Experts weigh in on great ideas for the space plus how to optimize for a future home sale.

It’s a rite of passage for any parent: Your kid flies the coop, and her room is up for grabs. All that untapped potential, but what to do?

Photo: Meghan Bob

Design Your Dream Closet

A bedroom often has the right foundation to become a closet: square footage, natural light and an existing door for privacy. It’s an opportunity to create a dedicated dressing space that feels intentional rather than forcing everything into a small walk-in.

Start by stripping the room back and thinking in zones—hanging, drawers, shelving and seating. We often use the main wall where the bed was previously oriented for full-height cabinetry to ground the space and create a focal point. If there is an existing closet or wardrobe, we prefer to take down those walls and absorb the extra square footage. We add an island in the center for folded items and accessories if space allows.

For clients who still want the option to host guests, we’ll often integrate a small sofa or a pull-out daybed. It keeps the room multifunctional as an occasional guest room.

“We love tailoring each converted space to reflect the homeowner’s style. That can mean wallpapered cabinet backs, sculptural lighting or curated art pieces. With the right custom touches, a spare bedroom can become the perfect boutique-like lounge.

“We also design for the future with adjustable shelving and removable drawer inserts, so the space can evolve as your needs change.”

—Lisa Adams founder of LA Closet Design based in Los Angeles

Photo: Greg Riegler

Get Crafty

This is a perfect opportunity to create a space you have always wanted but could not have when the kids were home. A craft room does not need to be large to be smartly appointed. It’s all about the working area and the storage you need.

Start by accounting for the specific tasks you will be performing and how much storage you’ll need to lay the space out with intention. For a recent bedroom-to-craft room conversion, we fashioned a custom built-in with shelving, storage bins, drawers for housing supplies and a table that rolled out for gift wrapping.

Also consider the lighting. Lighting is important for crafting, so make sure you incorporate general lighting and task lighting, too.

“Add personality with cute storage containers, colorful cabinetry, door inserts or wallpaper. And let the colorful supplies be part of the décor.”

—Cheryl Kees Clendenon founder of In Detail Interiors in Pensacola, Florida

Photo: David Tsay

Designate It as a Den

Because bedrooms are typically more intimate in scale, they make ideal candidates for conversion into dens. The result is a cozy, comfortable retreat designed for unwinding and enjoying a bit of solitude.

For a recent project, we gave a bedroom new life as a den by adding French doors and a slightly reduced closet, so that it now feels intimate and inviting. Even the window layout was redesigned, allowing the room to feel entirely fresh and tailored to its new purpose. It’s an ideal retreat for reading, relaxing or even hosting overnight guests when needed.

We replaced the bed with a tailored sleeper sofa to accommodate overnight guests without sacrificing style. When not in use as a guest room, the den serves as a relaxed lounge, complete with a cozy armchair and ottoman—the perfect spot to put your feet up and unwind.

“It’s always worth considering the long-term impact when deciding whether a full reconfiguration is right for your home. For those who plan to sell down the road, the number of bedrooms often plays a role in resale value, making it important to weigh major layout changes carefully. In many cases, a den can be created within the existing footprint by incorporating built-ins or flexible furnishings, keeping the option open for a future buyer to reclaim it as a bedroom.”

—Kristin Kostamo-McNeil, founder of Anne Rae Design in Grand Haven, Michigan, and San Diego

Photo: Reid Rolls

Go for a Home Office

To start fresh, remove every trace of the former room. For a recent project, I wanted the space to be casually sophisticated for a client who works from home.

We designed an office that felt warm and welcoming with a bit of a European influence with limewashed walls, travertine stone, white oak floors and a French oak desk. We used custom linen sheets to soften the natural light and alabaster sconces with natural veining. We expanded the doorway into the room to allow for oak pocket doors, which create a more prominent entrance without taking up a lot of space.

The key piece for a home office is a large desk. We prefer dining tables as desks to traditional desks. They fill the space and really allow you to lay things out while creating beautiful scale. We tend to layer the tabletop with desk accessories, either wrapped in linen or leather, so they feel warm and textured. For example, linen paper trays, linen-wrapped coffee table books or leather pencil holders, etc. 

“We love to do a built-in with angled shelves, rather than flat bookshelves, to display larger coffee table books with a picture sconce above.”

—Leia T. Ward, founder of LTW Design in New Canaan, Connecticut

Mansion Global By Jennifer Tzeses, Originally published September 10, 2025