AUGUST 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 71
INSIDE JOB
CREATING MULTIPURPOSE ROOMS
A ROOM FOR TWO OR MORE
BY ARLENE GROSS
If you have a spare room in your house,
several family members will no doubt
be clamoring to claim it as their own.
A perfect solution is to turn the space
into a multipurpose room, one that can
function as more than one thing to one
person.
Interior decorator Liz Kohart of Garden
City-based Liz Kohart Interiors did just
that, recently turning an unfinished
third-floor attic in Garden City into a
home office for dad and hangout room
for the teenage kids.
The room now has a built-in wall
unit with TV, shelving, cabinets, and
drawers, to store games and other recreational
items and seating, including
a sofa and two swinging basket chairs
that hang from the ceiling. An alcove of
the room is a dedicated office area for
the dad, who had been working from
home remotely during the Covid-19
pandemic.
Though the room is basically one big
open space, the office alcove, which has
a built-in desk, file cabinet and computer
monitors, is a somewhat self-contained
area set apart from the rest of the room.
DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS
Knowing that they intended to eventually
finish the attic, the owners, who bought
the house several years ago, had the space
completely climate controlled with heating
and air conditioning.
The renovation, which took 3 months,
included adding shiplap to the walls
and ceiling, which, Kohart says, brings
a casual, modern farmhouse look to the
space. Built-in window seats under the
eave serve both aesthetic and functional
purposes.
Recessed lighting was chosen to illuminate
much of the space because it takes up
less visual space in the room and makes
the room feel bigger, explains Kohart.
“With the addition of recessed lighting in
this space we were able to add high-hats on
different switches that all have dimmers,”
she adds. “So, we control the amount of
light and the intensity of the light.”
Starting from one big open room, the
contractor closed off some of the space for
closets and storage in the eave, leaving
the rest of the space open.
“For the built-in area, we used reclaimed
wood from old buildings from Manhattan
that’s really cool looking,” says Kohart.
OPTIONS, OPTIONS, OPTIONS
Though the dad has since returned to
work mostly outside the home, the new
room gives him and his family more
flexibility.
“He says maybe one day a week from
now on he’ll be able to work from home,
where that wasn’t an option before,” notes
Kohart.
Since the the room’s completion in January,
the family has made great use of it.
“Even when they entertain friends, they
Shiplap gives a
farmhouse feel to
the room.
Hanging chair
adds function
and whimsy.
all end up going up there and hanging out
because everyone loves it,” Kohart says.
Next to the new third-floor office/hangout
room, Kohart put finishing touches on a
new bathroom, complete with shower,
which opens yet another possible use for
the renovated space: a private suite for
guests.
How you choose to designate a multipurpose
room depends on your individual
needs.
A multipurpose room can accommodate
any combination of varied hobbies and
avocations, from quilting to scrapbooking,
painting, journaling, playing an
instrument, and composing music, to just
about anything your heart desires.
Alcove
provides some
privacy in the
space.
Comfy couch for
relaxation
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