Interior designers take pride in their eye for hidden detail. Scoping out the ultimate potential of a living space is a skill that’s worth celebrating, since it makes complete sense to use what you’ve got, unleashing a few surprises round every corner.
Multi-purpose bedrooms are suited to this philosophy. With a pinch of ingenuity and wild thinking, you build a room that has more than one flavour, suiting different occasions as they arise. To make the most of such a brilliant array of layouts, we’re giving you a multi-purpose masterclass, just in time for that home transformation to take flight…
The casual office life

A great swathe of people still envision a dedicated study as the perfect hideaway dream. Whilst they have a point, ultimately, not everyone can afford to deck out a single room for this purpose. Big, unwieldy desks are hard to come by for a reasonable price, and you’ll have to indulge a fairly large collection of books, files and cabinet displays to avoid a sparse look.
A corner office, instead, can be very convenient: with a computer facing a closet or cosy little window, you can build a mini work hub in a section of your spare bedroom. Try fitted home office furniture that can be customised, such as a cabinet setup that can shut your PC away when it’s not in use. Documents can be stored on top shelves, there when you need to leaf through them.

Secret bedding
One of the main advantages of a multi-purpose room is your swish ability to fold a bed back into wall space. In this instance, you might have a part-time playroom for the kids, converting it into a spare sleeping area for visitors at the drop of a hat. Fitted bedroom furniture will enable you to do this, as it conforms to the dimensions of your loft, high-ceilinged interior or whatever shape your space has adopted.
Getting the right measurements is crucial, because the fold-away bed has to be in sync with its surroundings. Consider what wardrobe design you might like to mask it, and then the accessories more suited to a relaxing bedroom for when the bed is on display and looking resplendent!
Two living rooms are better than one
Sure, it’s good to put heaps of effort into your main lounge, since it’ll be the nexus of family and friend-based hangouts. However, the multi-purpose mandate allows for a smaller, quainter relaxation space to formulate, possibly without all the noise and bluster of a 50” TV.
Bookworms, for example, can spread beanbags and luscious chairs as liberally as they like. Hand-painted furniture can offer a more chilled, less thoroughly-used haven for ‘me time’. Combined with a sliding storage unit for extras – snacks, layabout clothes, or a speaker system are all juicy things to stock up on – and you’ll keep coming back to this personal nirvana whenever you get the chance.
The pleasures of multi-purpose bedrooms can’t be denied: they’re just a better route to catering for any mood you’re in, whether that’s lounging around with a good book, or getting that stubborn admin off your plate. At Hartleys, we have a vast selection of bespoke furniture to play with, any of which can be combined to create your perfect space.
Pop along to our showroom, or call our design team for more tips on a vibrant, multi-faced interior.