2. A READING ROOM
1. A GUEST ROOM
For the avid reader in the house, an empty bedroom can become the room devoted to books. Neutral decor works best here, since the book covers supply the color. Assemble your collection and take stock of the shelf space. If the shelves look thin, a secondhand bookstore can fill them with titles in your favorite genres, and if the books outnumber the shelves, consignment shops turn up bookcases with character. Add a relaxing chair or small sofa, a side table, and a good reading lamp. A daybed along one wall earns its space twice over: a reading perch most of the year and a bed when your student is home for winter break. Finish with photographs of family and friends, treasured mementos, or a vase of fresh flowers, and keep one shelf for the childhood favorites your child grew up on. They’ll notice. A den is the have-it-both-ways option: a private spot to relax on ordinary evenings and an extra bedroom whenever one is needed. Start with a fresh coat of paint, then move in your favorite reclining chair (or buy the one you’ve had your eye on for a while) and a widescreen TV for movie nights and the shows you’ve been meaning to catch up on. The sleeping arrangement is what makes the den work so hard. A comfortable sofa bed, daybed, or futon covers overnight guests, and if you’re handy or open to custom woodwork, a Murphy bed framed by bookshelves is a perfect solution that folds away into the wall between visits. When your child comes home in December, the den goes back to being their room for a couple of weeks. The rest of the year, it works for you. 3. A MULTIFUNCTIONAL DEN
This is the most natural transition, and there’s still real work in it. Depending on when the room was last updated, there may be plenty of childhood left on the walls: posters, bright paint, wallpaper chosen by a ten-year-old. A neutral coat of paint gives the room a crisp, clean look, and a few pieces of art bring color back in a more grown-up register. Go through the furniture still in the room and decide which pieces fit the new design and which are ready to be sold or donated. Choose a new bed, or refresh the one that’s there with bedding matched to the room’s new palette, then finish with side tables, lamps, and a mirror. The first guest this room should serve is its original occupant. Keep one dresser stocked with their things, leave space in the closet for the clothes they’ll bring home, and frame photos of some favorite memories. Every other guest will find the room comfortable. Your child will find it familiar.
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