For a lot of us, a spare room in our home gets turned into a spare bedroom, dining room, or storage room. However, what if we told you that you could use that room to improve the value of your home and get more use out of it? While it may seem simple, coming up with ideas for your flex room can be difficult. Don't bother being stressed, we've already gone ahead and brainstormed ideas for your flex room, and how to bring it to life.
An empty room is a blank canvas. It has all the potential in the world and, depending on your tastes and budget, can be turned into anything. Your flex room can be your favorite room in the house. So without further ado, here are some flex room ideas:
- Game Room
- Home Gym
- Reading Room
- Home Bar
- Home Office
- Movie Room
- Walk-In Closet
- Hobby Room
- Combination Room
A flex room opens the door to unlimited possibilities. Keep reading to find out how to pull off these ideas. Regardless of your style or budget, there is an awe-inspiring idea for your flex room out there for you.
What Is A Flex Room?
By definition, a flex room is a customizable room or space in your home. To keep it simple, it's any room or area of your home that you don't have a specific purpose for like your bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. These rooms are flexible in their use and can be transformed to function in any number of ways.
Does A Flex Room Add Value To A Home?
Flex rooms actually do add value to your home. In many cases, flex rooms will be advertised as a bedroom or extra living space. Realtors and staging companies can use flex rooms to appeal to individual home buyers. When they do this, they project creative ideas for their buyers, which not only helps increase the asking price but can help sell your home faster!
9 Flex Room Ideas
Let's get more in-depth with these 9 incredible flex room ideas:
1. Game Room
Game rooms are great for unwinding. Similar to flex rooms themselves, game rooms can vary quite a bit based on your tastes. Game rooms can be made for hardcore video games, board games, or even a billiards table. Whichever way you lean, game rooms are a place you spend tons of time.
Video Games
If you're a gamer, setting up a dedicated gaming room can be a great place to unwind. Depending on the system you choose, setting up desks, TVs, and monitors should be pretty easy. If you're rooming with someone that also plays, setting up dual game stations can give the room a fantastic look.
Outside of bringing in your normal gaming furniture, you can accent the room other ways. Line the crook where the ceiling and wall meet with LED lights to give the room an electric glow. Build desks to house your gaming machine and protect it from damage.
One mental benefit to a gaming room is getting the electronics out of the bedroom. Besides, making your bedroom a dedicated place for sleep will make it easier to fall asleep. On top of that, removing your normal distractions from your bedroom can help you quit earlier.
Billiards Room
While video games might not be for you, creating a game room can still be worthwhile. Whether you enjoy playing pool, air hockey, or cards, there is something you can add to your game room to enjoy with the whole family. We'll focus here on making your own billiards hall, but the advice will be similar for any other table games.
Looking for air hockey tables that are good quality and not too expensive? Check out our article How Much Does A Good Air Hockey Table Cost?
Aside from setting up a pool table, there are a few additions you can make to help out your room's decor. Look for an easy-to-install cue rack for the wall. While not necessary, these will make storing cues much easier. Try to add some no-slip pieces to your floor to keep the table from sliding, and make sure to level out your pool table. Read more: Can You Put A Pool Table In A 12 X 12 Room?
Setting up a card table is even easier. Figure out where in the room you want the table and voila. To better the decor, think of wall hangings, neon signs, or art that you like. Maybe even consider throwing in a mini-fridge top to keep your drinks cold when you're at the table playing.
2. Home Gym
Do you have a gym membership and think it's too expensive, or never use it because you can't be bothered to leave your house? While this may be a common problem for people, it isn't unsolvable. Turn your flex room into a home gym.
Regardless of the excuses you use to not go to the gym, most of those are countered if you have the equipment at home. While not the cheapest investment, a home gym can benefit you mentally and physically. If you install equipment that can't be moved out, it can even increase the value of your home.
The best thing about home gyms is you get to decide what equipment goes into it. Treadmills and stationary bikes are fantastic workout tools that take up limited space. You could even go ahead with heavy weightlifting equipment if you so choose.
