Get rid of the walls. Renovation time!

unless you need private office or guest room, my vote is to take out the wall between the den and the living room, but keep the wall that extends from foyer past the bath (gives you a little bathroom privacy). Looks like you have a heat duct in the wall though, so it might not

Media room.

Also, I miss the larger pictures we used to get with these great questions. The tiny picture does not work for me.

Unless you're desperate for storage space or an at-home office, I'd take the walls down if possible.

Media room.

Also, I miss the larger pictures we used to get with these great questions. The tiny picture does not work for me.

Unless you're desperate for storage space or an at-home office, I'd take the walls down if possible.

Why does a one-bedroom apartment need two bathrooms? If the den is anyway big enough to house a bed i would keep it separate but try to bring light in in some way. If you were loaded you could install glass panels that fog over with the flick of a switch?!

Do you think you'll have overnight guests often? If so, you'll probably like having the separate room.

That said, replacing the wall that faces your great room with french doors would be a great way to open up the room when it's not occupied by guests. It could serve as an office/extension of your living room on most days, and a guest room when needed.

I think I would get some light in there somehow - either with a large window on the wall facing the main room or using a nice, glass paned door - and furnish it with a sleeper sofa so that it could also be a guest bedroom. Also in keeping with the guest room idea, I would consider adding a second door that goes directly into the bathroom, possibly even replacing the bathroom's entry off of the hallway altogether.

As many of your suggestions seem possible I think you first have to decide how you want your space to be used. I would personally want the option of having more privacy so I would probably take down the drywall wall for some type of movable wall... like heavy duty accordion screen...

If you intend to use the space as a guest room, you'll need the walls. I like your idea of a glass door. What if you frosted the glass? It would let light in while maintaining some privacy for an overnight guest.

I noticed you don't have an entry closet for coats and general storage. Would it be worth it to convert some of the space to closet and maintain the rest for an office nook?

I think the corner door is what makes it feel the most awkward. You expect something from it because it is so prominent a feature in your great room. What about squaring off that corner and moving the door to the entry hall? Then you could have a nicer guest room with more reasonable access to the guest bath.

I wish I knew what the requirements are for a room to be called a bedroom in your community. Does it require a window? A closet? A window and a closet? It seems as if there is some requirement that the den would never meet and that's why the builder built it with such an awkward layout.

My recommendation would be to live with it for a little while.

I know you want to knock down the walls and open up the space. That would be nice, but there are other solutions that you probably have never considered like squaring off the room and moving the door(s) to the entry hall. Living with it for awhile allows you to explore whether a seperate den/office/guest space is something you need and hope it would be configured. It will allow you to figure out if lack of a closet is the only thing keeping this from being a second bedroom.

I will say that moving a door is one of those things that people never think about, but often fixes problem spaces.

As someone else pointed out there is an air duct at that wall so you probably can't remove it all together. What would be nice is to add glass panels to the right of the duct and high enough that there is privacy, and keep it as a guest bedroom. With a sleeper sofa or futon in there it can double as media room.

ooooh wait new idea... Looking at the floor plan, if you had the money you could combine the guest bath, den, and master bath to form one giant, spa-like, L-shaped bathroom.

Maybe a bit over-the-top, but it would be amazing!

If not, I'll stick with my original suggestion to knock out the walls and expand the living room unless you need the space for something else.

Definitely would keep it separated for a guest-bedroom. If you want to splash out and change the orientation of the door, I think that would help the room work with the rest of the space.

The room definitely will need good lighting. Invest in that...

I agree with LaurainCancun.

That den space IS problematic and probably was meant for an office of some kind. It's superfluous and the space would be better dedicated to an existing room.

The great room looks grand enough. I would dedicate the "Den" space to the master bath.

A large, luxurious bath is such a gift to yourself AND a massive resale perk. A 'den' won't add a lot of value but a huge bathroom like what this could give WOULD make the sale, if you chose to do so.

that would mean diverting some pipes though.. .but totally doable.

