How to Transform Your Pandemic Living Room Into a Useful Multipurpose Space
Studio McGee
During the pandemic, we’ve had to put up with makeshift home offices and suboptimal multi-use living spaces. Pre-pandemic your living room may have just been that - a living area for relaxing and entertaining. However, over the last year and a half, it may have also turned into your home office, home learning center, and playroom.
As many businesses are adopting more long-term work from home, or hybrid models you may want to create a more permanent multifunctional living space. This can be challenging to plan effectively, especially if you have an open floor plan. You might be wondering how to best organize a multi-purpose room?
Keep reading for our tips on how to turn your living room into a useful multifunctional space.
Style Me GHD
Assess Your Needs
The first step is to determine what you want to use the room for. This will help you plan accordingly.
Do you need a living area and a home office? How about a living area and a playroom? A living area and a guest room? Or all of the above?
Once you’ve determined how you need the space to function you can figure out how to configure and plan everything to best make use of the space.
Dwell
Carefully Plan the Layout and Create Zones
It’s important to consider the layout carefully. This is how you can either make or break the space. A good layout will help you maximize your use of space in the room.
To make the room multifunctional you can create zones so there is a purpose for each area. Use furniture scale and placement to help you section a room.
For example, an area rug can zone off a segment for a specific purpose. Bookshelves can also act as a zoning tool. Sofas, tables, and other larger pieces of furniture can help create sections within a room and help distinguish how each area functions.
Williams Sonoma
Invest in Multipurpose Furniture
One important aspect of creating a versatile room is to purchase multipurpose furniture. Depending on your needs, there are lots of ways to do this.
For example, you can incorporate side tables that can also be extra seating when you need them. An ottoman can function for lounging, seating, and storage. Or transform your ottoman into a coffee table with a stunning tray.
Think about incorporating an expandable dining table, or a coffee table that includes a lot of storage. Sleeper sofa’s or modular seating or also great versatile pieces.
We love the Westwood 8 Piece Sectional which can be reconfigured for many different seating arrangements.
Pufikhomes
Incorporate Plenty of Storage
Another thing to think about when designing your multifunctional living area is to incorporate a lot of storage. This is so you can put away kids’ toys when it’s not playtime or put away work materials when you don’t need to use the space as an office.
Again, furniture with built-in storage is very helpful. Think about some stylish shelving and make use of baskets and organizational pieces.
Depending on your needs, coffee tables and console tables are other types of pieces that can have built-in storage features you may want to include.
The Blush Home
Don’t Forget Vertical Space
It’s easy to overlook your walls and how to best make use of vertical space. To help save space think about planning overhead or wall lighting instead of floor lamps. Check out our chandeliers and sconces for stunning lighting options.
You can also utilize vertical space for storage, with shelving and bookcases. We are swooning over the Laural Bookshelf. Its sculptural quality makes it a design statement in itself!
Think about other items you can hang to save space, like hanging plants or mounting a TV to your wall, instead of a media console.
McGee & Co