Spare Room Makeover: Start With the Right Bed

Choose the bed before anything else

A spare room works when the bed suits how often the room is actually used. For occasional guests a few times a year, a small double frame or a good sofa bed is enough and leaves the floor free the rest of the time. For regular visitors, family staying for weeks or a room that doubles as a home office, buy a proper bed with a proper mattress and plan the rest of the room around it. Decide which of those two situations you are in and every other decision becomes simpler.

Most spare rooms in British homes are the smallest bedroom in the house, often between 7 and 10 square metres, sometimes with a boiler cupboard or an awkward chimney breast. That is workable, but only with honest measuring and a clear idea of the room’s main job.

Sizing for a small room

A small double at 120 centimetres wide is the most useful size for a spare room. It sleeps two adults for a weekend without the width penalty of a full double, and it fits into rooms where a 135 centimetre frame would block the door or the wardrobe.

A single suits box rooms and rooms that spend most of the year as an office. Two singles work well in longer rooms and can be pushed together with a linking topper if a couple stays.

Avoid the temptation to fit the largest bed the room can physically hold. A spare room crammed to the walls feels unwelcoming, and guests need somewhere to put a suitcase. Our small double fabric beds UK sale designs include slim headboard profiles that suit exactly this kind of room.

Where the bed should sit

Place the bed against the longest uninterrupted wall wherever possible, leaving the door swing clear. If the room has a chimney breast, the alcove beside it often takes a bed neatly and uses space that otherwise sits empty.

Avoid placing a bed directly under a window in a north facing room, since guests feel the draught in winter. If that is the only option, heavier curtains or a lined blind make a noticeable difference.

Leave at least one side with 60 centimetres of clearance. Guests need to get in and out without climbing, and you need access to change the bedding.

Mattress quality is not the place to economise

Spare room mattresses are often whatever came out of the main bedroom, which is why guests so frequently sleep badly in otherwise lovely homes.

A mattress used twenty nights a year does not need to be the most expensive available, but it does need to be supportive and clean. Medium tension suits the widest range of guests, since you cannot know who will be sleeping on it.

Keep it protected. A washable protector and a topper stored in a cupboard between visits keeps the mattress fresh and lets you add comfort quickly before someone arrives.

Making the room work as an office too

Most spare rooms earn their keep as a workspace. The trick is to keep the two functions separate rather than letting the desk creep across the bed.

A compact desk positioned under the window or against the shortest wall usually works, with a chair that can be tucked fully underneath when guests stay. Choose a desk with a drawer or two so work items can disappear rather than being stacked on the surface. Our modern computer desks UK range includes narrow designs intended for rooms where the desk cannot dominate.

Wall shelving above the desk holds more than a second floor standing unit and keeps the floor clear, which is what makes the room feel like a bedroom again when the laptop is closed.

Storage that serves both uses

A spare room usually stores household items as well as hosting. Keep that storage enclosed. Visible boxes and spare household clutter are the fastest way to make a guest feel they are sleeping in a store room.

A blanket box at the foot of the bed is one of the more useful pieces you can add, holding spare bedding, towels and pillows exactly where they are needed and doubling as a place for a suitcase. Our modern blanket box UK sale options cover both fabric and timber finishes to suit whichever frame you have chosen.

If the room has a wardrobe, clear a section of hanging space and leave five or six hangers free. It is a small gesture that makes a guest room feel prepared rather than borrowed.

Lighting, sockets and small comforts

One central light is rarely enough. Add a bedside lamp on each side if the room takes two cabinets, or a single wall light if space is tight. Warm bulbs make a plain room feel considerably more welcoming.

Check where the sockets are and make sure at least one is reachable from the bed. Guests charge phones overnight, and a socket behind a wardrobe helps nobody.

A mirror is the other small addition that changes how the room functions. A full length or generously sized wall mirror lets a guest dress properly and bounces light around a small room. Our modern bedroom mirrors UK selection includes wall and freestanding designs for either arrangement.

Dressing the bed so the room looks finished

Plain bedding in a neutral tone, one folded throw and two pillows each is all a spare room needs. Resist layering heavily, since guests have to remove everything before sleeping and put it somewhere.

Choose a duvet of medium warmth and leave a spare blanket visible or in the blanket box. People differ enormously in how warm they sleep, and giving them the option avoids an uncomfortable night.

A rug beside the bed matters more here than in a main bedroom, particularly on laminate or wooden floors where a cold surface underfoot is the first thing a guest notices in the morning.

A sensible order of work

Clear the room completely, then measure. Choose and order the bed. While it is on the way, deal with the walls and floor, since both are far easier with an empty room. Then position the bed, add storage, and finish with lighting, mirror and textiles.

Working in that order prevents the common problem of a beautifully decorated room that turns out to be 5 centimetres too narrow for the frame you wanted. Delivery is free to most UK mainland postcodes on our bedroom ranges, so it costs nothing to compare a few sizes at Furniture in Fashion before committing to a layout.

Preparing the room for guests

Small provisions turn a functional spare room into a comfortable one. A clear surface beside the bed, a couple of free hangers, a spare towel folded on the blanket box and a glass of water cover almost everything a visitor needs.

Think about temperature. Spare rooms are often unheated for long stretches and take a day to warm through, so turn the radiator on well before anyone arrives and air the room the same morning.

Check the curtains or blind actually block light. Guests sleeping in an unfamiliar room are more sensitive to early daylight, and a lined curtain is one of the cheapest improvements you can make to a guest bedroom.

Keeping the room useful year round

A room reserved for occasional visitors wastes space for most of the year. Give it a second purpose that leaves quickly: a reading corner, a hobby table, a home gym area with equipment that stores flat, or a quiet workspace.

The test is how long it takes to convert the room back. If clearing it for a guest takes more than twenty minutes, the second use is too entrenched and something needs to be more easily packed away.

Keep the wardrobe or a cupboard as the reset point. Everything belonging to the secondary use goes in there when guests arrive, and the room returns to a bedroom in a single move.

Children, teenagers and changing needs

Spare rooms often become children’s rooms or teenage bedrooms later. Buying with that in mind saves money. A neutral frame in a small double or single size will carry a child from primary school into adulthood, whereas themed furniture has a short life.

Robust finishes matter here. Timber and metal both take knocks better than pale upholstery, and a simple headboard is easier to clean than a deeply buttoned one.

Frequently asked questions

Is a sofa bed good enough for regular guests?
For a few nights at a time it is fine, especially with a thicker mattress and a topper. For someone staying weeks, a conventional bed is the kinder choice.

What size bed fits a box room?
A single usually does, and occasionally a small double if the door and window positions allow. Work from external frame dimensions rather than mattress size.

How do I keep a spare room from feeling unused?
Air it weekly, keep the bed made and avoid using it as overflow storage. A room that is visibly lived in feels more welcoming than one opened twice a year.

Should the spare room match the rest of the house?
It helps, but it does not need to match exactly. Repeating one tone or finish from elsewhere is enough to make it feel part of the home.

Do I need bedside tables on both sides?
Only if two people will regularly stay. Where space is tight, one cabinet and a wall shelf on the other side works perfectly well.