It’s been six years since we moved in, and still the bonus room befuddles us. At first glance, it seems like a basic square room with an alcove, but notice the six doors taking up the wall space. Four of the doors open into the room. These doors cause us grief for furniture placement.

First and foremost, we want a comfortable TV viewing area. We’d like to keep the 32-inch TV, stand and couch for now, but would consider a panel TV and sectional in a year or two. A great design may inspire my husband to spend the money for these updates sooner than later.

Second, we would like a hobby area. The alcove currently contains most of the hobby stuff. That area is often a mess and would need camouflage. Third, we would like a home office area.

We like modern/contemporary/simple design. The carpet is light blue, which is a bane to my decorating. I’d like a dark gray or putty or neutral wall color. Or different colors for different walls.

We have a shoestring budget and I’ll probably do most of the work myself.

Annette Sweetman

Raleigh

We asked M.A. Allen of MA Allen Interiors in Raleigh to tackle this design dilemma. She and her colleague Breanne Lutz collaborated and Allen writes:

This bonus room presents many challenges, but with a little creativity all your needs can be met. With six interior doors, windows, a sloped ceiling and the need to meet various uses, it took some thought to design a floor plan that could meet your functional needs and still be attractive. Here are several tips for transforming your bonus room into a highly functional and aesthetically pleasing space that includes an entertainment zone, craft area and home office.

Seating area: Say goodbye to your sofa and invest in a sectional. An L-shaped sectional would provide more seating and visually carve out a zone for TV viewing and conversation. A cocktail ottoman would add to the comfort. An area rug would help to ground this area and can draw attention away from the wall-to-wall carpeting you are not wild about. With this popular layered look, a flat woven rug would keep from adding too much bulk underfoot. Place the TV on top of your white window-pane chest for an attractive and functional entertainment cabinet.

Alcove: A major benefit to your space is the alcove, which gives the feel of a room within a room. We suggest you showcase this space instead of blocking it off and create an organized home office that can double as a hobby area. For a semi-custom desk, have a laminate countertop made to span the full 88 inches and buy a pair of inexpensive drawer units to center below the top. The drawer units would divide the space into two equal work stations below the window and allow craft and office supplies to be neatly tucked away. A pair of matching chairs would help unify the workspace.

Add fabric-covered bulletin boards on each side or a combination of tack-and-dry erase surfaces to fit your organizational needs.

Hobby area: In addition to the storage and work surface provided in the alcove, a craft table with cube ottoman seating would fit comfortably within the space. A table with a storage base below would be best.

The palette: Paint all walls, including the sloped areas, in Benjamin Moore Deep Silver. This color would work well with the light blue carpeting and give an up-to-date feel.To draw attention away from the secondary doors in the space, paint these attic doors and casing in the wall color. They will disappear! With gray walls and pale blue carpet, pops of yellow and red-orange would add a youthful and modern vibe.

MA Allen Interiors, Raleigh. MAAllenInteriors.com, 919-699-3131