Mother-in-law suites allow aging parents to have their own spaces when living with their adult children. These areas provide a nice private spot for your loved one so they can have time and space to themselves. While typical suites may be as large as 600 square feet or more, some rooms may be much smaller due to the architecture of the home. Here are some design ideas when working with limited space.
Decide What To Have In The Space
A mother-in-law suite may have a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. If space is limited, you may have to eliminate certain areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom, as they will share the main rooms in the rest of the home. Often, the suite will be one large studio room without walls. You may decide to make certain areas smaller or combine them into other spaces, such as having a walk-in kitchen in the living room.
Standing Furniture For Organization
Building out exterior walls or adding in walls just to have a walk-in closet, or built-in bookcase or entertainment shelving can take up a lot of exterior wall space. Instead, keep the floor space open and place in standing furniture. A wall unit can hold electronics while also providing shelves and drawers to hold everyday items. A standing closet provides closet rods, drawers, and shelves for clothing while also having doors to shut everything away.
Multi-Purpose Furniture To Increase Floor Space
Having tons of bulky furniture can take up floor space and make mobility difficult for people who may have medical issues. Opting for multi-purpose furniture can offer enough storage while also keeping the area from looking cluttered. Folding chairs that turn into small step stools, tables that can be extended, and benches that also hold hidden storage compartments are great ways to make the space more comfortable. Also consider installing a wall bed with a frame that holds shelves and drawers. The wall bed can go into the frame to increase the available floor space and make it easier to move around the small mother-in-law suite.
There are many ways to make a small space into a practical and welcoming mother-in-law suite. Closet & Storage Concepts Northern New Jersey can create design ideas that work with your limited space. Reach out to one of our design experts to talk about your project.