Design Ideas For Living Room And Guest Room Combos

Select fabrics and styles that can convert from sofa to sleeper.

Those who live in a small apartment or home without a designated guest room often have a dilemma: what to do to create a guest room. No worries. There are many ways to convert your living room to a guest room. There are also ways to make it less than obvious to anyone who enters your home, whether they are staying for a spell or just stopping by to say "hi."

Sofa Sleeper

Instead of purchasing a "traditional" sofa, consider purchasing a "convertible" sofa sleeper. This way, you will have a sofa for the living room and a means to provide sleeping accommodations for guests when they visit. There are a great many types of sofa sleepers on the market that totally hide the "dual" life that the sofa will lead. You can select from various upholstery fabrics and designs. There are even sectional sofas to select from so that one unit houses the hideaway bed component and the other section is a permanent seating unit. Purchasing a sofa bed will allow you to convert the sofa into a sleeper, and allow you to convert the living room into a guest room, at any time.

Temporary Dividers

Room dividers give you several options and benefits. Dividers designate space so that guests have a sense of privacy. They also allow you to go on with your affairs in other areas of the room. Dividers are available in many types of materials, such as wood, cloth and Japanese-style shoji screens. You can even create your own room dividers as a do-it-yourself project. Create a rectangular wooden frame, incorporate hinges and cover the space of the frame with fabric. Select a room divider that is hinged so that you have the option to hide it away against a wall when it is not needed.

Permanent Dividers

If you have frequent houseguests, you might consider including a permanent divider in the living room space. There are several ways to approach this idea and direction. You can position tall pieces of furniture close to a sofa sleeper. This can be a tall stereo cabinet or bookshelf. By placing the furnishing close to the sofa sleeper you can create a privacy wall for the guest and for your own needs to meander through the room, especially if it is close or viewable from another area, such as the kitchen. A waist-high unit of bookcases can also be used and serve a dual purpose as a television stand. The television unit can be placed on a "lazy Susan" style pedestal, so that it can be turned for viewing by the guests at night while in bed and by all throughout the room during the day.

Curtains