systems in place.

Are your pairs of athletic shoes, heels, dress shoes, work shoes, casual shoes, and sandals kept in an orderly manner, or is it a daily challenge keeping everything organized?

If it’s the latter in your case, then read on for some highly effective customized shoe storage ideas.

1. Pullout shoe storage racks work great in dressing rooms

The biggest benefit of a dressing room (or large walk-in closet) is obviously the extra amount of space for storing your wardrobe and belongings. Put that extra space to good use.

Dedicate a specific area of your dressing room to shoe storage that uses a smart closet accessory like pullout shoe storage racks.

A pullout customized shoe storage rack for your dressing room helps to easily manage your collection of footwear. They can be installed anywhere in your closet, to whatever depth you require. Metal railing on the front of the pullout shelves ensures that your shoes won’t slide forward when the shelves are pulled out.

Pullout shoe racks can also be added to wardrobes and regular closets, depending on available space. Speak with one of our designers for more details.

shoe-rack

2. Shoe racks as part of a closet organizer system

A good closet organizer system can be used in a wide range of closet sizes. Bring stylish organization into your bedroom with stationary shoe racks that you can size to your storage needs.

Keep your footwear accessible, clean, and coordinated with this practical customized shoe storage solution.

3. Customized shoe storage using cubbies/dividers

If shoe racks aren’t to your liking, consider a cubby/divider storage option as part of your closet organizer system. Cubbies leave your footwear easy to access and easy to keep organized. Their storage space can also be used for bags, purses, and other belongings that aren’t hung up.

Customized shoe storage organizers offer a sophisticated way to keep all of your shoes neatly put away and accessible.

Let our experts bring a fresh and creative approach to your design needs with these customized shoe storage ideas. Schedule your free in-home consultation with one of our designers today.

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How To Determine Your Entertainment Unit’s Best TV Height

Adding an entertainment unit to your home can do you wonders for improving your viewing experience.

They’re highly functional and add an elegant touch to your viewing space. But what’s the ideal TV height to use with them?

Television height is an important consideration, especially when having your entertainment unit custom-built. Follow these simple rules when it comes to determining the best height for your TV in your entertainment unit.

Entertainment unit with mini-bar, home theatre and fireplace.

Make your viewing experience as comfortable as possible

We’ve all gotten stuck with a seat in the first few rows of a movie theatre at least once. Not the most enjoyable vantage point, is it?

Looking up at your viewing display doesn’t make for a comfortable viewing experience, especially when it comes to lengthy viewing sessions.

Considering a recent stat shows the average Canadian spends just under 20% of their 168 total hours in the course of a week watching TV, the importance of viewing comfort can’t be overstated.

Experts agree: keep your TV height at eye level

Just about every tech expert agrees that the optimal height for a viewing display is at eye level from your viewing position. Slightly below your eye level works fine, too.

Using a tape measure, measure the distance from the floor to your eyes while in a seated position to determine your ideal TV height. Consider the body measurements of the rest of your home’s occupants. Measurements don’t have to be exact – an average ideal height for all of you will suffice.

Don’t forget about a variable like reclining seats that will affect your viewing position. Remember that having your TV height a little lower than your eye level is better than having it a little higher.

The main goal is to give yourself the best sightline towards your viewing display so you’ll get the highest level of picture quality from it.

entertainment-unit-3

Apply your TV height measurements to your custom-built entertainment unit

Bring your ideal TV height measurement to our design experts, who will work with you to create your dream entertainment unit.

You can customize your entertainment unit with interior lighting, cabinets, glass doors, and other attractive features, including your choice of beautiful finishes. Book your free in-home consultation today!

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5 Easy Ways to Remedy Closet Sharing Problems With Your Spouse

Fitting an entire wardrobe into a bedroom closet is tricky enough for one person.

When it comes to closet sharing with your husband or wife, things can become downright unmanageable and acrimonious.

Even if the two of you are able to fit both of your wardrobes into one closet, chances are they’re not getting stored in an orderly fashion.

This makes it difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for. Consider how much time is wasted as the result of poor closet organization.

There doesn’t need to be harmonic discord between spouses when it comes to closet sharing.

Follow these five easy ways to remedy the issues you and your significant other might be dealing with when it comes to closet sharing.

1. You’ll get better results by organizing your closet together

Before reworking your closet’s setup, make sure to communicate with your partner about your closet sharing ideas and your vision for its layout, going forward. Have an open mind when they share their ideas as well.

Reach a consensus in terms of how the closet will be configured and the allotted amount of storage space for each of you.

Strong communication throughout this closet reorganizing process fosters unity and a smooth day-to-day process in the future for both of you.

white bedroom closet

2. Empty your closet and assess what’s worth keeping

The easiest way to free up closet space is to de-clutter. Empty everything out of the closet and sort through it to determine what’s worth keeping.

You both need to be honest with yourselves about what qualifies as a keeper and what items won’t be missed.

Be sure to donate anything that someone else might be able to get more use out of. Move off-season clothing items to another area of your home with available storage space.

Once you’ve purged your non-essential belongings, give your closet a good cleaning before moving things back in. The opportunity for a thorough cleaning in an empty closet doesn’t present itself very often, so take advantage of it.

3. Establish separate closet zones. Respect each other’s boundaries.

Divide the space in your closet into “his and hers” areas, with consideration given to whoever has more belongings. Respect each other’s set boundaries.

By doing so, you’ll maintain an efficient organizational structure that makes finding desired items of clothing much easier.

Do your best to manage clutter by carefully going through your closet at least once a year and removing unnecessary items.

4. Closet sharing succeeds with a little help

Improve your ability to get the utmost efficiency out of your space when sharing a closet. Consider these practical closet storage solutions:

  • closet organizers are the most effective way to maximize your closet’s storage space
  • if your closet is tall enough, add a second hanging rod to double your hanging storage space
  • retractable valet rods take up very little space and provide a helpful extra hanging space
  • other closet accessories like tie holders, scarf holders, shelf dividers, shoe racks, and belt racks give your belongings dedicated homes and help maintain organization

Wardrobe

5. Go one step further by adding a custom wardrobe

Even with the aforementioned storage solutions and tips, it’s possible your single bedroom closet simply isn’t big enough to comfortably hold what you both would like it to. This is when you have to turn to another bedroom storage option.

Consider the benefits of a custom-fitted wardrobe closet when it comes to expanding your traditional closet storage space.

A wardrobe closet from Organized Interiors offers numerous design options and is built exactly to the dimensions of the space it’ll occupy in your bedroom.

Enjoy the improved closet storage flexibility you’ll have with this stylish addition to your home’s decor.

It only takes a motivated effort and practical thinking to make closet sharing in the bedroom work in an efficient, mutually beneficial way for you and your partner.

Book a free in-home consultation with us to get started on creating your own unique closet sharing solution.

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