12 Garage Bedroom Ideas To Increase Your Livable Space
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Whether you want to create an extra bedroom for your expanding family, a guest cottage for out-of-town travelers, or just a spare room for the occasional visitor, if you have a garage, you might already have the space that you need. Many people have decided to convert their garages to a bedroom to solve the need for more space.
For some, their garage might be the perfect way for them to create the master bedroom of their dreams, while for others, it’s simply a place for the in-laws to stay when they visit. No matter what the reason, there are endless options of what you can do with your garage.
It can be a simple place to sleep or a lavish retreat with all of the bells and whistles. If you’re ready to tackle a conversion, check out these unique garage bedroom ideas to gather up some inspiration before you begin.
1. Stand-Alone Garage Bedroom
This detached garage designed by Mark Lewis and featured in Architectural Digest turns into a cozy sleeping space with an interior wall across the garage doors to add extra protection from the elements.
Natural light floods the room from both the windows and an added skylight, creating a bright yet intimate space. The high A-frame ceiling gives this new bedroom the feel of a quaint cabin in the woods.
It might be a small space, but it’s just enough room to fit a comfortable bed and a few furniture pieces for extra storage.
2. Reversible Garage Bedroom
This converted garage from Yankee Barn Homes has everything you need for a restful night’s sleep while being able to turn the space back into a garage at a moment’s notice.
The garage door and all of the mechanics remain intact, but now a fresh coat of paint adorns the walls. Various accessories like rugs, artwork, and flowers spread throughout the space help give it a warm and inviting feel.
The addition of several lamps helps add a homier glow without having to worry about expensive electrical wiring or permits.
3. Shabby Chic Garage Bedroom
This charming garage redo has an elegant, rustic vibe that makes you feel like you’ve found a secluded retreat nestled in the woods. Brooke Frederick created this shabby chic look with a whitewash across the walls and ceilings, keeping the exposed beams and adding a splash of color with the large rug.
The double barn-style doors remain, as does the original floor, so this space could easily become a garage again if necessary. But when your room looks this great, why would you want to change it?
4. Garage Turned Guest Cottage
If you’re looking for extra space to host guests or perhaps considering renting out a spare bedroom, why not create a cozy cottage like this one from Tiny House Talk?
Of course, this a complete overhaul, so you would undoubtedly need to work with a contractor and your local planning office, but the result is a lovely studio space, complete with a small bathroom. An added window with an A/C unit provides comfort on warm nights, and the shiplap on the back wall adds to the cottage feel.
5. Industrial Garage Bedroom
You could hide the fact that your bedroom was once a garage, or you could do what One Kindesign did and embrace it. Go for the total industrial look. Gray paint covers the existing cinder block walls and concrete floor, and large metal closet doors become a feature in the space.
Minimal furniture and storage options keep everything simple, and quirky touches, like an upside-down weathered American Oil sign and a wooden sawhorse used as a valet, seem to feel right at home in the space.
6. Keep It Simple
If all you’re looking for is an extra place to sleep, all you need to do is make a few simple changes. This is the perfect example of a partial garage conversion that you could complete in a day, no permit required.
Don Corrieri kept the walls, floors, and garage door the same, added lamps for lighting, an oscillating standing fan, a comfy bed, and a few furniture pieces for storage. The exposed brick gives the space a masculine feel, and the brown colors used in the bedding help tie it all together. There’s even room to park the motorcycle.
7. Garage? What Garage?
When you want to create the ultimate master retreat and have no extra space to spare inside your home, that’s when a garage becomes the answer to your prayers. Maxable shows exactly how a garage can become a stunning master bedroom.
The glass garage door floods the room with natural light, yet has an appearance more akin to an oversized window. In fact, except for the remaining door tracks, you’d never know this was once a greasy garage.
8. From Garage to Guest Suite
Believe it or not, this cozy, yet airy, Airbnb rental was once a plain-old garage. Now, new flooring, all-white paint covering the walls and reaching up onto the ceiling, white bedding, and light-colored wood furnishings add to the brightness of the space.
The newly installed glass doors open directly onto a lovely garden area, perfect for enjoying a morning cup of coffee or a glass of wine in the evening. Fresh plants help bring some of the outside in, helping blend the two spaces, making the whole room feel bigger.
9. From Storage to Stunning
This Airbnb rental, featured on OP Copy, maintains a few of its original touches, but they’re well hidden under this absolutely stunning redo. If you look closely, you’ll still see the cinderblock walls, but now they’ve gotten new life from a fresh coat of bright, white paint.
The ceiling also receives a fresh coat of paint, beams and all, and floor-length white curtains cover the small windows, providing a seamless look. New flooring, minimal furniture and décor, and colorful bedding help create a place in which you’d be happy to spend the night (or a few).
10. Frank-Lloyd-Wright-Inspired-Garage-Bedroom
When it comes to creating a brand new space in your garage, you’re really only limited by your imagination and your budget (and building codes). But, if the sky’s the limit, why not go for a mid-century modern, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired bedroom, like this one from Platt Builders?
