Bedroom Office Ideas: Creating a Home Office in a Dual Use Guest Room
In this post: If you’d like to create a dual use guest room that can also function as a home office, you’ll appreciate these bedroom office ideas. ⇒
I used to have a lovely home office.
When we moved into our home, I decorated the study to suits my needs, with a gorgeous French desk, guest seating and a stately bookcase within arms reach.
Granted, I didn’t always sit at the desk, as much of my work involves styling and photographing, and I started to get into the habit of typing on my computer on the couch in the family room.
But the space was mine to use when I wanted to and it reflected my taste.
On weekends hubby would use the office to pay bills and do personal paperwork and I got a huge kick out of seeing him at that curvaceous French Country desk.
But then things changed and he started working from home. It started a few years ago when he semi-retired and then went back to work part time doing consulting work.
Then the pandemic came and he began working from home full time.
There was definitely no room for two people in that small office. Given my penchant for the couch, hubby took over the office. But the distractions in the family room were starting to hurt my productivity.
And working on the sofa started to hurt my back.
I needed a new solution. A second office. Something with a door and a desk, as well as a sofa. I probably could have commandeered the living room, but our open concept home wasn’t conducive to working in the main living spaces.
I’d have to re-look at the upstairs.
Bedroom Office Ideas
I targeted the guest room, a sunny space with plenty of privacy. But I wasn’t ready to give up its guesting capabilities.
No, this would have to be a dual use room.
When we moved to our townhouse I was adamant about having enough bedrooms to host family and friends, to entertain without worry that there wasn’t a convenient space for our guests to sleep.
So the bed had to stay and a small chest of drawers. Everything else was fair game.
As it turns out, what we transitioned to works out better for guests, as well.
The first thing I needed was an appropriate desk.
The room previously had a petite secretaire with a drop down front panel that was never quite sturdy enough.
While I wanted a small desk that I could tuck into a corner, I needed stability if I was going to get any work done. I still love the cubbies that a writing desk affords, but a newer updated model was going to be more practical.
I found a great pale grey piece with a small hutch that fit snugly next to the bed. It has nooks for my many pads and just the right holes to accommodate the wires for the necessary technology.
Next I addressed the seating.
As I mentioned, my peculiar habit of working at the computer on the couch was one I wasn’t completely ready to give up.
So instead I decided to get a small loveseat with good support for my back.
The pretty cane back piece that was in the room perviously was definitely not comfortable enough to work at. So I moved it into the upstairs hallway and replaced it with a deeper more plush mini-sofa.
Its sleek lines and nail head trim give the room an updated feel, while the tufting ties back to the space’s French cottage roots.
It’s a compromise within a compromise.
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I also decided to bring some blush pink into the room to soften the tailored spirit of the chinoiserie.
This was done with restraint through only flowers and a throw which could easily be switched out on a whim.
The usual conveniences a guest room should have are all still very much a part of the room, from a carafe for water by the bedside, to a few empty drawers in the chest, as well as a market basket of spare linens that sits by the foot of the bed.
Plush bed linens, good reading light, and a smart TV are all present to welcome a weary traveler.
And that desk doubles as a great vanity, while the loveseat is a wonderful place for a guest to relax and read.
The one other thing I added to the room was a charming French chair by the desk. A quality reproduction, it’s beautifully upholstered and offers comfort along with its elegant lines.
I was afraid it would take some time to get used to working upstairs, but in fact I adapted really fast and now I enjoy spending my day in one of the sunniest spots in the house.
If you’re needing an extra office in your home, consider co-opting one of the spare bedrooms. There’s no reason to take it out of service. Just equip it for the dual uses and it should be good to go.
Resource Guide
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Thanks so much for sharing this! I need a small space to pay bills, but don’t want to give up a guest room. This is the perfect solution. I can even put a small file cabinet in the closet.
That’s awesome! I’m glad you feel inspired… 🙂
The pictures for the links aren’t loading only a search circle acting like it’s trying to load. I wonder if anyone else is having trouble.
