How to Turn Your Home Office Into a Guest Room

Your home is filled with potential. When you have limited space and need to accommodate overnight guests, a few adjustments and furniture additions can easily transform a home office into a guest room.

A home office can be a great place to accommodate guests if you lack a spare bedroom or don’t have enough space in the living room. With our styling tips and furniture recommendations, you’ll be able to create a workspace that offers the best of both worlds.

Analyze Your Underused Office Space

Your first step toward transforming your office into a comfortable guest room is looking for anything you don’t use regularly. These could include a corner where you pile reading materials or an exercise bike that’s been gathering dust.

Once you find any furniture or storage items you don’t often use, start clearing them out to create more floor space. After all, the goal with a guest room is to help people kick up their feet and relax, not struggle to find a place to sit.

You don’t have to limit your assessment of the home office guest room to your floor area, either. Look at your walls or shelves for anything else you could start clearing away to make room.

Put yourself in the shoes of your guests: Where would they want to hang up their jacket, set down their bag, or place a mug of coffee?

Match Workday Function with Guest Comfort

Some interior design choices work well for both productivity and relaxation. Finding this happy balance starts with analyzing elements like color, lighting, seating, and storage.

Color: Does your home office look warm and inviting or a little bland? While this space is usually for work, it should still have enough color and visual variety to welcome an overnight stay.

You can inject some personality by adding a charming accent rug or a few paintings on the far wall. You can shift them around or put them away as needed to get back into “work mode.”

Lighting: Does your home office feel a little sterile? Sometimes all you need is a different lighting setup. Lamps easily blend form with function, whether you choose a desk lamp or a swing-arm lamp.

You can then switch to warm-colored lightbulbs to help give your space a more relaxing feel.

Seating: You may already have home office staples like rolling chairs and foot rests. To make the room more guest-friendly, add seat cushions and back rests. They can add visual variety while still being comfortable for day-to-day work.

Storage: Since the goal is to combine workday function with guest comfort, don’t choose storage options that only get pulled out when a guest arrives. Small dressers give you the best of both worlds, providing storage for work materials while also giving guests a place to set down a drink or phone.

Choose Furniture That Can Multitask

Your office guest room design will be much easier to put together with multitasking furniture. Get started with flexible additions like:

• Ottomans that can store extra pillows
• Nightstands with mini shelves for books
• Storage benches that double as guest seating

One home office guest room idea you can consider is installing a Murphy bed. These practical additions combine functional office furniture with a comfortable bed, all with just a few quick adjustments. For example, a Murphy bed can incorporate bookshelf storage for work materials, then pull down from the wall to accommodate a guest.

If you have an old desk you want to recycle, you can choose a Murphy bed that turns into a desk instead. Some Murphy desk beds even come with clever hinging systems that keep your desk setup intact so you don’t have to clear everything off to prepare for guests.

Make the Office to Guest Room Transition Easy

You shouldn’t have to become an expert interior decorator to turn the home office into a guest room. With multitasking furniture and a little creativity, your home office guest room can switch between work and guest mode with just a few minor adjustments.

Does your guest want to tuck away early? Give them a setup that lets them quickly pull out a sofa bed or Murphy bed to lie down.

Do they need somewhere to eat? They should be able to pull up a table or a section of desk space to sit down with a meal.

You don’t have to put all the essentials front and center, either. The room can still have a dresser or closet space dedicated to basics like blankets, pillows, linens, or a change of clothes.

Make Your Home Office Guest Room Truly Shine

A guest room should make someone feel right at home the moment they walk in, while a home office should spark productivity the second you turn on the lights.

Multifunctional furniture, a thoughtful layout that uses space wisely, and a few non-permanent accents can easily transform your room from a productive workspace into a welcoming guest room.

As the saying goes, limitation breeds creativity. When working with limited space and existing furniture, try these styling tips to make the most of your home office and create a welcoming space for guests. 

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• The New Home Office Chair Is Designed to Be Seen
• Designing a Custom Home for the West Coast Lifestyle
• Designing a Home Office That Balances Performance, Ergonomics, and Domestic Sanctuary