Unconventional Use of Space

**monkeywrangler71** · 07-21-2010, 12:43 PM

Is anyone using the rooms in their house for something other than their intended purpose?

At our old house we had a combined Living/Dining room, but the kitchen was big enough for eating so we used the dining area as a TV room, and the other half of the livingroom as a kid's craft area.

My brother has both a livingroom and a family room on the main floor; they spent all their time in the family room so they turned the livingroom into a kids playroom.

My parents turned a bedroom into a dining room.

Have you taken any rooms in your house that you weren't using much for their conventional purpose, and turned them into something better suited to your needs?

**TigerGirl1226** · 07-21-2010, 12:52 PM

Our house has a large room in the front that intended to be a combo formal living room and dining room. Then there is a living room. This rooms are right by each other and were separated by French doors when we moved in. For the first year, we used them as intended, but then we switched them. Our table fits perfectly in the "living room" room and the "formal" room gives DD plenty of room to play in the TV area.

**imagine** · 07-21-2010, 01:33 PM

We use the original sleeping porch as a library.

In my area because of the storms and harsh winters sleeping porches were basically rooms, generally off the master bedroom on the second floor, with walls of windows. Ours are double hung windows.

So now we have a nice sitting room/library with plenty of sunlight (and fresh breeze if we choose).

**mauimagic** · 07-21-2010, 04:48 PM

How interesting!! Ours is definitely not unique - we enclosed our front lanai (porch) and use half of it as an office for DH and the other half as a mini dining room with one of those high tables with stools. Works perfectly for us and gets DH's office out of our LR!!

**bumplett** · 07-21-2010, 06:17 PM

not so much in this house - the previous house (we outgrew), we moved our office into the dining room instead. I also used the water heater closet for pantry space.

**2ndGenGranola** · 07-21-2010, 07:33 PM

Our sunroom is our gym

**Josephhgoins** · 07-21-2010, 07:54 PM

I have a Dining area off my kitchen that is just big enough to sit about 4 people. I use the area as my office and eat in the living room.

I really hate it and can't wait until I get another house and have a right and proper office.

**nuisance26** · 07-21-2010, 08:37 PM

~Our 12X18 foot eat in kitchen is the kitchen, dining room, craft/sewing room, home to the pantry cabinets and upright freezer and the schoolroom.
Our 8X9 foot "sunroom" entry is our computer/piano room and entry.
Other than that we only have the two bedrooms, 1 bath and the living room and they're being used for their intended purpose.~

**porembam** · 07-21-2010, 08:53 PM

Our "living room" is a music room - drum set, piano, guitars and stereo system.
A house is to live in - not a showcase

**The Muse** · 07-22-2010, 03:22 AM

My new flat is 108 square meters which is roughly half the space I had in the US. So I've combined the living and dining areas into one room and turned the dining room into my studio, which I use for photo editing, sewing, working out, etc.

**Darlene** · 07-22-2010, 08:31 AM

We made one end of our side entrance/porch (that overlooks the creek and bird feeders in yard) into our eating area and the other has a cabinet with tv on it (facing table) closets & dog feeding area. It connects to our small user friendly kitchen.

**Englishlady** · 07-22-2010, 08:38 AM

One of our three small bedrooms, houses our mini trampoline ( which we jog on!) our outdoor coats are in there as are my overspill storage from the kitchen ( extra tins and cookware that won't fit into any of the kitchen cabinets)

Also all of my clothes are in there plus the laundry basket and the ironing basket, this room is just 10 x 10 feet and yes it is pretty crowded and the messiest room in the house

**dancemommy** · 07-22-2010, 08:55 AM

We turned our living room into an office by putting french doors on it. Our dining room was just an empty room for years. We put toys in there because our kids didn't like to play in their basement playroom unless I was right there and it wasn't always feasible. Finally this year we decided to take down the chandelier and have turned it into a second family room with a video game system in it and board games.

**imagine** · 07-22-2010, 09:19 AM

Thought of another one.

I guess when you have a 1915 house you have some unusual spaces that you use in unusual ways ( time change in nearly a century)

The old "dressing room" (the Realtor said it might have been a small newborn nursery).

is room off the master bedroom about the size of a walk in closet. it has a beautiful wooden medicine cabinet built into the wall, a sink, and a beautiful wooden built in dresser/cabinet in the back as well as a window.

The people who lived her before add shelving and made it a walk in closet. It works well as a walk in closet.