After recently revealing that John would be joining the blog full time and mentioning a full-scale guest bedroom-to-office/guest/playroom makeover, we’re ready to share more about the room’s transformation. Spoiler: we needed a sleeper sofa, fast.
Let’s take a look back at what the space looked like when we first moved in.
The room began as a pretty blank slate, so we started with small changes that made a big difference. We swapped a bulky ceiling fan for a simple flush-mount fixture, which visually raised the ceiling. Then we painted the walls a neutral tone, added crown molding, stained the floors a richer mocha to match the rest of the hardwoods, replaced valances with clean-lined Roman shades from Ikea, and brought in a hand-me-down bed dressed in playful linens and a DIY upholstered headboard. Even the wall art was an inexpensive DIY.
We loved that little guest bedroom and it served us well for years. So when it came time to convert it into a dual office plus playroom while retaining sleeping space for guests, we worried about losing what made the room comfortable. Our first idea was to reuse the existing bed by positioning it like a daybed in a corner to free up floor area. We rotated it and sketched a second upholstered headboard panel to visualize the idea.
We also had a rug we’d scored on clearance from Pottery Barn Outlet that we planned to use under the bed for added softness.
We laid the rug under the bed to anchor the corner. Burger seemed to approve, but the full-sized bed still dominated the small 10′ x 10.5′ room, leaving almost no floor space for Clara to play while one or both of us worked. We also couldn’t envision how to squeeze two desks into that layout. Faced with limited options, we decided to look for an alternative guest-bed solution that could be minimized during work hours.
That meant selling the full-sized bed frame, mattress, and box spring on Craigslist. To our surprise, by the time the bed was disassembled a buyer was already on their way, and we sold it within two hours for the full asking price. Here’s the mattress waiting for pickup in the nursery.
You can tell this was a while ago because the crib skirt wasn’t on yet and the nursery art wall hadn’t been finished. We tend to tackle one project at a time, so after a short nursery break to handle that sale, we returned to the office conversion.
For those who like a peek at the chaos, here’s the master bedroom with guest linens piled up while we waited for Craigslist pick-up. Burger, unsurprisingly, photo-bombed the pile.
With the bed gone and the other pieces cleared out, we repurposed the green bench and bedside table in the nursery—one of our favorite parts of the process is reusing what we already have.
That left a delightfully empty room to study from every angle.
Our challenge: fit a double office and a play area for Clara-Bean into the compact space while keeping a sleeping option for two when needed.
We seriously considered a Murphy bed, but the room layout and the cost made that difficult. Two windows would be obstructed by a folding unit, and the other walls were limited by the doorway and closet access. Also, when folded up a Murphy bed doesn’t offer permanent seating—something we knew would be useful for nursing, reading, or holding the baby. That led us to consider a sleeper sofa: constant seating with the option to convert into a bed at night.
We were cautious about sleepers because older models are often uncomfortable. However, we’d slept on some high-quality sleepers that felt like real beds, so we set out to find a comfortable, well-made option and started an online search to compare prices and styles.
Options we considered included a budget Target model, an Ikea version, and a higher-end Crate & Barrel sleeper. The problem with ordering online was not being able to test the mattress in person, and the higher-end models we could try in-store were above our ideal budget. We also preferred an upholstered arm and a more polished look than the futon-style frames offered at lower price points.
So we visited a local furniture dealer where we could actually try sleepers in person. At Sofa Design we’d previously bought our living room sofa and found a floor-sample clearance that looked promising.
Jackpot: a Rowe full-sized sleeper floor model for $699. It was slightly more than the cheapest online option but far more comfortable and better made. We tested it in the store and loved the feel. The subtle blue-green upholstery complemented our whole-house color palette while offering durability and stain resistance—perfect for a room that will serve many purposes.
We placed the sleeper under the higher window, which opened the sightlines and revealed much more of our Pottery Barn rug.
That swap instantly created way more floor space for desks and a generous play area for Baby P.
This was just the first step in a multifunctional office makeover. Next up: maximizing the floor plan, solving paper and file storage, adding desks and chairs for two, arranging art and accessories, and creating smart toy storage—plus a DIY light fixture update. If you’ve had success with a sleeper sofa or a Murphy bed, tell us about it. Have you built or found a comfortable pull-down bed or scored a sleeper on sale? We’d love to hear your experiences.