This bedroom renovation project in Ottawa was about solving a personal challenge: turning a small room in our Old Ottawa East home into a high-functioning guest space and dance studio.

The shoemaker’s kids often go barefoot. As a Designer/Renovator, it finally came time to pay attention to our small two-bedroom home after our son had grown up and moved out. My partner and I have been ballroom dancing for the last 18 years and we wanted a flexible, multi-functional space that could accommodate guests and where we could practice our dancing.

Innovative Hide-a-Bed and Closet Solutions

It was time to create an innovative hide-a-bed solution. I thought it would be a great idea if our guests, while staying with us, could also easily hang and store their things. Our high-efficiency closet renovations for this room included bookend cabinets that conveniently accommodate hanging clothes in a large lighted half-closet above and store folded belongings in lighted frosted glass drawers below.

The top drawer functions as a bedside table to store nighttime supplies and has a built-in outlet to charge electronic devices. The lights turn on and off automatically when the closets and drawers are opened and closed.

The bed cabinet has two gooseneck reading lights that have built-in USB chargers. The lights above the painting are controlled by a touch-sensitive dimmer buried in the headboard shelf. When the headboard is dropped down it reveals a large storage space for a mattress topper and four pillows. Pulling two ring locks on the back panel of the storage space reveals the lighting modules for easy access. Once the bed is put up and away a master module turns off all the lighting in the bed cabinet.

Sustainable Materials: Bamboo Cabinetry

Bamboo was chosen for the construction of the cabinets for its low carbon and sustainable qualities. This focus on durability is a hallmark of our closet projects. Bamboo can mature in as little as 7 years as opposed to hardwoods which take 20-30 years to reach maturity. A final detail, a cold air return vent under one of the bookend cabinets, required the toe kick material to be a vent for air flow to the furnace.

What a sweet retreat.

Project Summary

• Location: Old Ottawa East, Ottawa

• Key Feature: Integrated Hide-a-bed system with sustainable bamboo.

Interested in a similar transformation? Explore our full range of Ottawa home renovation services or view the full Mason House whole-home transformation.