Courtesy Beth Meyer Design
Photographer: Rustic White Photography
Architect: Francis Zook

A surefire way to make your new converted garage scream bedroom is to drop the ceiling. A lowered ceiling will help conceal any structural or mechanical elements as well as provide you with ample space to play around with decorative lighting. Choosing warm tones for the furniture and color palette can also help add to the inviting atmosphere and help counteract some of those cold grays that are so common in garage spaces.

Studio Gaspo

A standard two-car garage will typically pack a significant amount of square-footage. If setting aside all of that valuable space for a guestroom doesn’t feel like the best move, consider creating a multipurpose space that can double as a sleeping space for guests.

As an added bonus, these types of spaces can easily play up the more sleek and modern aesthetic that works with your space’s existing finishes, rather than having to soften things up to look more homey.

Stefan Bucur

A garage is an inherently industrial space, so why not play up that factory flair? This renovation makes excellent use of the glossy concrete floors, tall ceiling and vintage-looking windows. The bright red cabinet is also a great nod to that mechanic-shop motif.

If the industrial look is what you’re going for, be sure to also incorporate some soft materials, such as plush bedding, curtains or a rug to help manage the sound.

Courtesy Beth Meyer Design
Photographer: Rustic White Photography
Architect: Francis Zook

If a more permanent bedroom setup is your goal, then it’s worth looking into ways to make the space feel warm and welcoming. A garage is not typically insulated to the same degree as the rest of the house, so adding insulation and a soft plush carpet is a great way to create a cozy and more sleep-appropriate space.

In this beautiful project by Beth Meyer Design, the paneled ceiling and tall curtains also help to maximize the space’s unique height, while also providing visual warmth.

Zev Forrest

Because garages are often large spaces filled with reflective un-insulated surfaces, they can quickly become noisy nightmares. While adding in insulation, replacing concrete floors and swapping garage doors for drywall will go a long way, you may still find yourself in need of some acoustic treatments.

This lovely renovation suite makes the most of the long walls by adding in beautiful blue curtains that make for both an easy accent wall and an excellent way to dampen down any echoing. The bedding and rug will also go a long way to help, as will the addition of plush armchairs.

Source: MNichols Design
Photographer: Hunter Kerhart

Most garage or carport spaces are connected in some capacity to your yard, so why not use that connection to your advantage? Architect Mark Nichols suggests borrowing from your yard to make it feel like an extension of your new living space.

“Being generous with new windows, as well as perhaps introducing a large sliding glass door, will blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors and make the interior space feel larger and more connected with the surrounding yard,” explains Nichols.

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At the end of the day, there’s nothing wrong with keeping the parts of your garage that work. For example, replacing your old garage door with a glass rolling door is a great way to add in some light and provide plenty of indoor/outdoor living without having to fully redo a wall or add a new opening for a door.

Concrete floors are another great example of a material that can be easily refinished. Warm up your floors with stain or add in some cozy layers to create a space that feels finished and sleek instead of a rough work-in-progress.

Source: MNichols Design
Photographer: Hunter Kerhart

Nichols also recommends looking for materials that are going to be light, bright and not aesthetically busy. “Since the space is compact, you don’t want to visually clutter it with excessive patterns, colors or textures which will work against you and make the space feel small and hectic,” explains Nichols.

In this particular example the warm beams, wood finishes and soft texture in the rug and curtains keeps things soft. Meanwhile, the black frames of the sliding doors and large accent pendant lend a sleek and modern look.

Source: MNichols Design
Photographer: Hunter Kerhart

Another trick for maximizing your space? “Instead of putting in a flat drop ceiling, consider putting in a sloped or vaulted drop ceiling,” says Nichols. “The extra height and sculpted volume will give the space both more depth as well as architectural character.” Taking advantage of that extra height can be both an aesthetic and practical advantage.

Having the height to add a fan or incorporate a wall-mounted air-conditioning unit, like in this project, is a huge help for maintaining a comfortable interior environment. You can also utilize some of that extra height for storage with tall closets or sectioned off extensions of your attic space.

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In the end, the most important part of any bedroom space is that it feels comfortable and inviting. Accessories can go a long way to selling the space as a bedroom or guest suite. Hanging art on the walls, incorporating decorative lighting and investing in high-quality linens and pillows will instantly add to the environment. They can also serve a practical purpose in helping to conceal any mechanical or industrial elements that you may not be able to practically remove from the space, so don’t forget the details.