How To Transform A Spare Bedroom Into A Guest Bedroom

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We have four bedrooms in our semi-detached home. Two we use as bedrooms, one as a “home office” and the last one is now a guest room. How do you take some of the furniture you’ve already got and add to it to transform a spare bedroom into a guest bedroom without breaking the bank?

I’ll show you what we did to make a simple room into a cozy space for our guests.

Your budget for this project can range between $600 to $1000+ depending on what your needs are for your room.

The key thing is to re-purpose what you already have and to update it with additional items that will create that welcoming space for your guests.

My five tips will help from planning to the final touches.

Disclosure: This post contains sponsored product. I recommend products I would use or have used myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links. I may make a small commission on any purchases you make using these links, at no extra cost to you. Read my full Disclaimer.

5 Simple Steps: Transform A Spare Bedroom Into A Guest Bedroom

I don’t know about you, but when I’m visiting somebody and staying in a spare bedroom, it’s nice when it’s cozy and comfortable.

If it looks like its only purpose is a spare storage room, then it’s not as nice.

Guest bedrooms can also double as your personal space for reading, having a nap in peace and quiet, or having a phone conversation.

If you’re working on reinventing your life after your kids have moved out, the spare bedroom can be YOUR special room too.

So as you go through these steps of making a spare bedroom into a guest bedroom, consider this as well.

1. Assess Your Space And Make A Plan

The first thing to do when you want transform a spare bedroom into a guest ]bedroom is to make a plan.

We had a pretty straightforward space to work with when we moved into our home. It was the second-largest bedroom in the house, facing the northeast.

Here’s what the room looked like before we started updating it. Apologies for the simple photos – I took them quickly before considering to even doing a blog post about the process.

We had temporarily placed some of our old furniture and decorative items when we moved in.

I did a thorough clean-up of the walls and floor and started assessing the space.

Luckily it was the only bedroom with a paint colour that we really liked. A warm creamy yellow, it was the perfect colour for a room that usually gets very little direct sunlight after the late morning. The room would feel really cold if it wasn’t for the warm colour.

So we decided the colour would stay, as well as the blinds.

The first thing I did was to measure out the space to see how much I would be working with when it came to furniture. Would it all fit in? No sense in carrying up a double bed and side tables into the room if it wouldn’t fit.

So the first step is to take a look around the room. What do you like about it? And how much space do you have to work with for decorating it?

Costs: $0 – no need to paint meant that we didn’t have to worry about this step or spend any additional money.

2. Set-Up The Furniture

The next step in making a spare bedroom into a guest bedroom that you’ll love is painting and furniture set up.

If your room needs a fresh coat of paint consider colours that relax: muted grays, greens and blues. These are fresh and airy and work well with colourful accents on the walls and bedlinens.

However, if you still with warm colours, make them cheerful but muted.

In our case, we liked the creamy muted butter yellow and decided to keep it.

However, we needed a new bed frame for the existing double mattress. There was no need to get a new mattress, so we purchased a Hemnes bed frame from IKEA.

Placing our bedside drawers by the bed, we had that look completed. Using our existing drawers and chairs, we positioned them on the other side of the room for storage and a place to sit or put a blanket down.

Using a low shelving unit, we placed it alongside the bed against a wall to act as an easy storage space for books and other knick-knacks.

Cost: $419 for the IKEA Hemnes full bedframe and slats

3. Warm Up The Wood Floors

If you’ve got wood floors like we do, carpeting in a spare bedroom makes it less of a cold space. Taking one’s socks off after a long day and walking on a warm carpet is lovely. Nobody wants to step on a cold wood floor.

So we opted for a red Persian-style rug from IKEA (VEDBAK), placing it in front of the bed where one would walk the most.

Ideally, I would place small carpets on either side of the bed, but it would end up looking cluttered.

