How To Transform A Spare Bedroom Into A Guest Bedroom
We have four bedrooms in our semi-detached home. Two we use as bedrooms, one as a โhome officeโ and the last one is now a guest room. How do you take some of the furniture youโve already got and add to it to transform a spare bedroom into a guest bedroom without breaking the bank?
Iโll 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.
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5 Simple Steps: Transform A Spare Bedroom Into A Guest Bedroom
I donโt know about you, but when Iโm visiting somebody and staying in a spare bedroom, itโs nice when itโs cozy and comfortable.
If it looks like its only purpose is a spare storage room, then itโs 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 youโre 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.
Hereโs what the room looked like before we started updating it. Apologies for the simple photos โ 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 wasnโt 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 wouldnโt 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 โ no need to paint meant that we didnโt 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 youโll 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 youโve got wood floors like we do, carpeting in a spare bedroom makes it less of a cold space. Taking oneโs 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 10โ+ 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 โ $100
5. Decorative Touches
Now with almost everything in place, we set about doing the fun stuff โ the decorating!
As always, hanging pictures on the walls was a pain, as it wasnโt easy to get everything in a straight line.
We officially opened up โCasa Bourneโ as a Bed & Breakfast! (Just kidding โ friends and family stay for free).
And the final version!
So whoโs visiting first?
Costs: $300 โ 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, itโs 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 youโve already got. Fresh flowers from your garden work very well when you have guests visiting. Keep lovely drink bottles to use as โvasesโ for a few flower stems.
Thrift stores are another goldmine for cool stuff to decorate your spare bedroom. Youโll 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 whatโs happening in this post โ 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 โ thereโs something at Photowall that will help you make a dramatic statement with your
The only problem youโll 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.
Hereโs 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.
Itโs made with 100% bamboo viscose fabric and Japanโs temperature-regulating technology fabric, making it super cooling โ perfect for anybody whoโs a hot sleeper or dealing with menopausal hot flashes.
Since my husband is a hot sleeper and Iโm starting to get into hot flash territory, I expect weโll 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 โ but worth it!).
Transform A Spare Bedroom Into A Guest Room Quickly & Easily
There you go โ 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 (theyโre 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. Thatโll be another transformation story in itself!
TIP: Consider doing this kind of upgrade when youโre feeling bored โ itโs one of my 200 ideas for when youโre feeling bored.
QUESTION: What is the biggest challenge for you to transform a spare bedroom into a guest room?
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Wow! It looks awesome! I’m on my way …
Teena – this comment made us laugh. You and Gord are welcome!
Nicely done! Wish I had your eye for design… I have a masculine / very bachlor like perspective. lol Not sure why or how that happened.
I love your guest bedroom’s overall design. Converting the spare room into a guest bedroom sounds like a wonderful idea and I need to think about converting mine as well. Thanks for the tips!
Love these simple ideas! It’s amazing how a few touches can totally transform a room. I’ll definitely be saving these for later.
Thank you Hari! It’s useful as a guest bedroom, but to be honest, we’ve started using it as an office AND an extra bedroom when one of us is sick. It’s like visiting a hotel room for a night or two. :)
YES! You don’t have to spend thousands to re-make a room. I’m sure we could have saved a bit more with some thrifting, but this was a good investment with some Ikea furniture and decor.
I redid my guest room, last month ,not finish yet…too many ideas lol…Nice post to reads