This Yellow Guest Room Moonlights as a Study and Soon-to-Be Piano Studio

One nightstand/desk with so many possibilities.
multicolored accent wall in yellow guest room

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A sewing room. A home gym. A study. A soon-to-be-music studio. Squeezing all that into one humble guest room is a tall order, but Claudia Dorsch made it happen with the help of a few smart additions. “Before she came along, this room was a dump!” says homeowner Kat, who brought on the designer to upgrade the Hampstead Heath home she shares with her husband and three kids. “It had piles of clothes, baby toys, and a huge bed from our previous flat, plus spare mattresses and various pieces of furniture that didn’t fit the space.”

After clearing everything out and slicking on a coat of Farrow & Ball’s Babouche as the vibrant backdrop, Dorsch got to work. Bulky ski equipment (the bedroom moonlights as an extra closet in its spare time) is tucked neatly away in the bed’s base; a sculptural pendant from British brand Original BTC delivers charm with a low carbon footprint. There’s ample room for visitors—Kat’s parents come over from Australia to stay with the family for up to three months each year—and enough space for day-to-day activities. This is due, in large part, to one fixture in particular: The storage units flanking either side of the bed. 

yellow guest room with sculptural pendant
Photography by Claudia Dorsch Interior Design

The modular system is from Vitsoe, perfectly tailored to her client’s needs. On the left, Dorsch employed it as a more traditional nightstand—it has three drawers, and the bottom two currently house office and homework supplies. 

On the right, things get more creative: The hanging box flips up to reveal sewing supplies, while the desk is permanently folded out to accommodate anyone who needs to use it. Double sockets underneath the units are there to charge phones and laptops. Dorsch even left space for an heirloom upright piano that’ll eventually be moving in—it seems impossible, but she measured out the space between the wall and the bed to specifically accommodate the instrument. 

For anyone living with roommates without a functional workspace, take a page from the smart design to create your own multipurpose office. The best part: Each unit can easily be rearranged as needs change. It’s a simple addition, but it took care of every storage requirement, leaving the bold style of the bedroom to speak for itself—so much so that it’s one of Kat’s favorite parts of the whole home. “When we continued the renovations throughout the rest of the house, my husband and I spent two months sleeping here,” she says. “To be honest, I love everything about this room.” 

Three Drawer

Vitsoe
$None

Desk Shelf

Vitsoe
$None

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Elly Leavitt

Writer and Editor

Elly enjoys covering anything from travel to funky design (tubular furniture, anyone?) to the latest cultural trend. Her dream apartment would exist on the Upper West Side and include a plethora of mismatched antique chairs, ceramic vessels, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases—essential to her goal of becoming a poor man’s Nora Ephron. You can probably find her in line at Trader Joe’s. You will never find her at SoulCycle.