In today’s homes, people are becoming more creative about devoting rooms, or portions of rooms, to create environments for living, working and recreation, not to mention addressing specific needs of family members or lifestyle decisions.
Virtually every home has a kitchen, a family or living room, and a master bedroom; but the rest of the rooms are up for grabs. You may or may not find in a home a home office, playroom, rec room, home fitness area, library/den, homeschool environment, craft and hobby room, workshop, or in-law suite.
And that’s just some possibilities for the inside. What about your exterior environments? Outdoor kitchens, secret gardens, a lanai, a balcony off the upstairs bedroom, a deck or patio off the kitchen, even a courtyard with an outdoor fireplace or fire pit can be amazing additions to your home and extend your living spaces throughout the year.
Five Tips for Creating Specialty Rooms in Your Home
To take advantage of all this living space calls for some planning and preparation–a strategy, a vision and, most importantly, a budget. You may not be able to tackle all the rooms, so choose the ones that are most important to you and your family and focus on those first. The rest will fall into place.
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Create a strategy
This sounds more complex than it really is. What is your most pressing need? Do you work from home regularly or freelance on the side? A home office may take precedence over a fitness room. Do you homeschool your children? A dedicated school room may take precedence over a craft/hobby room. Determine what rooms you want to create within your home environment and prioritize them.
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Develop a vision for each room
Once you’ve created your priorities, do a room by room assessment to determine what you need in terms of furniture, technology needs and décor. Once you know what you need (and remember, there is a difference between “need” and “want” so you can stagger some of those purchases). Create a floor plan, or layout, so you know where you want to place particular items. For example, a television should be close to the electrical outlets and a cable outlet. A desk should also be close to an electrical outlet, and realistically, in an area where you can hide all the cords associated with computers, telephones, charging stations, post office machines, printers and scanners.
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Determine your budget
This is the most important part of creating a specialty room. You don’t want to break the bank but you do want it to meet your needs. Consider how much you can afford and shop wisely. Want to paint? Look for paint sales at your local home improvement store. Need a desk? Check out consignment shops, Craig’s List, classified ads, Freecycle or even estate sales. If you live in a city that offers individual or virtual office space (the kind where you can rent a conference center for a few hours or even an office with some amenities such as a receptionist), ask the manager if they ever have leftover furniture.
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Clean out the room you plan to use
If the room has been languishing as a guest bedroom or catch-all for “I don’t want to throw this away but I don’t know what to do with it,” it’s time to take a good look around and get tough. Throw away items that are broken, stained or beyond repair. Create a pile of “stuff” that you no longer use or want and set it aside to give to another family, donate to local thrift shop or Freecycle, and sell at a garage sale.
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Create it
Now the fun begins! Start with the walls. Add a fresh coat of paint while the room is empty. Grab your floor plan (aren’t you glad you made one?) and begin moving in the furniture. Once you’ve moved everything in, then take it for a test-run. Sit at the desk and send some emails. Do a quick workout. Does the room feel right to you? If not, do some rearranging. This room is meant for a specific purpose, so make sure it meets your needs.
And finally, add the finishing touches–wall decals with inspirational quotes, artwork that inspires or soothes you, a quilt rack for your craft room, a gallery to showcase your favorite family photographs. The possibilities are endless.
Create an environment that meets your needs.
Your home is your castle, so take the time to create a plan and a vision that will bring you and your family pleasure for years to come. With some advance planning, a sharp eye for sales, and some creative shopping or bargaining, you, too, can create beautiful specialty rooms.
This article was written by Kimberley Joy Kelly a Palm Desert CA Realtor. You can learn more about Kim by visiting her Palm Desert homes for sale website. You can also check out some of the many golf homes in her area using the La Quinta homes for sale and Palm Springs homes for sale property searches on her website.