Thank you for the heads up. I actually have had several people tell me this in the past few days. It’s probably a caching problem but I have my tech person looking into it right now. You can try refreshing the page, but I’ll see if there’s anything I can do at my end to make it easier. Thanks for your patience!!
It’s a lovely room. Do you remember the brand and name of the blue paint color?
Thank you! And I do. It’s Benjamin Moore Sweet Bluette.
Thank you!
Already saw my question answered on the blue paint color! Your room is so soft and serene. Just beautiful!
Thank you so much!
Where did you find your mini-sofa?
It’s from Ethan Allen.
Wow, I just love that blue on the walls! And all the decor looks amazingly before it, you’ve done a nice job.
Thank you!!
I am very interested in your process of downsizing. Do you have specific posts that address this? We are considering, but in this heated real estate market, we know we could sell quickly; it’s finding our next home that is a concern! Did you make a lateral move from your last home, or did you have a temporary home while you looked. I would love some ideas to make this transition less stressful! Always enjoy your posts. Thank you.
Lovely space to work or visit! I have this dilemma in my bedrooms and guest room: what do you do with all the pillows at night? In this case there is the love seat, but if the room is too small for one?? I don’t like putting them on the floor. I had a small wicker trunk for one room, but it couldn’t hold them all 🙄
While I do have a bench at the foot of my bed, I never put the pillow shams there. I always put them neatly on the floor, standing upright, to the side of the nightstand. Our bedroom floors are carpeted, so it doesn’t bother me to place them there.
One wall of my guest room has a Wallbed with a bookcase/drawers combo on either side and a lateral file cabinet under a small window. The window wall has a chair and a bookcase. The third wall has my desk, a bookcase, and a repurposed hutch (full of books and office supplies), and another lateral file cabilet with a TV. fourth wall has the door and a closet with a short hanging area and mostly shelving for binders and file boxes. .It is easy to take my laptop away, pull down the bed and be ready for a guest A wallbed is the perfect solution for a double-purpose room.
That sounds perfect!!
HimLori, I love following your posts and this bedroom is dreamy. Would you tell me where you got the comforter/duvet? I love the soft colors.
Yes, the comforter is from Ralph Lauren and is not currently available, but I have a similar one (also Ralph Lauren) linked in the post. Here it is for your convenience: https://rstyle.me/+cMyrBjvq-ghYNfo9qvptGg
Hi
Thank you for sharing all these beauty. I looked through Amazon and other sites you recommended, but sadly I did not the dining room chandelier or the host chair. Also for the office I could not see the bed. Please advise whereI should look for it.🙏.
Would love to help but I’m a bit confused. You’re asking about a dining room chandelier but you’re on a post about an office/guest room.
My dining room chandelier is an antique, so it’s one of a kind, but I do have a similar one linked on my dining room post. You can see that chandelier here: https://rstyle.me/+AYPc485s-thlCh9GE_Knng
Also, what do you mean by host chair? If that’s the dining chairs, you can find those here – Chair: https://rstyle.me/+GnX6isunM5vMmH85c2LnUg Slipcover: https://rstyle.me/+sL_x4auJN9GhRRICozLDxg
Or if you mean the armchairs at the ends of the table, those too, are antique, and these are very similar: https://rstyle.me/+8PpNkRv2on-_TXqO8DCkRA
Finally, what do you mean you can’t see the bed? There are clear pictures of the bed in the post – both the first and last pictures show the bed. If you mean in the shopping guide, I’ve linked this very similar bed: https://rstyle.me/+MfiBMX865zoxFfqb8K45cw
I hope that helps!
They were all great ideas. We live in a small 2 bedroom home and to give more space to the other bedroom we had a Murphy bed installed. It really makes the room more useable and when needed we pull the bed down and put on the bedding at that time.
Thanks!! And that sounds like a great idea, too… 🙂
Love this layout Lory! We are in the process of downsizing and will probably have a lower level for when our kids who live out of state visit.
A townhome we are looking at has an office and master on the main level. The office would gave to be a shared space. Your solution has given me some great ideas. That bedding is sold out. I can wait … so surprised it was from Target.