After recently announcing that John would be coming on as a full-time blogger at home, and hinting that we planned to convert our guest bedroom into an office/guest-room/playroom combo, we’re finally ready to share more about that big makeover. Spoiler: we urgently needed a sleeper sofa.
First, a look back at the room when we moved in.
The room started as a blank slate. We swapped the old ceiling fan for a flush-mount fixture to make the ceiling feel higher, painted the walls a neutral shade, and added crown molding. We darkened the floors to a richer mocha that matched the rest of the house, replaced valances with clean-lined Roman shades from Ikea, and brought in a hand-me-down bed dressed in playful linens with a DIY upholstered headboard. Even the wall art was created on a tight budget.
We loved that guest bedroom and it served us well for years. But when we needed to accommodate an office for two and a play area for our little one without losing the capacity to sleep two guests, things got tricky. Our first idea was to keep the existing bed but reposition it into a corner to create a daybed feel and free up floor space. We even considered adding another upholstered headboard panel to reinforce the look.
We also remembered a rug we’d scored on clearance from Pottery Barn Outlet and tried it under the bed to anchor the corner. The dog seemed pleased, but the room still felt crowded.
The core problem was that the full-size bed consumed most of the 10′ x 10.5′ room, leaving almost no play area for Clara and no realistic way to fit two desks. So we made the decision to sell the full-size bed and look for an alternative sleeping solution that could be minimized or tucked away most of the time.
We listed the bed on Craigslist and were surprised by how quickly it sold—within two hours we’d accepted the full asking price and had a buyer on the way. Once the mattress and frame were gone, we repurposed the bench and bedside table from the guest room into the nursery, which we love because it keeps furniture in use rather than wasting it.
With the room emptied, we turned our attention to how to incorporate two desks, a play area, and a guest sleeping option into a small footprint. We seriously considered a Murphy bed, but the room layout created problems: two walls had windows we didn’t want to block, and the remaining walls were needed for the doorway and closet access. Murphy beds also tend to leave no permanent seating when folded away, and we wanted a spot to sit for nursing and reading even when no guest was staying over.
That led us to consider a sleeper sofa that would provide comfortable seating by day and a sleeping surface by night. We worried about the old stereotype of uncomfortable sleeper sofas with metal bars under the mattress. But we’ve slept on some high-quality sleepers before and knew that a well-made option could be both comfortable and practical.
We researched options online from a variety of retailers, but quickly realized that buying a sleeper sight unseen felt risky. We couldn’t test the mattress feel online, and some of the price points felt too high for our budget or too uncertain without trying them in person. We preferred a model with upholstered arms for comfort and aesthetics, and we wanted to test the sleeping experience before committing.
So we visited a local furniture store where we could try floor models in person. That turned out to be the right call: we found a floor-model sleeper sofa by a reputable manufacturer for a significant discount. It was comfortable to sit on and to lie down on, and it had the look and feel we wanted. The subtle blue-green upholstery fit our whole-house color palette and offered durability for everyday use.
We placed the sleeper under the higher window, which opened up sightlines and revealed more of the Pottery Barn rug, immediately creating much more usable floor space. That extra room allowed us to plan for two desks and plenty of play area for the baby while still keeping a cozy spot for guests to sleep when needed.
This was just the first step in turning the guest bedroom into a multifunctional office, playroom, and guest space. Next up: planning efficient desk layouts for two, smart storage for paperwork and toys, art and accessories that pull the room together, and a new DIY light fixture to finish the makeover. If you’ve had success with sleeper sofas or built your own pull-down bed, we’d love to hear about your experiences and recommendations.