How to repurpose an unused home office

The home office, it seems, is going the way of the fax machine. With the spread of wireless Internet and portable devices such as tablets, it's increasingly common to send and receive emails and spreadsheets from any room in the house.

So, according to interior designers, families are finding more inventive uses for the spaces described by real estate agents as "bonus rooms."

Among major home renovation projects, updating a home office provides the puniest return on the investment when a home is resold, according to Remodeling magazine's Cost vs. Value Report 2013.

So it's no surprise that families turning what was once an office into a game room, dressing room or homework hub for the kids.

"I get this question a lot," says Elizabeth cb Marsh, an associate interior designer at Baltimore-based Jenkins Baer Associates. When a client wants to make over an office, she usually recommends trying to preserve any built-in features, such as shelving or cabinetry.

If the space is large enough, she says, some clients add a pool table to create a billiards room. If the space has a wood counter, it can be covered with waterproof material such as stone to create a wet bar.

A smaller office can have a second life as a dressing room, by installing a wall of shelving for shoes and clothes. Marsh suggests using a neutral wall color and adding a pair of sconces and a tufted ottoman at the center of the room, as well as a floor mirror and vanity.

Families with children might want to turn the space into place for doing homework, says Pam Ginocchio, co-founder of the children's design blog Project Nursery. She recommends giving each child a space at a small metal desk in a fun color, a clip-on lamp and a comfy chair. You can also add some beanbag chairs and mount floating shelves to display books that entice young readers.

Make one wall suitable for scribbling ideas or displaying schoolwork by applying magnet paint and then chalkboard paint.

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How to repurpose an unused home office