Nursery-Guest Room Combo Ideas for a Small Space

A nursery-guest room is a great idea for a small space. When you’re living in a small space, especially in a bustling city like New York, every square foot counts. That’s why combining rooms can be a brilliant solution for maximizing your living area. One popular combination is a nursery and guest room combined. Today, I’m excited to share our journey of creating a nursery-guest room combo in our 750 sq ft NYC apartment, along with some ideas and tips for those of you facing a similar challenge.

En Nuestra Casa

Back in 2016, when we were planning our apartment renovation, we had this grand idea of creating a space that could serve as both a guest room and a nursery. We thought, “Hey, why not combine the two?!” Little did we know the challenges and revelations that lay ahead.

As a couple without children at the time, we were big believers in not being a child-centered family, but rather a family-centered family. We envisioned having a baby that would join Team Almodovar without completely redirecting every aspect of our lives. While some of that philosophy still holds true, the reality is that things change dramatically when you have a new baby, and some adjustments are inevitable. The long story short here is that we had a nursery-guest room combo for a short period of time before realizing it just wasn’t realistic for us.

Sorry, I know this isn’t what you want to hear! And I promise I’ll share inspiring photos and ideas BUT I also want to be realistic…!

The Challenges of a Nursery-Guest Room Combo

Pre-kids, we had this idea that when guests stayed with us, we’d simply move the baby to our master bedroom for a couple of nights. However, once our little one arrived, we quickly realized how impractical this was. Moving a full-sized crib down a narrow hallway for just a few nights was far more work than we’d anticipated. Plus, with the onset of COVID-19 when our first was a baby, we didn’t have any guests anyway!

Looking back, I’d personally advise against a combo guest room nursery. When we do have guests visit now, it’s much simpler to keep as many things in our “norm” as possible. Everyone is happier and gets along better, even with an additional person in our apartment for a few nights.

Guest Room Transformation

If you’re curious about the full before-and-after of our second bedroom, check out this post. For now, let’s skip forward to when we had already removed the closet, refinished the floors (yes, we rented the floor sander from Home Depot again!), and replaced the French doors with glass-panel double doors.

Bed Choice for the nursery Guest Room Combo

We considered a Murphy bed, but it didn’t feel practical for our space. It felt like a big cost we couldn’t justify because we wouldn’t use it regularly. Instead, we fell in love with the IKEA Brimnes daybed for its generous storage, creative design, and minimalist aesthetic. It was the perfect size (though a bit of a tight fit!) in the nook behind the doors in this bedroom.

The plan was to have the daybed that could open to a king-sized bed for guests on one side of the room, and the baby crib and dresser on the other side. It was a great setup that served us well for a time! However, we soon realized we rarely had guests, and we didn’t want to disrupt our family’s routine to accommodate the few guests we did have.

One thing to note: because of the area rug underneath the daybed, it was a little difficult to pull the bed apart to convert it into a king-sized bed for guests. It was tricky but definitely doable. So if you’re considering a similar setup, you might want to consider lifting the bed slightly (even a hidden piece of wood under each leg could help!) or skipping the area rug altogether.

Color Scheme and Design Plan

This room was a blank slate when we started, and I wanted to get creative when it came to color! The first thing I was sure about was matching the white motif of our whole apartment, especially since our second bedroom is kind of an extension of our living room. However, I wanted to make it a little bit fun too. After browsing countless design boards and mood boards on Pinterest, I decided on a full room framing with offset borders going around the floor, walls, and ceiling in three different colors.

For the color palette, I wanted something unexpected, fun, and yet timeless but with a pop of color. I knew that if we’d have a baby girl or boy in there eventually, I didn’t want the color choices to be too gendered. We stuck with neutral bedding for both the daybed and the white wooden crib to give a cohesive look to the room.

Initially, we thought we’d want the natural wood IKEA Sniglar crib, but we realized an all-white crib went much better with our apartment decor. The interesting thing about decorating a small space is that you need to think of the entire home as one big room – everything needs to go together in terms of decor.

Nursery-guest room Features

When you’re creating a nursery-guest room combo, the classic nursery features need to work double duty to function for the occasional guests. Here are some of my best tips for you:

Changing Table

It was important for us to find a dresser that could double as a changing table. When you live in a small space, a lot of the furniture needs to work double duty for you! So when we were initially shopping around for a dresser, we made sure to find one that could fit a changing pad (about 32″x16″) on top, ideally with some extra space for wipes and such. Ironically, we rarely ended up using the dresser as a changing table! We’ve always found it easier to change diapers on the floor or on the bed.

However, I’d still recommend finding a dresser that can double as a changing table. When guests come into town, tuck away the changing pad in a closet or drawer, and your guests will be happy for a surface where they can place their items.

Rocking Chair

Even though a rocking chair is traditionally a “baby item” in this context, you know adults love to lounge in that thing! And a rocking chair that’s comfortable for you will be well-loved by guests, too.

Because our space is small, we mostly used the daybed as a makeshift rocking chair in our nursery. This is where we snuggled for naps or I nursed our new baby.

Window Treatments

Okay, I’m gonna be honest with you for a second. If someone is visiting you (and you have a baby–hence the nursery-guest room combo), they likely won’t have strong preferences about what window treatments you have in the room. (And if they do, they’re not the type of guests you want around anyway!) Most likely, whatever window treatments you have for your baby will be more than enough for your weekend guests.