On the same note as a home gym, a flex room can be turned into a yoga studio. All you'll need to do is incorporate a TV for instructional videos, a mirror to watch yourself, and a spot to lay down your yoga mats. Redoing the flooring for any kind of home gym may be a consideration if it falls within your budget. Hardwood, laminate, or rubber flooring makes for a solid plan.
3. Reading Room
Do you ever stare jealously at the gaudy wood studies we see in movies? Why not turn your flex room into something similar? A reading room is a perfect idea for any bookworm.
The best reading rooms have two things: a bookshelf and comfortable chairs. Building a floor to ceiling bookshelf is a pretty simple task. Once you have this started and full of books, set up a comfortable chair and you've essentially created a reading room.
Another way to make your reading room feel complete would be to ditch the normal blinds in the windows and put up some light, airy curtains. During the day, this will let in more light and allow you to read by the sun. You could even put in a stylish lamp behind your favorite chair for nighttime reading, or if your room allows it, use the light of a fireplace.
4. Home Bar
A home bar is a great way to make an impression when hosting. Regardless of your budget, a home bar is a great way to make your flex room more lively. Bars can range from ornate and complicated to straightforward and simple.
For this kind of room, you can simply build a bar yourself and stock it with your favorite liquors. Add in a blender, shakers, and a refrigerator or ice maker and you're in business. Setting up a dining table or barstools will give you a place to relax after a long day.
Don't forget to add music! If you prefer, you can even theme your bar after somewhere like a beach or a pub, creating your perfect paradise.
5. Home Office
Working from home has its own challenges. The constant distractions of kids or entertainment are always a step away. Turning your flex room into an office gives you a place to focus and get work done.
A solid computer desk and your computer will be the main focus of the room. Set up calendars or whiteboards to help you track workdays and stay on plan. You might want to paint the room a softer color than the rest of your home to calm your eyes.
While there will still be plenty going on around the house, you can do some soundproofing. Carpet and carpet underlays can help reduce quite a lot of ambient sound. Foam cutouts on the walls and rubber weather stripping on the door are other ways to dampen outside sounds.
6. Movie Room
Going out to the movies feels like it costs an arm and a leg. Instead of shelling out all that money on gas, tickets, and popcorn, why not set up your own theatre? A flex room can serve as your personal movie library, with very little work involved.
The main part of this room will revolve around a projector. Most modern projectors can hook up to a phone, game console, or computer, so your new movie room can also serve as your Netflix room. A good coat of white paint will help to give you a clear picture on the wall you want to project onto. Alternatively, you can hang a sheet or curtain as your screen.
An entertainment center is a great choice to store all of your movies inside the room. Set up some recliners or a reclining couch in the room to mimic seats in a theatre. A final touch for the room is a surround sound system, giving great sound quality from all angles. Don't forget the blackout curtains to keep the room as dark as possible!
7. Walk-In Closet
For some, a huge walk-in closet is a dream. If you have a ton of shoes or clothes, trying to find what you want in a closet can be a hassle. Turning your flex room into a walk-in closet is an ideal way to solve this problem.
Hanging rods in the room will let you hang outfits together in an orderly fashion. Making a shelf system for shoes will not only protect them from getting scuffed but make it easier to find the ones you are looking for. Setting up full-length mirrors in the room lets you have your own fashion show. Basically, if you want a walk-in closet, then your flex room can serve as the perfect space to create it.
8. Hobby Room
Whether you like sewing, playing music, or woodworking, your spare room can be a dedicated space for your hobby. While the setup for the room is completely dependant on what you plan to use it for, having your own creative space can really get the creative juices flowing. Whether you move in your paint sets, a sewing machine, or a piano, a hobby room gives space for you to practice your craft, without disrupting the rest of the home.
9. Combination Room
While many of these ideas are great as standalone rooms, you can combine them to make your room even greater. Add a bar to your game room to make hosting a breeze. Setting up your reading room and movie room together keeps all your collections in one place. Combine your home office and a home gym to dedicate one room to all your hard work. In the end, flex rooms are limited only by your budget and imagination.
In Closing
Overall, flex rooms are a great asset when it comes to your home. They provide nearly limitless potential for you to renovate and add value to homes when it's time to sell. With a little work, you can create your own perfect personal space by transforming a flex room!