Dividing work/sleep sections of a bedroom

[redskyatnight]

Hoping the inventive minds of Mumsnet might be able to suggest some solutions for this.

Basically the scenario is that we want to put a desk for DS to wfh into a bedroom, but want some way of "hiding" the desk bit from the bedroom bit so that the bedroom doesn't feel like a workspace and vice versa.

I am thinking of something like a screen, as we'd want the option to move it easily. Are there other alternatives?

Classic mumsnet - do you have a diagram of room layout / furniture?

In uni I had my desk behind my headboard - almost against a wall, so I couldn't see it when I was relaxing 😂

It was like this, so desk was at the back, then the bed and other furniture.

If you have a branch of IKEA nearby, I'd go for a browse there - my favourite thing about looking around IKEA is the clever and inventive room set-ups where they use one space in multiple ways. It might give you some inspiration!

You can get hideaway desk units like this one. Might be worth considering?

www.dunelm.com/product/bryant-hideaway-cabinet-1000229681

Can you sketch out the current layout of the room?

Should have known I'd be asked for a diagram!

I am not artistic, and this is not to scale. And also my first Mumsnet diagram, so please be nice :) .
Any of the furniture can be moved, and the storage can be swapped out for something else. This just seemed like the most efficient layout.

Image didn't save properly ...

Just swap the chair to be against the wall and desk where the chair is . You could add a curtain between bed and desk

Hang a thicker curtain along the side of the bed, with the main opening at the far right.

Turn the desk 90° to the left and put it along the bottom end of the bed (with the curtain between bed and desk).

Put the Storage down in the corner facing the door.

This way the main work area gets the window and the bed is more tucked out of the way.

The room really isn't big enough to do anything different to today.

My friend who has recently done a house refurb has a set-up with a bed/desk combo, where the bed folds up against the wall to reveal the desk underneath. It’s a very clever solution, but not cheap, I imagine…

A room divider with a flip down desk would be a possible solution. Or a cheaper alternative is just an IKEA Kallax filled with nice things.

Also might work well when the bed is rarely needed, but if the bed is to be slept in every night, and the desk is being used full time, then both need to be suitable for that.

You could put the head of the bed on the right hand side and put a hard panel divider in between that and the window. That would very effectively block his view of the desk from his bed. If there is enough space you could use bookshelves or a cube unit mounted securely to wall and floor. Consider having one that is not too tall so that he can have light coming over to his pillow still, but it still blocks his view of the desk from the bed when sat down. You might need good artificial lighting round his pillow area. Or a curtain could be cosy if he fancies it.

We looked into fixed, solid panel dividers when we were doing DH's room and found some nice ones that were solid at the bottom and cut out at the top, but unhelpfully I can't remember where from. Ultimately he decided the side on view of the desk and more light was better.

However I wonder if this is all over-engineering. Honestly just putting his headboard on the right hand wall so he is "pointing" away to the left, lowish bed, tallish bedside table next to it and a big lamp would really change the orientation so he could hardly see the desk from where he'd lie in bed anyway. Zone it with interesting decor round the bed end of the room. You could even put up a mural on the top or left hand wall, or a screen at the foot of his bed if he will be gaming on his bed. It would really draw his eye away from the boring desk corner.

Nice diagram.