Inspiration struck recently and the vision for the cozy country home’s secondary bedroom started coming together. I’m using my kiddo as “the client” for the design and am keeping in mind what purpose the room has served for my Grandma over the years. This means designing a multitasking bedroom. One that’s cozy, comfortably accommodates the activities it needs to, can transform for additional company, and that feels and looks bigger and brighter than the 10 x 10 that it is.
I have the fondest of memories of this room. It was the room I stayed in when visiting my Grandma for holidays, spring and summer break. It’s always been a bit cave-like but I didn’t think anything of it. Now that I’m older and my brain is wired to see the beauty and potential everywhere, I can see what this room can be.
White is the furniture color choice that works best. Darker colors will visually shrink the already very small room. Pops of color come in through textiles. And smaller shelves and accessories in neutral wood finishes bring in a cozy earthiness.
Design By: Corinna Henderson
Keep In Mind When Designing A Multitasking Bedroom:
1. Scale
Using the space efficiently and packing in as much storage as possible can make a room feel cramped and cluttered. Choosing the right furniture can mean choosing something lower to the ground, more shallow in depth, or skinny.
2. Storage
Maximize storage and keep floor space open. Lighter finishes with easy to access and use cabinets, drawers and shelves. Complicated organizational systems aren’t likely to be used well.
3. Vertical Space
Got to be smart about utilizing vertical space. It can feel like the walls are towering over the room. Keeping things light and airy is tricky. Ensuring things don’t block any lighting source and that they don’t take up more space than the area below it is important.
4. Versatility
When a room needs to morph to suite different purposes multifunctional furniture comes to mind. Mobile and folding furniture is smart for this too. My favorite find is a stackable bed. It’s a twin when it’s stacked and unstacked it can either be two twins or one large bed. Good quality bedding that can be added to for winter reduces need for storage. Zippered pillow covers provide options.
5. Cozy
A bedroom needs to be cozy. Being smart with layers and texture keeps excess bulk down while still being comfortable. Bring in texture with woven baskets and storage bins. Lighting with a natural material shade blends function with texture. Floor to ceiling drapery keeps a chilly draft out and makes ceilings look nice and tall.
6. Lighting
Make natural light as accessible as possible. And choose and install lighting in smart task locations. Wall mounted lights free up tiny nightstand surface space. Small profile desk lamps let you move the light exactly where you need. Low profile ceiling lights with LED bulbs keep overhead space bright and open.
Bed/Sleeping Set Up
Any bed larger than a twin takes up too much space. Sometimes this room will need to sleep multiple people though. That’s where easy to move nightstands and stackable beds come in. Lightweight and easy to simple to transform, these furniture pieces are key to versatility.
The bedding keeps with the same color theme as the whole house. A more golden yellow adds a sense of coziness than bright does. A lightweight comforter can be kept on the bed year round. Layers can be added in cooler months.
Shown:
- Reading light
- Dark blue sheet set
- Grey duvet cover
- Gold throw blanket
- Grey cushion cover
- Gold throw pillow
- Round pink cushion
- Stackable bed
- Narrow nightstand table
- Sculptural wall shelf
Dressing/Storage Set Up
There is no closet in this bedroom! Eventually I’d love to expand onto the adjoining porch. For now the realistic solution is a freestanding wardrobe. Smart containers fit the shelves and cubbies to best organize clothing and other things. The wall mounted hanger adds more options.
Shown:
Gaming/Desk Set Up
My kiddo is a gamer so that’s the focus for this zone but it can also be a homework/work/makeup station though. I chose a desk that was a bit slimmer on depth than gaming desks usually are to keep the floor space that much more open. And the gaming chair is simply gorgeous for a gaming chair.
Some key accessories include shelving, cord organizer, modem stand and desk accessories. The desk lamp is small in size and can be moved about. When it’s needed it can be moved to the exact spot and when it’s not it can be moved away. The tablet and headset stand is one of those specific purpose items I really enjoy. Having an exact location to place things is every organizers dream.
Shown:
- LED work lamp
- Headset/Table stand
- Acacia wall shelf
- White desk
- Gaming chair
- Monitor stand
- Cable management system
- Drawer unit
- Vertical wall shelf
Having said all that, it’s easier said than done. Designing a multitasking bedroom was the easy part. There’s a lot of cleaning, purging, repairs and upgrades to be done first. I’ll have an update on the living and dining room soon. Yes – I’m doing things out of order. I have no good reason for this. Just chasing inspiration as it comes.
