Guest Bedroom Addition

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, I was in the midst of adding an in-law suite to the back of my house. The new space–consisting of a bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet–would eventually increase the footprint of our home by an additional 500 square feet.

The previous Autumn, my mother decided to leave the home she shared with my daddy (who passed away the year before), in order to spend her golden years with me and her grandchildren. My sister and I were elated by the decision because it meant we could stop worrying about her being all alone more than one thousand miles away from either of us. I was also thrilled at the prospect of raising my children in a multi-generation household.

Plagued with lifelong issues with her knees, my mom would need accommodations that placed the least amount of strain on them. The guest bedroom upstairs only exacerbated her pain, so I began designing the in-law suite of her dreams. After a couple of rounds with the structural engineer to get the layout just right, we broke ground on the addition in the early Spring of 2020.

Sadly, my mom passed away rather suddenly by summer–leaving the project in question. We were far enough along that it didn’t make sense to stop, nor would that have been fair to our contractor (a man I had worked with for years and consider a friend). So, I proceeded forward and it will now serve as a guest bedroom until (someday) I am too old to make it up and down the stairs (many, many years from now)!

Here’s the layout I came up with.

Above all else, I want my home to exude warmth and comfort. Far more important than colors and fabrics in creating a harmonious space, however, is adding architectural details appropriate to the period and facade of the home; placing windows in just the right places to maximize natural light while maintaining privacy; and installing light fixtures, switches and outlets that enhance the design features of the room.

I also put a lot of thought into creating a space that would accommodate someone who is disabled. Since it will now serve as a guest bedroom and I have a few friends/relatives who are disabled, it’s important to me that my guests be able to move around independently and unhindered when they come to visit. Space planning was critical to this task. There needs to be ample room for a wheelchair to maneuver around furniture and through doorways. I shattered my ankle a few years ago (which required surgery and months of rehabilitation), and I have vivid memories of how difficult it was getting around on a knee scooter and (later) a crutch. While I shall be forever grateful to my family for the love and devotion they showed me during those painful months of recovery, it was a humbling experience being so dependent on others.

Stay tuned for more post highlighting my design plans for the room, as well as the eventually unveiling of the space. I can’t wait to share how it all turned out.

~ Louise