I love the french doors idea. After living with only an open space for awhile, my bf and I definitely thought it would be nice to have a separate room that way he can play his video games while I talk on the phone or watch tv. If you open it up completely you might regret it.

Unless you like working at a home office with no natural light, or want a "media" room with no light, this room needs light.

So take down that wall. You can section off a workspace if you want using bookcases, or other furniture, which will still let natural light through. If you want an office that has doors that can be closed, then put french doors on that wall to the living area. Get rid of the corner door. Don't make this room open to the bathroom. And I like the idea of leaving the wall next to the bathroom there to provide a sense of separation from the bathroom. Also gives you a wall to place furniture on the other side.

Me, I'd dispense with the walls altogether, and do as suggested above, put a closet along that wall facing into to living area, with sliding doors. An office that closes off isn't worth it to me if it doesn't have its own window.

It would make a great media room. Also agree that if you need an extra room at times you need some privacy. If you remove the wall between den and great room (I would leave up wall on entry side), you can get the rice paper type panels that open and close off the space and let the light in but french window wall with a pull drape would also work. I would position sofa on that wall then and TV/media on the outside wall.

This is SO an opportunity, not a problem. It would make an awesome library or TV/Media room, think of what a cozy space it could be!

I would totally take the door off, or replace it with a glass door to let the light/flow in.

Just think long and hard before you remove an extra room from your space, beyond the extra expense and work or doing so, think of resale value down the road.

keep it as a guest room/office. You can get a daybed like the ikea hemnes which pulls out to a king size bed. It would be nice to change the door to the wall that faces the windows, but not totally necessary. Just replace the current door with french doors and save some money for hardwood floors :-)

My first instinct was to say turn it into a media room since i just brought a flat screen TV, but after looking at the space again i feel that you should take down the walls and create a coat closet / storage area for holiday decor and such. I would then turn rest of that space in to a small home office area with a secretary desk that way you dont always have to look at the mess.

You could make the closet open to the hall, I can't tell since there are no measurements on your floorplan, but I think that would leave the nook area not wide enough to be worth it.

But then, I don't need (or want) a "media" room.

I'd turn this den into a media room/guest room. Firstly, who likes to have the TV in the living room for all to see? I don't. Secondly, you always need a guest room in my opinion.
Forget about the french doors cause you will have less room for your furniture.
You could however tear down part of the wall and put a window in it. It'll bring some light in.

I agree with jlw001. This would be a great place for a library with some cool lighting and a reading chair or chaise (or two!!). I also like the idea of a frosted glass door because you can get some natural light in that way. I seriously do not think tearing down walls is necessary, and if not done right it is such a big headache. A lot of people on this website (or at least I read in the comments) do not like to have the living room solely focused on the TV. Would you consider the option of putting your TV in there? I think it is a perfect spot for an office. There are a lot of lighting options these days to where this den won't feel like a dungeon. to knock down walls only to put up rice paper or room dividers doesn't make sense to me. I get it that they want more light and openess, but you put up such items when you don't have walls!

Seriously, if this were me, I'd totally dig having a windowless room. You have lots of windows everywhere else. Maybe it's time to embrace your inner caveman.

Go dark interior. Think nightclub/smoking room. Deep colors or classic wood panelling would be awesome.

Also, if this were me, I would ditch the television altogether because I'd finally have a place to put a kickin' movie projector on which I could watch Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet over an over again as it was meant to be seen. But I digress...

Live with it/in it for a while and decide how you would use the space. And then do that.

make a little personal library! add bookshelves up to the ceilings, add a french door. itll become the most perfect reading nook

Steam-room sauna... ahhhhh....that'd be niiiiice.

Ok, I see you noted it was 10 x 12, with 10 along the bathroom side. I wouldn't make the closet open to the hallway, as it would leave a 7' nook, which is too narrow to do much with. (Some do 25" closets - I have some, but the doors smush my coats and suit jackets, don't like that at all, wears on them. You need 30" to have a proper closet, and with the wall behind that, that's about 3 feet, leaving 7'.)

