Repurposing old rooms, that is, changing up a room to serve an entirely different purpose, is a large part of what I do for my Baby Boomer clients. And from my own experience, I can tell you that it’s a great solution for those who want to age gracefully in place.

Child’s Bedroom Redux

A popular choice involves changing a grown child’s bedroom into a home office. If you are nearing retirement and planning to continue to work from home, this option makes a world of sense. Because the electronic world is simpler now than in times past, one doesn’t need a large bulky computer to do the job these days.

A laptop works just fine, and the printer can be elsewhere, hooked up through Bluetooth. A pair of comfy chairs can be the perfect spot for reading or catching up on paperwork in ultimate comfort.

Making Room for Grandkids

How about repurposing a craft room or home office for a grandkid’s bedroom? For one of my clients, we transformed their attic into a grandbabies’ room, complete with a tv set for cartoons, tall storage doors painted in chalkboard paint for a readymade drawing surface, and a Dutch door that can be left open at the top for grandparent’s supervision. Two trundle beds sleep 4 kids comfortably, no matter what their age. See photos at the top of this blog post, and below.

How about repurposing a craft room or home office for a grandkid’s bedroom? For one of my clients, we transformed their attic into a grandbabies’ room, complete with a tv set for cartoons, tall storage doors painted in chalkboard paint for a readymade drawing surface, and a Dutch door that can be left open at the top for grandparent’s supervision. Two trundle beds sleep 4 kids comfortably, no matter what their age. See photos at the top of this blog post, and below.

Dining Room No More

If your formal dining room is just gathering dust ninety percent of the time, maybe you should rethink it’s purpose. What about turning this room into a downstairs bedroom, a craft room, or a man-cave, and enjoy using it more often?

If needed, change the location of the door to your dining room, or close off one side of the room to add privacy and change the traffic pattern.

Garage Transformations

Garage conversions are another popular way to repurpose a room. If aging in place means preparing for caregiver help at home, a garage conversion could be the answer to creating an extra bedroom and bath for this situation.

Or, if aging in place means living next to adult children, a garage conversion can be a way of creating a guest suite for the parents that is separate yet close by. For one client, a two-car garage was the beginning of an 800-square-foot grandparent’s suite.

It was designed complete with a kitchen, eating area, sitting area, master bedroom and bath. The grandparents spend half the year here, and the other half in a vacation home on the opposite coast.