All of the natural elements and wood tones create the feeling of a luxury cabin, making you feel like you’ve escaped to a secluded mountain retreat. The angles create visual interest, and multiple windows and a set of beautiful glass doors flood the room with natural light.
11. Garage Conversion for Two
When it comes down to it, all you need for a bedroom is a bed…or in this case, two beds and a TV. This small garage converts to the perfect space for two guests to relax and unwind. It would also be the ideal size for kids if you’re accommodating a growing family.
Four Seasons Roof Systems turned this garage into a cozy room that adds livable space to the home. The garage doors made way for a finished wall with a large window, plush carpet covers the floor, and all the essentials make the space inviting and functional.
12. Garage Bedroom In Disguise
Here’s another excellent example of creating a fun and functional extra space with just a little elbow grease and creativity. Jill Dupré turned this garage into an entire, cozy cottage complete with a kitchenette and bathroom. Still, you can take some inspiration from the living/sleeping area to quickly recreate a relaxing getaway.
Light wood panels cover the walls, a large rug masks the concrete floor, and comfy furniture, including a convertible sofa-sleeper (perfect when you don’t have enough room for a bed), gives you everything you need to lounge with a good book or snag a few bits of shut-eye.
The Essentials For A Garage Bedroom
Of course, what you need to make your garage bedroom work for you all depends on how exactly you plan to use it. For example, are you creating a luxurious master suite or a simple spare bedroom for the occasional guest? However, one thing’s for sure, no matter who will stay in your newly created bedroom, there’s one thing you definitely need, a place to sleep.
Plus, you should have a way to stay comfortable, as far as staying cool or warm enough while you snooze. Soft lighting helps create a restful atmosphere, and then you also likely need some storage space for things like bedding, pillows, and other odds and ends. How involved your needs get highly depends on the type of garage conversion you’re planning to do.
What Type Of Conversion Do You Want?
Converting your garage into a bedroom isn’t a cookie-cutter operation; there are endless ways to do it. You might just need a place to get away to now and then, or you want to convert back to a garage one day, or you might be ready to go for the whole enchilada — a complete remodel. Depending on which type of conversion you go with, you’ll have varying degrees of needs and restrictions to contend with during the process.
Partial Garage Conversion
A partial garage conversion is the simplest, most cost-effective way to create some extra usable living space in your garage. Basically, you’re making the room more comfortable for you and your family, but in the end, it can still function as a garage. Therefore, you keep the garage doors, you could theoretically still park a vehicle in there, and you make a few minimal changes.
In this type of conversion, you won’t need to worry about many inspections or permits holding up the process, and you can likely complete the project over a weekend. You can create separation in the space using impermanent solutions like curtains or room-dividing screens. You can make the area feel homier by rolling out a large rug if you would rather not install new flooring.
If you want to add something like a window or a dividing wall, you probably need a permit. Therefore, if you plan to change anything with the garage’s structure, consult with the local planning office first. At the end of the day, a partial conversion allows your garage to still function as a legal garage. What you can’t do is expect to rent out the space or legally declare it as a bedroom.
Reversible Garage Conversion
If you ever plan to sell your home, or for some reason, think you won’t need that extra bedroom one day, then a reversible conversion might be a good solution. This means you come pretty close to ultimately converting the garage to a legal bedroom.
However, you keep specific components intact, so it’s easier to change the space back to a garage at a later date. These components usually consist of things like the garage doors and the flooring. For example, you might leave all of the tracks and opening for the garage door in place, but simply swap out the door for a large window or set of French doors.
Some people build a false wall inside of the garage to hide the garage door, like building a room within a room. You might opt to raise the floor to make it feel more like a proper bedroom, or you might decide to leave it as is, creating more of a sleeping space.
Either way, you’ll need to deal a bit more with inspections and city codes with this type of conversion. In some areas, if you are no longer able to use your garage to park a vehicle, you could be required to create a different place for your cars, such as a carport.
Therefore, before you start tackling a reversible conversion, talk to your local planning office to learn exactly what the dos and don’ts will be. You’ll also need to allow more time and money to complete your project.
Full Garage Conversion
If you’re ready to jump into a complete garage conversion, meaning permanent, the process is relatively close to doing a reversible conversion. You need to contact the local planning office, obtain all the proper permits and undergo (and pass) all the right inspections. The most significant difference between a full conversion and a reversible one is that if you decide to convert the space back to a garage one day, it’s going to be a lot harder to do.
Typically, in a permanent conversion, you get rid of the garage doors completely, raise the floor, and you also have to address a lot of additional issues involving things like electrical, HVAC, and plumbing if you plan to add an ensuite to the bedroom.
Keep It Legal
Trying to bypass the permit process in a garage conversion, no matter how big or small, opens you up to many issues and headaches down the road. It can also be a health and safety risk to your guests, and if you plan to rent the space, it could make you vulnerable to possible lawsuits. Therefore, make sure to dot all of your i’s and cross all of your t’s throughout the whole process.
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