Some would do a built in media nook, like the one posted I think yesterday on this very site. If that's where you want to watch TV, do it. Me, I'd make a closet along the 10 foot wall of the living room, with sliding doors. I never have enough closets, or other storage space. If you have enough closets, but need storage, you could do a built-in with bookshelves, maybe with doors on the lower half. If you wanted, you could incorporate a desk that pulled down from this unit - for a built-in workspace, but definitely open to the living room. That's the way to go here - you will like the space so much better.

Use the space for what YOU need - be it media, bookshelves, closet, desk, or guest room. (You could also do bookhelves with a murphy bed pull down for a guest bed - though frankly I'd prefer a pull out couch in the middle of the living area (a comfortable one, of course, unless you want to discourage guests from staying.)

You could always line it with built in shelves and turn it into a kick-ass pantry / broom / storage closet. If you read and have the usual AT allergy to visible books, you could turn it into a secret library.

I recommend leaving the hall way wall up - and taking the living room (towards the bedroom) wall down. Having just a wide open floating space can present it's own dilemma, but if you leave one wall up you create a sort of area inside an area. You could put a desk hutch for your computer, a little reading nook with a bookshelf, chair and lamp or cozy chatting area with games and magazines. This would be a relatively inexpensive, easy DIY project, and leave you with an open but usable space.

If you need it as a room--maybe glass brick to let in light? Otherwise, it would make a killer closet.

How do designers get away with this kind of stuff??

Keep it an enclosed room, line one long wall entirely with bookshelves, place a writing desk on the short wall to the right of the door [as you walk in], and get a nice sleeper sofa for guests -- beautiful office/library/spare bedroom.

If the lack of natural light will get to you, how about a wall or two of tree print or sky print wallpaper?

Too bad you didn't mention photography as a hobby. It would make a great dark room . . . .

Knocking the walls down to create a larger space is appealing, but it would make for a long rectangular living room that wouldn't lend itself to natural groupings of furniture.

I'm with the camp voting for a media room, although I'd suggest having a fold-out couch so that it can double as a guest room. A frosted glass door would provide privacy while still letting in a bit of light.

Once the living room is freed from the tyranny of having to arrange itself around the TV, all sorts of fresh possibilities will present themselves.

Don't take the walls down! It will decrease it's market value if you get rid of an extra room that could also be used as a second bedroom. French doors are probably the best option.

I own a condo. I'm going to suggest cutting the room down and making it a big closet. I like having a coat closet by the door and you currently don't have that. You may have storage elsewhere in the building but my front closet is also a good place for tool box, boots, umbrellas, vaccuum, even seasonal items like deck chairs. I have small tubs on the top shelf that hold things like lightbulbs, batteries, vac bags, etc. Let me tell ya, some of the AT organizing posts have come in handy!

I would keep it as a second room for resale value, but that's just me speaking practically. I would wall off the existing door, and add french doors along the hallway/walkway. It would make the hallway less dungeon-like, and would let you add a guestroom, office, storage (sheer panels on the doors), etc without decreasing value.

Myself, I would love the closed-in feel of this room and make it into a me-time type room. It could be a studio for art or crafts, a reading room/library, a workout room, a yoga room, a meditation spot, a darkroom... Oh the possibilities!

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How about installing louvre doors on tracks. It is open, but when you have guests you can turn it into a private guest room. Personally I hate small rooms, rather create a space that can open up when you need to breathe.

Also, I don't know if you guys are planning to have kids. Having that extra space as a nursery could prolong the time you can live in this place. I would open up the walls, and separate it differently, either with french doors or louvre sliding doors.

Also, I don't know if you guys are planning to have kids. Having that extra space as a nursery could prolong the time you can live in this place. I would open up the walls, and separate it differently, either with french doors or louvre sliding doors.

I would turn into an office , desk, books, computer

i wouldn't knock down the wall, one extra room can't hurt. you can turn the wall facing the great room into a glass sliding door. it can be your library, TV room and a guest room when the need arises.

