See How This “Neglected” Spare Room Became a Gorgeous “Jewel Box” Bonus Space
A multipurpose room might be the smartest way to make the most of a small space, but doing so can often sacrifice style. Because let’s face it: When you’re intent on making one space pull double, triple, or even quadruple duty, sourcing great decor can easily (and understandably) be deprioritized, right? Well, not always. In fact, this transformation by designer Christina Cruz is proof that form and multifunction can happily coexist in a limited floor plan.
Cruz’s clients — a young, travel-obsessed couple based in Austin, Texas — wanted the loft area of their mid-century home to be a design trifecta: An office space for the husband, a chill hangout after-hours, and a guest room on weekends. Bonus points if the loft looked good, too. “Before the transformation, it felt very cavernous, stale, and cold,” the designer explains. “Our goal was to warm up the space and bring the ceiling down so it feels a little more intimate.”
Furniture played a key role in improving this room’s flexibility. A marigold-colored Oker sleeper sofa anchors the room, making it possible to get the loft guest-ready in a snap. “People think of sleeper sofas as what you’d sleep on when you went to your grandma’s house,” Cruz says. “I think manufacturers have come a long way to make a beautiful piece of furniture. Many of them have a foam element, so it automatically makes it more comfortable for people to sleep in.”
For a seamless experience, Cruz added charging stations to the room’s drawers and specifically selected a lightweight desk the couple can move when they’re expecting visitors.
Because the rest of the Austin home uses bold furniture, rugs, and art to create “an explosion of color,” Cruz wanted to do the same for the loft, and treated it like a jewel box. “When you drench a room, the color really creates this intimate feeling,” she explains. “It almost feels like you’re in a really swanky location like a cool bar or boutique hotel. It brings that coziness in.”
She used Ritual, a verdant hue from Color Atelier that offers a subtle nod to the rich architecture her clients often spot during their travels to Mexico and Colombia. Meanwhile, Cruz says the limewash effect softens the shade and makes it feel like “color is dancing throughout the room.”
“We wanted to make sure the color helps you focus during the day,” she adds. “Then, if you’re staying there for the night, it creates a space that really acts as an escape.”
“Our goal is to very rarely use overhead lighting,” Cruz says. “Recessed lighting is always nice to have, but we try our best to create other task lighting. That harsh, overhead lighting always causes a blur on your computer screen or it just feels too cool.”
Not only do the accent lights create a subtler, more layered glow, but each fixture also caters to one of the room’s functions. For example, the two sconces above the sleeper sofa deliver mood lighting during a post-work happy hour, or act as night-lights for overnight guests. The table lamp on the desk illuminates the client’s 9-to-5 grind, while the floor lamp near the lounge chair can make curling up with a good book a no-brainer.
Cruz’s clients are avid travelers, so it was crucial to incorporate some of their greatest adventures into the loft. The couple sourced a trio of photographs that document the immigration migration series from an artist in Mexico, which quickly became the jumping-off point for the entire room. “We thought [the color] was the perfect backdrop to serve as an initial canvas,” the designer reveals. “It could really highlight the art that they have and make it a focal point.” Cruz also hung a big boat they sourced from Indonesia above the loft’s window and added an array of trinkets to the shelves.
Admittedly, decorating with keepsakes can be challenging. After all, there’s a fine line separating a stylish space from one that resembles a souvenir shop. The secret, Cruz says, is to shop with intention. “My clients purchase a lot of things that have a lot of meaning to them and that are culturally aligned with where they went to visit,” she explains. “Wander the streets, pop into these little shops that don’t feel overly touristy, and see what you can find that moves you.”