How to Make the Guest Room a Nursery Also

The guest room should be large enough to accommodate a crib and a futon.

Creating a nursery and guest room combination may seem like an unavoidable necessity to new parents who lack the space to have each in separate rooms, but the setup can be quite convenient -- especially in-between visitors. Parents can stay in the guest bed on nights when the baby is sick or otherwise can't sleep. A guest bed is also a convenient place to nurse the baby. When guests arrive, the baby can sleep in a play yard in her parents' room, or stay in with the guests, as long as guests, parents and baby are amenable to the arrangement.

Instructions

1. Select a neutral color palette that would work on its own in either the guest room or the nursery, were they separate spaces. For example, light gray walls combined with white trim is a sophisticated, neutral backdrop, against which you can bring in accent colors through bedding and window treatment fabrics. Virtually any color can accent a neutral palette, as long as they're tonally the same. Light gray and white work nicely with pale pink, celadon green or deep turquoise.

2. Plan the combination space according how you'll use it. If you have guests only once or twice a year, scale back the guest portion of the room by using a futon rather than a full size bed. However, if you have guests on an ongoing basis, make sure the guest bed is comfortable, and buy a crib that has a smaller footprint. For example, a sleigh-style crib is much larger than a modern-style crib with unfussy lines.

3. Forego the changing table for a padded dresser top. It keeps furniture pieces to a minimum, which helps the space feel larger. When company comes, remove the baby changing items from the dresser top so they have a surface to put things on.

4. Add a small armoire to the room for the baby's clothes and toys, and keep the closet space free for your guests. If a scaled-down armoire wouldn't fit in the room, organize the closet so that the baby's things take up only half of it, and the other half remains free at all times. That way, you won't have to reorganize the closet before a guest is due to arrive.

5. Put a nightstand next to the guest bed equipped with a softly-lighting lamp. Should you or your guest actually share the room with the baby, a low-light option will be appreciated during times when the baby's asleep but the adults are not. An outlet nightlight is another item that makes sharing the room easier for guests.

6. Add some flair to the walls by applying removable decals that are both appropriate for a baby's nursery and a guest room. Birds in flight or the flowering limb of a cherry blossom tree are two whimsical examples of art that's guest room appropriate and visually stimulating for a baby. Decals purchased from a supplier are usually color customizable.

7. Buy a collapsible play yard to keep in your room for times when it wouldn't be appropriate for the baby to share a room with your guests. Babies can sleep safely in play yards until they're old enough to attempt to climb out of them.

Tips & Warnings

• Having guests doesn't mean your baby has to move out of the nursery or share it with newcomers. You can stay in the guest bed while your guests use your room, if you're comfortable allowing family and friends to sleep in your bed.

References

• "Stylish Solutions"; Elizabeth Gaynor and Kari Haavisto; 1998
• "Feathering the Nest"; Tracy Hutson with L.G. Mansfield; 2009