Cost: VEDBAK carpet from IKEA $160

4. Window Dressings

We had a simple solution for softening the harsh look of the existing blinds. Taking a 10’+ long extending curtain rod, we added translucent sheer curtains to each of the three windows.

These are easy to get at IKEA and take a little bit of work to measure and sew up to the correct dimensions for floor length window coverings. They give a bit of privacy in the bright morning light while letting in a whole lot of warm sunshine.

Cost: Curtain rod and curtains, IKEA – $100

5. Decorative Touches

Now with almost everything in place, we set about doing the fun stuff – the decorating!

As always, hanging pictures on the walls was a pain, as it wasn’t easy to get everything in a straight line.

We officially opened up “Casa Bourne” as a Bed & Breakfast! (Just kidding – friends and family stay for free).

And the final version!

So who’s visiting first?

Costs: $300 – duvet set, picture frames and prints, lamps, jug and faux flowers, small plant

Total Cost: $979

How To Save Money During The Bedroom Transformation

When you want to create a guest bedroom that wows, it’s easy for the costs to add up.

The easiest way to save money is to use anything you already have in the home to decorate the room.

• Existing furniture can be re-purposed for a spare bedroom.
• Keep expenses at a minimum by using what you already have.
• Create your own artwork for the walls. Get your craft on!
• Consider inexpensive wall decals in the place of framed art or prints.

Decorations can add up, so use what you’ve already got. Fresh flowers from your garden work very well when you have guests visiting. Keep lovely drink bottles to use as “vases” for a few flower stems.

Thrift stores are another goldmine for cool stuff to decorate your spare bedroom. You’ll find some interesting items like little glass bowls and picture frames at a fraction of the cost.

| Related: How To Update Your Home Decor On A Dime

Use Wallart To Wow Your Guests

One of the best ways to create a gorgeous space that feels like a fancy hotel room is to focus on the walls.

Paint colour is one way, but how about creating a focal point with a wall mural? Or a beautiful wallpaper?

Even a stunning collection of posters, placed perfectly on a wall can draw the eye and make a place look upscale.

Swedish company Photowall (see what’s happening in this post – Ikea, Photowall..) sells stunning wall murals like this one:

And the best thing is that the pricing is very affordable.

From murals, wallpaper, prints, posters and even your own custom images – there’s something at Photowall that will help you make a dramatic statement with your

The only problem you’ll have is selecting the perfect one because there will be too many that you like!

Give Them Bedcover Options

Not everybody likes to sleep under a thick duvet.

Here’s a great option that you can have on hand in your spare bedroom closet: a cool blanket.

We love this Z-Magic Cooling Comforter from Zonli, that we use on our bed during the warmer months.

It’s made with 100% bamboo viscose fabric and Japan’s temperature-regulating technology fabric, making it super cooling – perfect for anybody who’s a hot sleeper or dealing with menopausal hot flashes.

Since my husband is a hot sleeper and I’m starting to get into hot flash territory, I expect we’ll be fighting over this blanket!

Get a Zonli cooling blanket for your spare room or your own sleep comfort!

NOTE: The blanket is easy to wash in your washing machine and hang to dry (can result in a few crinkles – but worth it!).

Transform A Spare Bedroom Into A Guest Room Quickly & Easily

There you go – five steps to transform a spare bedroom into a guest room without breaking the bank:

• Assess the space and create a plan
• Get all the large furniture in place
• Warm up the flooring
• Dress the windows
• Decorate with the little things

It took us half a day to get everything like we wanted in the room. The bulk of the time was spent on getting the IKEA bed frame together and playing around with the picture frames (they’re a pain!).

Since we did this transformation, our son has taken over the room to hang out in it with his toys. So the space is a bit messy.

There will be a point when the spare guest room becomes his bedroom. That’ll be another transformation story in itself!

TIP: Consider doing this kind of upgrade when you’re feeling bored – it’s one of my 200 ideas for when you’re feeling bored.

QUESTION: What is the biggest challenge for you to transform a spare bedroom into a guest room?

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