Space is often a source of intense debate in the home. In many cases, there simply isn’t quite enough of it! But one of the bigger arguments when it comes to space in the home revolves around the ‘spare room,’ or box room – an awkward space frequently relegated to guest sleeping space ‘just in case’ – and storage for random clutter besides.
Naturally, when undertaking a wider renovation of your home, you’ll find yourself looking at this room again. What could you do with it to make it a part of your home? What follows are some simple ideas to guide your thinking and lead you toward a space that works for you and your home.
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A Powder Room
Taking this idea to its logical conclusion, you might even devote your box room entirely to ‘getting ready’. The ‘powder room’ as a concept has fallen out of favor since the mid-20th century but could be brought back into your home for a luxurious, vintage addition to your lifestyle. Powder rooms can be anything from glorified make-up spaces to full-on second bathrooms, leaving it entirely up to you what you make of such a space!
An Extension of Existing Space
Of course, your box room needn’t remain a box room if it doesn’t suit your needs. Rather than working with the limited space available to you, you could make that space available to another room entirely. You could knock through the stud wall between your spare room and its adjoining room to create a much larger ‘open-plan’ area of your home – be it a larger shared home office space or a vastly extended master bedroom.
In the case of the latter, you could even treat the box room as a walk-in wardrobe of sorts; by installing a doorway into the wall and fitting suitable storage to fit the dimensions of the spare space, you could have the dressing-up room dreams made of.
A Library Room or Office
One of the more common ways in which box rooms are renovated is in service of a study space, whether a reading room or a home office. Indeed, this has become an even more common renovation in recent years as more people elect to work from home part- or full-time.
Creating a home study space can be as simple as creating a dedicated desk space with nearby storage for documents and equipment. The space can be made more inviting with ambient lighting and task lighting over the desk, while bookcases filled with your literature collection are a must – and not just for your video call background.
A Hobby Space
If you have little need for a home office or administrative space, you could take the spirit of such a renovation and make it more specific, geared instead towards your hobbies and interests. If you enjoy handcrafts, whether making models or carving wood, you might design your box room around a crafting table, with accessible storage for the tools of your trade and adequate light for your needs. As a hobbyist sewer, you might install bespoke storage for your various fabrics and patterns, with different ‘stations’ for hand-sewing and your machine.
