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July 25, 2025 | IN Together Magazine | BY AVID | 4 min read 

Ah the spare room. A place so often forgotten that either ends up a bit like a storage facility with cupboards of knick-knacks or just a dusty guest bedroom that doesn’t get the use it deserves.

With the rise of WFH, spare rooms have had a resurgence as makeshift offices, but the space is probably still not reaching its full, multi-purpose potential. 

We’ve pulled together a holy grail ‘how to guide’ to take your spare room from dusty dumping ground to family favourite in no time. 

Cozy corner

Adding some comfy seating to your spare room is a must, so why not buy a couch that can double as a sofa bed, immediately resolving any issue of ‘where will the guests sleep’? There are lots of comfortable sofa bed options out there, so be sure to browse the market. Brands like Koala, Eva, and Temple & Webster are popular choices and usually a pretty safe bet. With spare rooms often doubling as a makeshift play room for little ones, make sure you opt for a darker-coloured, kid-resistant covering. On the note of coverings, choose a couch that looks like it could be recovered with new fabrics again and again. This is a great way to reinvent a room without wasting furniture as your style changes and the original fabric wears. 

Fitness hub

The spare room can be a great place to workout, and with some compact equipment, there’s no need for your fitness foray to take up the whole room. If you’re working from home or just want to get some steps in during the evening, a walking pad treadmill is a great option. Without the handrails of traditional treadmills, it’s easy to slide it under other furniture once you’re done or pair it with an adjustable sit/stand desk to get some work done on the move. 

If you’re looking for less cardio and more strength training, there are lots of super compact adjustable weights and dumbbells on the market that are the perfect size to slot into the closet or to pop into some sleek storage units when you’re not using them. 

Study centre

Whether you’re using your spare room primarily as a bedroom, fitness area, kids’ hangout, or movie room, we guarantee there’s always space for a desk. 

If you’re wanting to sew, work from home, do some online shopping, or even just take some time to put pen to paper on your goals and plans, a great desk can help put you in the right mindset. Opting for a wall mounted fold out desk can be a great option. These just look like a wall cupboard, but when you open and fold them out there’s a fully-fledged desk with storage inside. If you’d rather not mount it to the wall, a secretary desk can add character to your space and are well-worth scouring antique stores to find. The great thing about fold out options is you don’t necessarily need to think about chairs either and you can just pull a chair from the kitchen over to the spare room as and when it’s needed.

Movie memories

Now this is the easiest one yet. With your couch added all you need is some black out curtains, a white wall, and a projector to create your very own, very cozy cinema room. Setting up movie nights in a separate room can make the experience feel so much more special for the little ones and with projectors starting from about $50 it’s not a huge investment either. Make it extra special by decorating the room to the theme of the movie, so the excitement builds throughout the day and the decorating chaos stays separate from the rest of the home.