Gone are the days when we had the luxury of having dedicated rooms for each function. In the 21st century, modern living demands flexibility; creating a dual-purpose room is a great way to maximise space without sacrificing functionality or style.

I’ve often had to come up with ideas in my own life, so I thought I’d share them with you.

Limiting functions

While it’s tempting to create a multipurpose room, I suggest we stick to the concept of dual purpose, that is, two functions. Trying to cram too many activities into one space will make your home look cluttered and your design incoherent.

Guest room or home office?

Although many of us have had home offices for ages, they’re mostly afterthoughts jammed into what should be a serene guest room. We want a productive space that transforms into a guest room without fuss. When you’re looking at the layout, think about it from both your guest’s perspective and your work needs.

Defining spaces in dual-purpose rooms

While I think using high room dividers can chop the space up, there are other ways to define spaces that aren’t so harsh. A friend of mine in a studio apartment has a low bookcase between her bed and the rest of the living space. It doesn’t block light from the window but stops her bed from being the dominant element. If you must use a room divider, make it open shelving (although then you’ll have to dust the shelves). If you fill only every second shelf, you won’t sacrifice light. Alternatively, translucent panels on a sliding track can allow for openness and offer privacy when needed.

Curtains, especially if you run them on a hospital-type ceiling track, can soften spaces while providing privacy.

Functional furniture

Murphy beds or wall beds can be a magic space-saver in a dual-purpose room. If you search, you can find some superb wall beds. The ones I love come from Italy via a Sydney store, The Comfort Shop. Although these multi-purpose pieces of furniture are beautifully designed, some pieces come at eye-wateringly high prices. However, some versions have a sofa, bookcase or desk attached, so you get more than one piece of furniture. A local wall bed will cost you around $2,500. The beauty of the wall bed is it stays hidden until it’s needed.

You don’t need a big desk occupying space when you don’t use your office daily. If you have a cupboard, you can convert it with a fold-down desk and some shelving to hold any stationery items. Close the door, and your ‘office’ will be out of sight.

Folding tables can be brilliant for saving space. I’ve seen a dining table that, fully extended, seated six people but folded down to the size of a hall table. Folding chairs were stacked neatly out of the way, leaving a vast space to be used as a yoga room and kids’ playroom. This family ate mostly together in the kitchen; the dining room was used only for more formal dinners, so it made no sense to clutter the space permanently with a dining table.

Colouring in

Colour is key for the guest room/office combo. Go for calming colours like pale greens, blues or warm grey or go all white with neutral colours for bedding and furnishings.

You can always add pops of colour with cushions, throw blankets or even artwork. For green, add a plant or two.

Home gym or everyday office?

If your exercise routine is more important than guest space, then floor space is critical. This means you’ll need either a large room or a desk you can fold away. Storage would be vertical so as to minimise floor space incursion. Unless this room is flooded with natural light, you’ll need a mirror or two to bounce light around the room.

Consider where you’ll store your exercise equipment, whether you use a yoga mat, resistance band or free weights. I prefer a storage ottoman or, if your equipment allows, a shoe storage cabinet that takes up minimal floor area and keeps equipment tidy and out of sight. If you’ve converted a bedroom with a built-in wardrobe, you won’t have this problem.

I also prefer more calming colours like softer greens, blues and neutrals. While ‘incidental red’ might be a top trend at the moment, I don’t feel it would enhance my routine.

Other dual-purpose rooms to consider

Formal dining rooms have (mostly) gone the way of the dinosaurs. Most of us don’t use them regularly, so we could find better uses for them while enhancing our kitchens. If you have a good-sized eat-in kitchen with a table or an island and don’t host formal dinners, ditch the dining room.

The living room can double as a playroom for families with limited space. You can find stylish storage ottomans or toy chests to keep the space clutter-free.

By looking carefully at all the spaces and uses in your home, you can see more easily how to get the most value from your space and ensure all rooms can adapt to your needs now and into the future.

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