By Becky Harris | Houzz
Not everyone has separate rooms for living, dining, working, crafting, laundry, homework, playing the string bass, practicing opera singing, preparing for a circus routine — wait, what?
At Houzz we’ve seen a lot of designers craft rooms that can incorporate a handful of these things and more. Check out some of the hardest-working multifunctional spaces around.
Living room, dining room and office. Interior designers Roisin Giese and Miggy Mason of Twelve Chairs needed to fit a lot into this Boston condo for newlyweds. The couple wanted an inviting living room that would also serve as an office space, dining area and storage center for media and books.
The designers inventoried what the couple needed to store and sized the shelves and cabinets accordingly. The built-ins fit snugly around the TV, house the media components, corral books and display sports photography. The designers also added a ladder for reaching the high shelves.
Two nooks expand the functionality of the room. The dining nook’s bench has storage drawers built in.
Another nook contains an office station. The wicker chair doubles as desk chair and extra seating when guests visit.
Cafe corner for books, music and meals. Designer Harmony Weihs transformed an unused corner in this Seattle great room into a hardworking space that serves as a spot for reading, lounging with morning coffee and having dinner.
One of the challenges was finding a way to display the homeowner’s string bass in an easy-to-access spot. It found its home in a custom shelving unit.
The designer sized the shelves at 13 inches high and 15 inches deep to fit the couple’s larger books. This hides the row of holes required for the adjustable shelving. For floor-to-ceiling built-in units, she recommends making about one-third of the space covered storage (cabinets with doors or drawers) to keep the area from looking too busy.
The table screws down to serve as a side table for coffee, then up to transform into a dining table for two. Find the Just-Right Sized Coffee Table.
Entry and living room. Architect Amy Alper helped these homeowners get more from their wine country getaway by adding on a flex room. The area seen in the foreground can serve as foyer, living room and dining room. The built-in bench provides a place to sit while putting on and taking off shoes. The owners can also pull a table over and use the bench as a banquette during dinner parties. (There used to be an exterior wall where the steps and bench are now.)
Not Enough Room for a Dining Table? Create a Cushioned Banquette.
The room serves as a transitional space that improves the flow through the house. The home’s back patio can be accessed through doors to the left of the seating area. To see how the flex room relates to the rest of the house, note that on this plan it’s marked by the square tiles that extend out onto the patio.
Laundry and crafts room. When building their new home, this couple had two kids, another on the way and were hoping for more, so they knew laundry was going to be a big part of their lives. In a dedicated space, interior designer Ashley Winn gave them plenty of room for sorting, folding, ironing and storage, but also created a craft space underneath the corner windows where the kids can make creative messes and eventually do homework.
A parlor for reading, conversation and music. The long, narrow parlor in this 1785 New Hampshire farmhouse presented homeowner and designer Amy Mitchell and her husband with a layout challenge. Collaborating with designer Dena Hamilburg, they found a way to fit in everything they wanted in a unified space.
One end of the room is for music. They nestled in a grand piano, and this is where Mitchell practices opera singing. There’s also some cozy seating where they and their guests can enjoy the fire.
The other end is a library and sitting area where they can read and entertain.
Living room and juggling space. When Australian couple Nigel Martin and Louise Clarke, circus performers with Bamboozled Productions, were adding on to their cottage, they knew ceiling height was just as important as every other dimension. In addition to lounging, reading and watching TV in here, they use it to practice juggling and other performance arts.
They hired designer-builder Philip Monaghan to tailor the addition to their needs and wanted to experiment as much as possible. For example, behind Martin you can see the unique texture of the rammed-earth wall.
Room of the Day: Multifunctional Living Room With Hidden Secrets
