How To Make a Guest Bedroom When You Don't Have a Room

When family or friends come for a visit, offering them a place to stay is a nice gesture and saves money too. But not every place has the benefit of an extra room for guests. If you have smaller living quarters, it’s still possible to create a place where guests can sleep, relax, and have a little privacy as well. We go over a few ways to make the most of the space you have so that guests can get a good night’s rest without getting on each other’s nerves. Here’s how to make a guest bedroom when you don't have a room.

Get a Stowable Bed

Unless you’re planning on opening a five-star hotel, guests don’t need much out of a bed beyond a comfy mattress, warm blankets and sheets, and a fluffy pillow. You probably can’t store a four-poster bed with a king-sized mattress in your home, but you can find more clever ways to keep a bed around that won’t get in the way. Sofa beds are always a hit. When guests aren’t visiting, you can close a sofa bed and use it for TV watching. Futons are another foldable alternative that do double duty as furniture. Trundle beds roll beneath regular beds. You can take them out whenever you need them as well. Air mattresses are also worth considering since you can easily store them.

Divide a Large Room

You can temporarily convert a big room into two rooms with folding screens or hanging curtains. While both are poor substitutes for walls, they still provide a modicum of privacy and noise reduction for you and your guests. When guests go home, screens provide lovely accents to any room. Often featuring lovely designs, they’re pieces of art on their own. Use them to block out sunlight, as a headboard for your bed, and for added privacy.

Set Up Shelving

Another way to partition a larger room into a guest room or two is to buy shelving units you can set up as walls. They can also provide room for their stuff and any amenities (towels, soap, toothpaste, etc.). There are plenty of shelving units and similar ready-to-assemble furniture pieces that you can move back into place and use for your own organizational purposes. Ceiling-to-floor pieces may not be possible, but try to provide at least head-level units so that guests can have some privacy.

Rough It!

Here’s one last tip on how to make a guest bedroom when you don't have a room. You live there all year, so why not give up your bedroom for the length of their visit? Sleeping on the couch or getting one of the above temporary beds is an option for you too. And you’ll still have access to your room when you need it.