Decorating Ideas for a Double-Duty Bedroom

Keep It Simple

• Minimalist white is a solution that will work in a bedroom/office. A narrow, all-white desk in a sleek, unfussy shape, a bed piled high with white duvets and pillows, white walls and accessories and plain white shades allow the room to seem luxurious, even if your square footage isn't. A pale celadon or light wood office chair and light colored floor covering -- a pale silk carpet or grass-cloth rug -- provide a hint of color but no big statement. The shift from working at the computer desk to stretching out on the comfortable bed is seamless when both exist in white. Plenty of daylight is the key to making this room work as an office.

Veiled Illusion

• A guest bedroom easily holds its own as an office that disappears when Aunt Minnie comes to visit. The trick is to cover the windows with long, floaty curtains over shades and remove the closet doors. Identical curtains mask the closet opening and can be pulled back for office use, drawn closed for bedroom use. Inside the curtains, the former closet is fitted out with shelves to hold office supplies in neat, color-coordinated boxes over a counter-style desk. A laptop computer slips into place for work but travels to a more private space when guests are using the room. A comfortable desk chair, upholstered in fabric that mirrors the décor of the room, becomes a bedroom chair as needed.

Modern Shapes and Stripes

• Use the furniture to set the tone in an office-bedroom. A contemporary wood headboard and a matching bentwood desk chair are as rich in design as mid-century museum pieces. The spare aesthetic turns up on the wall over the desk in four mounted cork blocks that serve as both wall art and mini-bulletin boards covered in reminders and work samples. The desk is the size of a bedside table with a top shelf for books and work gear and a lower shelf to hold a keyboard. The computer monitor is wall-mounted under the cork blocks. Dress the bed in wood-hued and white striped linens to underscore the modern furniture design. White walls in this room make the space seem larger. Craftsman colors like teal or light mustard could brighten an accent wall.

Haute Hollywood

• Give your guests the MGM treatment with a media room-movie theater that transforms into a bedroom when the lights come up. A home theater painted chocolate brown or black with sisal carpeting is a sophisticated setting for viewing the latest films or just watching TV on the big screen. Built-in bookshelves with a library ladder take care of book storage and a big, cushy couch invites an afternoon read. When the couch is a sleep sofa and the library unit has a top platform for a lofted mattress, the room turns into a Hollywood hotel. The ladder provides access to the top bunk and all lighting is on dimmers to accommodate movie nights and overnight visitors.