As with most of our apartment, we’ve been minimal with window treatments in the nursery. Personally, I feel like it makes our space feel bigger to have naked windows. We have, however, added a blackout pull-down blind to the nursery window to help our baby sleep more soundly.

Light Fixture

Don’t forget about lighting! A good light fixture can really tie the room together and create the overall vibe you’re going for. If you’re in a small space like us, you may want to consider a ceiling fan with a light. Ceiling fans offer a gentle breeze for babies and grown ups alike, and including a light can kill two birds with one stone.

A Growing Family and Evolving Needs

By the time we were expecting our second child, we realized that a guest room just wasn’t a realistic part of our family’s home anymore. We needed every inch of space for the people who were in our home every single day and couldn’t really accommodate occasional visitors.

At the end of the day, we had to prioritize our daily needs over those of the occasional guest. We ended up selling our guest daybed on Facebook Marketplace, which opened up the space significantly.

Alternative Ideas for a Nursery-Guest Room Combo

While our guest room-nursery combo didn’t work out long-term, there are plenty of creative solutions that might work better in different situations:

1. Murphy Bed or Wall Bed: If you have the budget and wall space, a Murphy bed can be a great solution. It can be tucked away when not in use, leaving more floor space for the nursery. Some Murphy beds even act as wall shelves when tucked away, giving you precious extra storage space!
2. Convertible Sofa Bed: A high-quality sofa bed can serve as seating during the day and a comfortable bed for guests at night.
3. Spacious Sectional Couch: I know this isn’t technically a “guest bed,” but this is what works for us! We love the IKEA Kivik sectional couch. Guests (and we!) sleep comfortably here, with or without the back cushions.
4. Trundle Bed: A trundle bed can be a space-saving option that provides an extra sleeping space when needed.
5. Pack ‘n Play: For occasional overnight guests, a pack ‘n play can serve as a portable crib for your little one, allowing guests to use the main bed in the room.
6. Room Dividers: Use curtains, bookcases, or screens to create separate areas within the room for the nursery and guest spaces.
7. Loft Bed: In rooms with high ceilings, a loft bed above the crib area can provide a sleeping space for guests.

Design Tips for a Nursery-Guest Room Combo

You might feel like you’re balancing two completely different design ideas when you’re working on creating a nursery and a guest room in the same space. Not to fear! These ideas should help:

1. Choose a Neutral Color Palette

Opt for colors that work well for both a nursery and a guest room. Gray, white, and earth tones can create a versatile backdrop. A gray contemporary guest bedroom can easily double as a chic nursery. (I can see it now with gray pillows, gray bedding, and an upholstered tall gray headboard…)

2. Invest in Multi-Functional Furniture

Look for pieces that can serve multiple purposes, like a dresser that doubles as a changing table or a daybed that can be used for seating and sleeping.

3. Use Wall Space Wisely

Install floating shelves or pegboards to maximize vertical storage without taking up floor space. This is especially useful if you’re working with a bedroom condo or a small nursery space.

4. Create a Cohesive Look

Choose a theme or style that works for both a nursery and a guest room. For example, a cottage nursery design can feel cozy and welcoming for both babies and adults. You could even create a purple nursery that transitions well to a gray guest room.

5. Consider Removable Decor

If you’re really feeling like going above and beyond, use wall decals or easily changeable art to switch between nursery and guest room modes. This allows you to create an art collection that works for both purposes.

6. Optimize Storage

Use under-bed storage, closet organizers, and other smart storage solutions to keep the room clutter-free. The IKEA Brimnes daybed that we had in our nursery-guest room has drawers underneath which were GREAT for extra storage.

7. Plan for Privacy

If possible, include a way to create privacy for guests, such as a room divider or curtain. This is especially important if your nursery guest room is open to the living room (like ours) or if you have French doors as the entry door. We hung curtains behind our French doors for this exact purpose.

8. Get Creative with Color

Don’t be afraid to add pops of color. A yellow canopy over the crib or bed can add a cheerful touch to the room. If you’re feeling bold, you could experiment with gray geometric wallpaper on one wall. Or go crazy with one of these ideas:

9. Mix and Match

Don’t feel like everything has to match perfectly. A dark brown headboard bed can work well with light taupe nightstands and a silver cowhide rug for an eclectic yet cohesive look.

Lessons Learned for a nursery guest room

While our nursery-guest room combo didn’t work out as planned, we learned valuable lessons about small space living and adaptability. Here are a few takeaways:

1. Flexibility is Key: Be prepared to adjust your plans as your family’s needs change. What works during the nursery phase might not work when you have a toddler.
2. Prioritize Daily Needs: Focus on creating a space that works for your family’s everyday life rather than occasional use.
3. Think Long-Term: Consider how the space might need to evolve as your child grows from a baby to a toddler and beyond. A toddler bed might not actually be a good investment for the future, and it might make more sense to switch from a crib to an open crib to a twin bed.
4. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Simplicity: Sometimes, less really is more in a small space. You don’t need to fill every inch with furniture or decor.
5. Consider Your Lifestyle: Be realistic about how often you’ll have overnight guests and whether dedicating space to them is worth it. If you have a fair amount of visitors, it might be worth looking into real estate options with a finished basement or a home office that could double as a guest room.

While a nursery-guest room combo can be challenging, with careful planning and creative solutions, it’s possible to create a space that serves both purposes beautifully. Remember, the key is to create a room that works for your family’s unique needs and lifestyle. Happy hosting!

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