Redesigning Your Garage For Indoor Living

When it comes to multi-purpose rooms, I would be remiss if I did not talk about how to easily transform your garage into a usable indoor space.

I know that having additional space for your family to spread out is invaluable so let’s talk about a few repurposing ideas for your garage.

What can you turn your garage into?

Over the years I have personally helped transform client garages into playrooms, dance studios, recording studios, photography dark rooms, home offices, art studios and more. There are so many things your garage can be used for. It is exciting to think of the endless possibilities!

Before I was a professional organizer, I launched a travel writing/publishing agency in Florida. I started that company in our spare bedroom. When I expanded, we needed more room for another employee so the garage was the best solution. Since we owned our home, we decided to really go for it and do a complete garage to home conversion. We took out the garage door and installed a wall with a gorgeous large window. Carpet, drywall and paint followed and it turned into a really nice place to grow our business!

Obviously – that transformation was a permanent commitment but it served us for years and because we added a closet during the build, when we sold the house, it listed as a 4 bedroom instead of a 3 bedroom home.

As you can see – the options are limitless but just in case you don’t want to go that far, here are more tips to turn your garage into a usable room.

How do you turn a garage into a kids’ playroom?

A playroom is only one of the many things that you can create when you repurpose your garage. You might also consider turning this area into a family rec room or a study space if your kids are a bit older and need a quiet place to use for their virtual classroom.

If your kids are younger a playroom is the perfect option, especially if you have another garage in your home or you never use your garage to park your cars.

As you take care of all of the other details of your garage conversion, remember that kids are, as a rule, curious, and they’re going to push any button they can reach. So make sure to disconnect the garage door opener and that its wall button and/or remote are out of reach.

You can find really cool puzzle floor mats that are durable, colorful, and a lot softer than concrete. Grab a few of these and put them together in a configuration that makes sense for the area your kids will be using. For more ideas on zones and toy storage, see organizing your child’s playroom.

How do you set up a study area in the garage?

The biggest requirement for a virtual classroom is to make sure your wifi signal is optimal. If it is sketchy, you can always buy a booster, a new router or even consider upping your speed with your current internet provider.

We just did that and it makes a huge difference. If you have not checked into it lately, make a call or go online and see what new technology is available to wifi in your area.

The next consideration is a desk or a comfy chair if your teen lounges instead of sitting at a desk when studying. The large bean bag chairs can double as both chairs and loungers. You might want to hang a large tv or computer monitor and additional chairs so you can multi-purpose this space as a movie night room from time to time.

Good lighting for zoom calls and reading also is a big consideration as well as extension cords with power surge protectors. If your garage has a washer and dryer, ample electricity should not be a problem. If not, check to see how much power you can use with your current wiring system. You can borrow more ideas from organizing a study space in your child’s room.

What storage does a converted garage need?

Shelving and storage is critical for every garage, regardless of its purpose. Regardless of what you plan to do within your new ‘garage room’ make sure to add as much storage as you can.

Lining one wall with floor to ceiling wall to wall cabinets will prove to be a solid solution for any type of conversion. After all, the garage will still need to store seasonal decor, party platters and memory boxes – right?

Kids also tend to throw their toys everywhere, but if there’s a place for everything, then everything is more likely to go in its place. IKEA has a lot of really great kids’ storage bins, shelves, and other items that make cleanup easy and fast. You can use the bottom shelves of your wall to wall built in’s for their items.

What flooring and wall finishes work in a garage room?

When turning your garage into a ‘room’ as such, your flooring choice makes a huge impact. Basic concrete doesn’t exactly scream comfort and luxury, especially if it has oil stains all over the place.

I always recommend pouring stone epoxy flooring directly over your concrete and laying a nice area rug on top. This way you won’t have to rip out padding and carpeting later if you ever want, or need, your garage back.

Most garage walls are made of unfinished drywall. Even if your walls are painted, they may not have the same texture as the rest of your home. Finish off the walls with texture and a fresh coat of paint so it feels more like a part of your house. Make sure to avoid dark colors on the walls so that your man cave will not turn into a man dungeon! Stick with light, neutral colors that you can accent with other design features.

What does a real garage conversion look like?

Here is a case study that I made a few years back when we converted a garage into a temporary playroom/study area for a client. That garage was used for watching tv, working on crafts, and an extra playroom, and it still had to store the usual garage items including holiday decor and extra entertaining supplies. Wall-to-wall cabinets along the longest wall and furniture shifted into zones for each activity made it work.