Formal living rooms are slowly becoming a trend of the past. Traditionally, this type of room showcases your nicest furniture, and it’s a place of entertaining guests in your home. For many homeowners, that also means it’s usually full of stuffy, impractical furniture that sits unused most of the time!
If you’re unsure what to do with your unused formal living room, it may be time to shift its purpose into something more practical! Get some ideas for unused living room space and what resources you’ll need for a smooth – and budget-friendly-room transformation.
Library/Reading Den
If you’re a family of bookworms (or aspiring bookworms), it can seem like books pile up everywhere you turn. By converting your unused formal living room into a library and reading den, you’ll have an organized place to stash all of those books and a quiet place to sink into a story.
And with CORT Furniture Outlet’s amazing pricing on gently-used furnishings, you won’t even have to cut into your bookstore budget! Grab a few bookshelves and an ultra-comfy sofa or chaise, a few cozy reading lamps, and your new motto will be, “Just one more chapter!”
Theater Room
Currently, you might only use your formal living room a handful of times a year, but turn it into a movie room, and you’ll be using it every weekend! Swap out your stiff furniture for a pillowy soft sectional that can fit the whole gang, and get an affordable LCD or LED television that will do the Oscar winners justice. Stock the room with fuzzy blankets and decorate the walls with your posters of your family’s favorite movies, and you’ve got everyone’s new favorite spot in the house.
Playroom
Depending on the layout of your home, a formal living room can be transformed into the perfect playroom for your little ones. You may not want to go this route if it’s a wide-open room at the entrance of your house (unless you don’t mind greeting guests with piles of blocks, toy cars, and half-finished puzzles)!
But if it’s in a contained space or a corner of the house, turning your formal living room into a playroom is a great idea! It’ll help you keep the mess separate from the rest of the house, and give them a space to let their imaginations run wild! Furnish it with cubbies, a craft table, toy boxes, and a dark-colored sofa that’s easy to clean.
Exercise Room
Turn your formal living room into an exercise room, and you won’t need to go all the way to the gym for that heavenly endorphin rush. You don’t need to spend thousands on fancy exercise equipment either; you can do some serious work with just free weights, exercise bands, and a yoga mat. If you do want to invest in some machines, you can usually find great deals on treadmills and elliptical trainers on websites like Craigslist and LetGo. Don’t forget to get an inexpensive TV to play your favorite workout DVDs on — from step aerobics to Zumba!
Home Office
The only thing better than working from home in your pajamas is working from home in your pajamas in your dream home office. If you’re one of the many people that will be calling home your workplace too, consider converting your unused living room into the perfect workspace with an inexpensive office desk and ergonomic chair, bookshelves, and filing cabinets to keep things tidy. Personalize your office with stylish touches like a colorful rug and wall art — because the more comfortable you are, the more productive you’ll be!
Now that you’ve chosen a new direction for that unused space, it’s time to bring your vision to life. You don’t need an unlimited budget to make it happen — transform your space by starting with the right furniture. Visit CORT Furniture Outlet to find gently used, quality furniture at affordable prices.
