How To Turn Almost Any Space Into A Guest Room

Hosting occasional overnight guests is a fact of life for many, but not so many of us have the square footage to spare for a guest room that rarely gets used. Make your guest room work just as hard for you as it does for your guests by combining it with another space. Even if you need to use every inch of your home for your own living space, a guest room may still be in the cards. From combination home officeguest rooms to living rooms that do a disappearing act, these ideas are here to help.

Overnight guests coming? How to be a great host

Design idea: Murphy bed in the home office.

Why: A Murphy bed neatly folds away when not in use, providing room to use a desk and store home office necessities. When guests arrive, just tuck in your desk chair and pull down the bed.

Extras: Seek out a Murphy bed with built-in storage or a fold-down desk on the other side.

Browse guest bedroom photos to get ideas for your space

Planning tips: You will need about 6 or 7 feet of space, including the cabinet where the bed is stored and the space for the length of the bed when extended. If you have a longer wall but not as much floor space, you can choose a Murphy bed that extends horizontally from the wall instead of vertically.

In addition, plan to have room for a guest to walk around the bed if one side is not accessible because of space constraints, thats OK, but at least one side and the foot of the bed should be easily reachable.

Cost: From $1,000 (for a no-frills twin-size Murphy bed) to $3,000 plus installation for a ready-made unit. For a custom or semicustom Murphy bed, plan to spend $5,000 and up.

Alternate idea: Incorporate a Murphy bed into a home library, complete with library ladder for accessing high shelves. To get the most out of the space, have a drop-down desk or book stand installed on the other side of the bed.

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How To Turn Almost Any Space Into A Guest Room