Decorating Ideas For Multi-purpose Room

Multi-purpose was surely among the most used words in 2020. Many of us were suddenly trying to make the most of our available space at home by creating multi-purpose rooms that could do double, triple, even quadruple duty throughout the day. In the midst of a pandemic, we learned how to transform our spaces to serve a lot of needs, and do so stylishly. (It was such a big part of our lives that we included multi-purpose room ideas in our 2021 interior design trends .)

We don't see this trend slowing down anytime soon! Our design team envisions that we'll be designing more and more spaces that have multiple uses, providing creative solutions to our clients in the future.

Multi-purpose sounds well and good, but how do you achieve it? Today we dive deeper into the topic with tips, tricks, and ideas for creating functional multi-purpose rooms.

Multi-Purpose Room Ideas – Top 5 Tips

I. Define Uses and Users

This is the all-important first step; Determine who and how they will be using this flexible space.

Ask yourself questions like: it will be a space for the entire family to do different activities or will be exclusively for the little ones at home? What distinct areas are needed? Will this be used throughout the day or at specific times?

Once you are clear about the uses and users, it will be easier to define the essential items needed to make it useful and functional.

Multi purpose room ideas - playroom design — Family Room meets Playroom in Oceanfront Condo

II. Space Plan for a Functional Layout

After deciding the uses, you now know the must-haves of the space. For example, if you want the space to be an office/guest room, a desk and bed should be included.

With limited space, the key is to be thoughtful about which basics are necessary. Functionality is key when you're low on square-footage or need the space to do a lot of things. Make a list of the essential pieces. For a home office/guest room: bed and desk (as already noted), but also lighting, a nightstand or two, and a desk chair.

This list is crucial to limiting the amount of furniture and items brought in the room. Overcrowding is a cardinal sin of multi-purpose rooms.

With your list of essential pieces in hand, it's time to estimate how much space each item will take up. With the correct space planning you can accomplish a practical layout that maximizes space and permits flow freely through the space.

Multi purpose room ideas for home office — Learn How to Set-Up Your Work From Home Office with these Dkor tips

III. Go With Neutrals

There are two main reasons we recommend you to go with neutrals when designing multi-purpose spaces. First and foremost, light hues give a sense of openness and, after all, we're trying to maximize the illusion of space in a room that's serving multiple purposes.

The second reason is equally as important: you don't have to compromise your decor for functionality. Stick with neutrals and the "useful" items like storage will blend right in.

Then, you can bring in your accent colors in meaningful, artful ways. Think decor pieces: artwork, vases, accessories, and more.

Multi Purpose Room Ideas with natural color furniture — These are our Interior Designers' Favorite Neutral Paint Colors

IV. Get Creative and Define the Areas

Get creative and start defining specific zones. Focus the zones around the intent of each purpose, including the essentials needed for that task.

There are a few easy ways to define spaces:

Strategic furniture placement, like the back of a chair creating a dividing line between a sitting area and a play area, is the most straight-forward and obvious way to define spaces.
Home decor, like area rugs, can visually separate distinct spaces.
Paint and wallpaper create hard lines between functional spaces, when used appropriately.

The best part? All of these ideas are infinitely chic.

multi purpose room decor for kids room — Check out these Inspiring Color Block Interiors

V. Choose the Right Furniture

Because there's likely to be more furniture pieces dispersed throughout the multi-purpose room, our interior designers recommend avoiding heavy, solid-looking pieces. Instead, opt for furniture with thin lines and openness to create an overall lighter look in the room

And of course, if we're talking about multi purposes, pieces that serve a few purposes should be considered. Fewer strategic multi-purpose pieces of furniture that do double duty are always a good idea.

Multi Purpose Room - choosing the right furniture

We hope our multi-purpose room ideas have sparked some design inspiration in you. What functions do your multi-purpose rooms do? Do you have any combinations you need help with? We're always here to help!

(Also, check out our Amazon Storefront for stylish decor items!)