A flex room: a home office and guest room all in one

Much has been said and discussed a home office. For starters, I like to call this space a studio (rather than an “office”) to eliminate that mental enclosed connotation this word tends to bring. Some of us spent last year countless hours in this room. With today’s still uncertain times, we need to revisit our home office and start making changes towards a space that exudes a comforting vibe yet it’s still as functional as ever.   Through my participation in the Seasonal Living Magazine Luxury Designer Virtual Showhouse, I had the opportunity to provide homeowners worldwide a clear understanding about how today’s home office would look and how to transform this room into a flex room (in this case, a guest room). With the evolution of everyone’s lifestyles and needs, a multipurpose room has come to stay and we need to harness every little corner with a clear conscience of its functionality.

Storage is the name of the game

Many of us have claimed that “storage room” is our office. But for some reason, it just doesn’t feel quite like an office. We must always start by decluttering the space and saving those items that are basic necessities or of major importance. After this process, in comes the storing agents. And while we quickly tend to think about those bulky plastic boxes, the designer’s version would be a set of elegant bookcases with intricate surfaces like the Kyoto Etagere by Global Views I used at the flex-room in Seasonal Living Magazine Luxury Designer Virtual Showhouse. This beautiful piece serves not only for storage but also for displaying a collection of books, precious artifacts, etc. For storing important papers and even to hide electronics such as small printers, I used the Rochelle Credenza by Robin Baron. The beautiful thing about these pieces is how easily you can customize it by choosing color, hardware, and hardware finish.

About that flex room

In this multipurpose room I designed for Seasonal Living Magazine Luxury Designer Virtual Showhouse, I worked with a reasonable room size (around 180 sq ft) that already had a folding door system. This helped tremendously in creating a division of spaces. So when the guest room needed to be used, these doors would close to allow some privacy on this side. Another important item for this secondary room was the bed. I used for this purpose the Hartley Sofa from Universal Furniture because of its size (83W X 35D X 32H, resembling that of a standard twin bed) and it’s linear design which evoked elegance. This multipurpose sofa can be used as an additional sitting area, and also as a bed when needed. Understanding that not all rooms are created equal. The important thing to remember is to always find a way to make the most out of our spaces. Perhaps you don’t need a guest room but a nice beverage and snacks area to shorten the distance to the kitchen. Or maybe you can prepare this additional space for all your Zoom conferences. The possibilities a flex room bring are endless! It’s just a matter of understanding your needs and making some functional changes.

Shop the look:

 

Impactful details

There are some important details that I implemented in my space for that impactful look. To create a comforting atmosphere, I used a neutral palette mixed with some moody. This helped in conveying a calming and organic experience. One of my key elements in this room was the Cosentino Dekton Kira slab behind the desk area. It created the illusion of bigger space and it’s earthy color and veining brought in a direct connection with nature. Wallpaper brings another great opportunity to make walls stand out. I used Fabricut for all my wall covering needs along with the selection of fabric with some movement for window treatments.

Dare to be bold

No matter the size of your studio/ flex-room, there’s no need to shy away from comfort. Always remember to add key functional elements that will work with your needs and finish that will speak to your soul.