How to Design a Flex Room for Work & Play

If the year 2020 taught us anything, it's that we should be prepared to be stuck at home for weeks or months on end! As traumatic as last year was, it reinforced the philosophy that you should be able to use every square foot of your home and get the most benefit out of it.

After all, that is the best way to get the most return out of your investment in your home, and having a flex room is a great way to maximize space.

Flex rooms are rooms that leverage certain design elements to quickly transform from one function to the next. The great news is that you can create flex spaces with the existing rooms in your home without embarking on an expensive remodel or renovation.

One way to do this is to change the layout of a guest bedroom so that it serves as a home office by day and a place for visiting family members to sleep by night.

Another is to use a dining room that is used once or twice a year for large family gatherings as the daily location for kids who are homeschooling or learning virtually. This is a great way to show how flexible spaces don’t always require new pieces of furniture. The key is to be creative with how you use furniture pieces you already have.

For example, at the height of the pandemic shutdown, our sample homeowners transformed their underused dining room into a virtual learning center for their kids. The room is brightly lit, the chairs are comfortable, and there is enough surface area to hold their laptops, school books, and notebooks.

Things to consider if you want to create your own flex room.

First, find furniture pieces that are transformable. Look for pieces of furniture that can transform from one function to the next without requiring a lot of time or effort.

Here are a few examples:

• A table that can expand or collapse.
• A bench that slides out.
• A chair that folds down.
• An ottoman with a fold-out table that allows you to transform your living room into a small eat-in area.

Second, make sure that the layout of your space gives you enough room for the transformation you need. If the table expands, make sure there is enough room for the full expansion as well as the chairs that will surround the table.

Creating a flex room requires figuring out the functions that need to happen in that space, proper space planning, and incorporating the right furniture pieces that can easily transition from one function to the next.

Award-winning, Baton Rouge-based interior designer and content creator Arianne Bellizaire has been named a High Point Market Authority Style Spotter (2015), Perlick Ambassador of Cool (2017), Villeroy & Boch Color Challenge Winner (2017), Modenus Blog Tour invitee (2016 & 2019), and Modenus DesignHound (Spain and London 2016, Surfaces 2018). She was also selected as an Ambassador for NYDC 2020 What's New What's Next. Her work and expertise have been featured in Forbes, Rue Daily, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Business Of Home, and USA Today.