How to Turn Your Home Office into a Guest Room

With some slight modifications and implementing a few key pieces of furniture, your home office could easily be transformed into an inviting guest room.

But before tackling this project, consider these design tips to help you increase the room's function and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for your guests. Lets show them how much we really love them!

1. Assess Your Needs. Ask yourself: How many guests do you typically have at any given time? Do you need a single or queen sized sleeper? How long do they plan to stay? What type of office equipment do you have that needs to be stored or concealed? Will you need access to your computer during the day? The answers to these questions will help you determine the type of furniture you'll need to buy (if any).

2. Proportion And Layout. Be aware of the size of your room and scale the pieces accordingly. Keep everything sleek and stylized and don't over clutter. Introduce a combination of open and closed shelves to display your family photos or collections, and to hide some of the bulkier office equipment. You may want to consider a simple desktop just deep enough for your laptop, a few floating shelves above, and some file drawers on casters below. Keep the bedding simple and throw pillows to a minimum. Providing just a splash of color and texture will go a long way. Finally make sure to have ample open floor space for easy traffic flow.

3. Flexibility. Have some fun here, since there are some fabulous and very innovative products on the market right now. A big space saver is the desk/bed. It transforms from a desk into a bed while keeping all your computer and office equipment in its place when the bed is lowered into position.........very ingenious! Another one to consider is the new and improved version of the Murphy bed. With a little twist and turn it accommodates storage, shelving, a desk surface and bed. If you're really tight on space the sleeper sofa or armchair is the perfect space saving solution. Be sure to test it out first to see how easy it is to open, and how comfortable the bed is. Also be on the lookout for some interesting trunks or barrels with either hinged or removable lids that provide storage for bedding and other supplies. You can always use them as side tables or extra seating. Remember, flexibility here is key.

4. Lighting. The proper lighting in your guest room/home office can have a great impact over both your mood and productivity. Overlapping pools of light such as general lighting (overheads, preferably on dimmers), task lighting (lamps with tri-light bulbs) and accent lighting (lighting shelves, plants, art etc.) will ultimately provide you and your house guest with the best result all around.

5. Details. Always provide your guests with the coziest bedding possible. When crawling into bed at the end of the day, nothing says Ahhhhh, like fine Egyptian cotton linens and a luxurious down comforter. Add a little extra touch by leaving a few of your favorite magazines - and even some decadent chocolates next to the bed. Arrange some deliciously scented toiletries in a basket along with some guest towels. And don't forget a few stems of flowers on the bedside table. These special treats will undoubtedly make your guest's feel warm and welcome and give them a vacation to remember.