The Flex Room: Turning your home office into a guest room

Flex Room Ideas: Preparing a Guest Room for the Holidays 

The holidays are the perfect time to get closer to family and friends and create long-lasting, cherished memories. If you have guests staying over for the holidays, preparing a guest room for them doesn’t have to be a stressful or time-consuming project. Having a flex room in your home will make accommodating guests a much more comfortable, and enjoyable experience. We’re going to talk more about flex room ideas and how to transform your flex room into the perfect, festive holiday accommodation for your loved ones.  

What is a flex room? 

We’ve covered flex rooms before in detail on the Shea Homes® Blog. A flex room is a space in the house that can be customized and repurposed for different functions. You and your family’s lifestyle and needs will evolve, and you’ll need an area in the house that will ‘flex’ with you to meet those changing needs. If you have guests coming over for the holiday season, your flex room is designed to transform to accommodate friends and family comfortably. But, flex rooms don’t have to be confined to only a home office or a guest room.  

What are some flex room ideas?  

• Reading nooks 
• Office spaces 
• Game rooms 
• Extended patios 
• Second master suites 
• Playrooms  
• Guest rooms 

And much more. Your flex room can be customized to meet your changing needs and interests. When it comes to the holiday season, we’ll show you how to make a flex or guest room comfortable for travelers. 

Flex rooms are incredibly versatile areas in the house. Most people start out using theirs as a home office and transition the place into a guest room when friends and family stay over for important events such as the holidays.  

The flex room is a perfect place to welcome your loved ones for extended stays. Instead of having them spend their hard-earned money on an impersonal hotel room, your flex room can enable everyone to bond during the holiday season and create cherished memories for years to come. Fortunately, the flex room makes it easy to transition the routine home office into comfortable guest accommodations.  

How can you quickly and easily turn your flex room or home office into a comfy guest room? 

When it comes to making a guest room comfortable, the key for your happiness and your guests’ is to prep the space several days in advance.  

• Start with the bed. If you want your office to double as a guest room when the time is right, consider putting in a platform storage bed or built-in daybed in the office flex room. These types of sleeping areas look unimposing when you need the place as an office. Storage beds also give you ample space to store either office supplies or guest supplies such as extra towels and linens.  
• Over-the-bed cabinetry. Having cabinets installed over the bed gives you extra space to store creature comforts for future guests, office supplies, and even decorations without adding any unsightly clutter to the house. Overhead cabinetry will save precious floor space, too, and give you quick and easy access to supplies you may need, while also allowing you to quickly put away things you don’t need when the time comes.  
• Replace the office supplies with holiday decor. Now that you have guests staying over, clear out some of the office supplies and replace them with simple holiday decorations. Seasonal candles can look cozy and also freshen the air. Consider hanging a string of bright, holiday lights for added festivity. 
• Give the room a quick vacuum and dusting. Change the pillowcases and sheets on the daybed so that they are fresh and smell clean. 
• Stock up for overnight guests. If your loved ones are staying overnight, make sure you have enough towels, extra blankets, and toiletries laid out for them before their arrival. This will make your life easier on the big day when you’re trying to get the holiday meal ready and on the table in time.  
• Keep your expectations reasonable. Your guests will want a warm, clean environment, and access to food and drinks when they arrive. Don’t go overboard getting the flex room ready and keep it simple so you can concentrate on what’s important – spending quality time with friends and family. Chances are, guests won’t remember if you had the fanciest sheets on the daybed or the trendiest holiday decor on display. They will remember how the experience made them feel, though.  

What’s the best way to get the flex room back to normal? 

Once your guests leave, it’s pretty easy to get your flex room changed back into the home office. Do a quick tidying up, and reverse the process. Store your holiday decor in the overhead cabinets or back underneath the daybed. Return your office items and supplies to their rightful places, and voila! It’s as if no one had ever been there.  

In today’s busy, fast-paced world, a flex room can bring an added bit of comfort and convenience to your life. Flex rooms change with you and your family because let’s face it; everyone’s needs and lifestyles will change, and the home needs to reflect that. The next time you’re ready to purchase a new home, consider having a versatile and beautiful flex room designed for the property.

Want to find and customize the flex room of your dreams? Sign up for the Shea®Homes Interest List today and take the first step into your flex room tomorrow.