THe perfect place to get all that unseemly TV junk out of the way, with a sofa bed for guests. That way, it doesn't matter if you don't get any light in there, it will only be used at night really. definitely live with it for a while before knocking anything down, although I can't see how a glass door would hurt.

If you haven't been living there long then definitely wait and see what your needs are. Library, TV room, office and guest BR, test it all... and paint the space in a punchy, happy color.

Personally, I wouldn't open up the space completely. I like the idea of a flexible space that you can open or close according to the occasion.

We had similar problem (although completely different layout) and we went for sliding doors made of frosted glass. In your case, you could remove the wall with the door and reduce the size of the other 2 walls, adding two sliding doors that "meet at the corner" to close the space completely when necessary.

Sorry if it isn't very clear :-P I wish apartment therapy allowed us to draw little sketches with our posts.

Another idea: here is a beautiful space, behind the sofa hides an office that's sort of open but not quite. It blends nicely into the living room...
http://gplusk.free.fr/appartm1.php

Good luck!

The space itself would make a large office, with enough room for bookshelves and a large desk. If your office needs don't require a large space, use the area for the dining room, and the current dining room as an office. I prefer lots of light in my office.

Both of these options have a prerequisite ... take down the walls. I notice in the picture there is a cold air return near the door the door ... hope this won't create problems.

I wouldn't tear down the wall, having an extra closed off room adds a lot of flexibility. I'd probably install a French door, and if there is enough room so expand it to a double French door I'd do that. You could make it into an office, media room, guest bedroom, or even just another get away from your significant other - in a one bedroom you'll need that!

Here's a suggestion that I don't see above.

Take out the door and the wall that runs parallel to the hallway. This will open up the room, but allow you to keep a partitioned area as an office space.

We have a space similar to this. We filled it with books, lights, and lost and lots of floor cushions. Book nook! Also serves as extra guests sleeping quarters)

That, or a dungeon! :P

I like the idea of setting it up as a computer office, but giving it the functionality of a spare bedroom... In case you have guests stay the night

Wine cellar!

(I'm only half joking.)

Maybe a french door instead of the one that's there. Make it a combination office/guest room.

Asian-style sliding door.

Condo remodeling projects in SF can be a pain. Blame it on SF DBI. Getting approval from the HOA can also be a pain. You could try to remove the wall or move the door without DBI/HOA approval, but you can also get into a lot of trouble that way.

As for messing with the plumbing (as some have suggested), being in a highrise/midrise is makes such work quite restrictive (your floorplan says 8th floor). Again, talk to a plumber (some of whom won't touch remodeling work in SF condos), who can bring you up to speed on the code requirements.

This particular den can never be legally called a bedroom, due to the lack of windows accessible to the outside. It doesn't mean you can't use it as one, however.

If you want to make the bathroom accessible from the den, you can always add a pocketdoor. I wouldn't seal up the original doorway though, as it sucks to have guests go through another room just to go pee (especially if the den is used as a bedroom).

Personally, I would leave it as is and use the space as an office. Maybe throw a daybed in there and a small wardrobe for guests. If you want to add windows, that would help brighten things up a bit, and would be quite easy to do.

Take a look at the Sliding Door Co if you want to go more modern. They're in SOMA/Mission Bay on like Townsend or King St. Google them.

Library / Wine Cellar? Hot Tub / Steam Room? Terrarium? Bomb Shelter? Time Machine?

Did anyone say Home Gym?

a bar would be nice there.

Go with funny and install a window facing towards the windows? Yet another way to get light into the room. You could install roman shades on the inside.

I'd knock out the terrace facing wall and leaving the hallway wall creating a seating nook facing the great room and terrace.
This give you a sudo living room, some what separate but still open.

Another option is to do the same thing but make the hallway wall translucent. i.e. marbled glass, Japanese shoji screens.

Keep it the way it is. You'll find good use for that space eventually. For now, it's great for storage.