Smart Design for Homes that Optimizes Living & Storage Space

You can create a home office anywhere in your house.Monkey Business Images Ltd/Valueline/Getty Images

Few people live in homes featuring a multitude of separate rooms for the separate tasks and activities that needed to be completed on a daily basis. For example, not many people have homes complete with a billiard room, a conservatory, a library, or other single use rooms. The homes with the smartest designs have rooms that serve dual purposes with the creative use of space.

Home Office/Spare Bedroom

Careful planning can give you a home office and a spare bedroom in the same room, allowing you a quiet place to work and giving guests a private place to sleep. Arrange your desk, bookcases and cabinets in the room as you normally would. Create a sleeping area by installing a futon or a sofa bed. This design will ensure that it looks like you have a couch for relaxing or taking breaks. Alternately, add a small platform bed to the room and build drawers or shelves under it to create extra storage space.

Not every home has the fortunate design of a separate laundry room. However, you can store your washer and dryer discretely in your kitchen with strategic built-ins designed to maximize your space and reduce the appearance of clutter. For example, make use of the vertical space in your kitchen by installing a stackable washing machine and dryer set; you can even purchase cupboard units with doors to keep the set in that match the rest of your kitchen cabinets. Built-in shelves with doors keep laundry supplies in an unobtrusive manner while a fold-out counter gives you space to fold clothes in.

Create an extra room in your living room by building on top of the square feet that you already have. For example, if you consult a contractor and build your own loft area above your living room, you'll feel like you've added an extra room to your house. Use that space as a library, a home office or a study area for the students of your household. Alternately, you can use it as an extra attic in which old sports equipment, suitcases and out-of-season clothes can find refuge.