10 Ideas for Decorating a Coach House

Coach houses are increasingly becoming popular among Americans who want an inexpensive alternative home. Chicago is among the latest cities to legalize coach houses for the first time in six decades. Back in June 2021, the city received more than 160 applications for coach houses and granny flats. The city's housing department notes that coach houses will expand access to affordable housing units and help homeowners generate additional income to offset home expenses such as maintenance costs and taxes. As a property owner, decorating your coach house increases the home's value. You'll also have more tenants knocking, hoping to occupy the house. If you're not planning to rent it, adding a few accents will improve the house's functionality and general organization. Remember, decorating a home is about fitting it to work with your aesthetic preferences—not against you.

So, how can you transform your old or newly-built coach house into a spectacular home or workspace? Should you get brand-new or repurposed materials? Check out these ten ideas:

1. Give the Coach House's Lounge a Revamped Look

The lounge of a coach house is pretty small, but that doesn't mean it should feel less energizing. You want the place to feel relaxed, warm, and inviting—the perfect energy for starting the day. You can achieve this with a mix of new and repurposed items from your main house. For instance, you can add old but classic art to face the entry. This will help you stage the lounge's inviting décor.

You can also add ceramic wall sculptures. These accents feature minerals, clay, and ceramic constructions to withstand moisture and other harsh elements. They'll go a long way in saving repair costs. And since they repel moisture and liquids, they are easy to clean.

Even better, you have a myriad of options when it comes to ceramic wall sculptures. If you want a classic ambiance, you can go for sculptures that simulate wood or burnt cement. There are also white ceramic wall sculptures if you want to keep things neutral.

2. Add Heritage Décor Windows

Some accents to add to your coach house include Heritage Décor Windows that are relatively durable and elegant. These windows are highly reflective to make your living space seem bigger than how it looks now. Moreover, the window arcs and panes feature a textured design to make your house stand out. You can paint the texture to match your property's theme and color.

The automotive-grade plastic resin construction gives unparalleled longevity that withstands the test of time and bad weather. The windows also fit well into standard coach house hinges and handle kits. However, you can buy a whole set, including hinges from Coach House Accents.

You don't have to spend much installing these windows because you can complete the job in a simple DIY process. The installation kit includes easy-to-follow instructions, installation hardware, and two simulated windows for quick reference.

3. Bathroom Facelift

Bathroom hygiene and organization are important. You would want to consider adding a modern wooden box for holding towels and toiletries. You can buy the materials from your local woodworking company or reuse old wooden crates. For the walls, painting them white sounds like a good option to maintain a neutral look.

Consider installing a bigger window because the bathroom space is already tiny. JDALL honeycomb blinds from Amazon will do a great job offering privacy when the bathroom is in use. They also provide better insulation than traditional curtains for maximum protection against heat and cold.

4. Create a Cozy Corner for Reading/Working Space

If the coach house comes with a porch, you can turn that space into a reading spot. The area is already small, and you don't have to go for sophisticated tables or desks. You can bring in Mainstays Outdoor Wood Porch chair from Walmart. The chair is available in black, brown, and natural, depending on the theme that inspires your productivity. You can swing back and forth while reading or working from your computer for more comfort, especially if you intend to take the day off on the porch.

It can also get cold sometimes. Get a few outdoor rugs from Alapash New Home to keep your feet warm. You can also get an outdoor curtain from the same retailer to protect you from sun and rain, or even cold when reading at night.

5. Living Area in a Coach House: Sofas or Chairs?

When decorating your coach house living room, draw inspiration from your favorite hotel lobby—the setting should aim to achieve a balance of class and intimacy. It might look small, but this is where you have all the conversations with your visitors. For instance, a U-shape sofa or two chairs facing each other can inspire intimate conversations. You can also arrange your furniture in H-shape for the same purpose.

So, chairs or sofas will do; it all depends on space and your aesthetic preferences. However, you should avoid one thing—don't push the furniture against appliances or walls. This will make the room look cramped up. The goal is to make everyone comfortable and also give them ample space to stroll around. If you float furniture away from the walls and hang mirrors in that space, the room will look bigger and cozier. Also, don't go for repurposed furniture unless they are of intrinsic value. You're giving your coach house a revamped look, and it will help if everything looks pristine.

6. Have a Mirror in at Least One Room in Your Coach House

We already indicated the need to hang mirrors in your living room. They make the space feel bigger even though it's small. You can do the same to every room that feels cramped up.  If you opt for bigger mirrors, the better. Incoming light will reflect all over the rooms.

So, where do you place the mirror? This actually depends on the design of the coach house and your aesthetic preferences. You can hang mirrors directly opposite a big window. Nevertheless, experts say the position of a mirror doesn't matter that much because sun rays enter the room from different angles, depending on the time of the day. It's better to have a wrongly positioned mirror than to have none at all.

7. Get More Brightness in the Kitchen

Having new naked windows in the kitchen is better than outdated, ugly ones. However, that doesn't sound classy either. You want more light through the kitchen, but again, everything should be elegant and functional. In that case, think about full-length panels paired with classy shears. You can control the amount of light entering the kitchen while also keeping up with elegance.

On a different note, regular sheers can wear out quickly if your kitchen windows receive a considerable amount of sunshine. Thus, we recommend going for colors that don't shade easily, such as grey. Also, window panels blend well with lightweight fabric such as cotton, silk blends, and linen.

8. Artwork on Your Living Room Walls

Here you have to think like an artist—like the artwork is yours, and you want to showcase it in the most visible way possible. Hanging small artwork very high on the wall is ridiculous unless you're hiding it from someone. Instead, position the middle of the painting at an average eye level. That way, anyone entering the room, whether tall or short, can have a perfect view.

In the same spirit, have scale in mind. Large walls are better with oversize artwork or small-sized pieces of art grouped in gallery-style. If you opt for gallery-style, the space between each painting should be around two to four inches.

9. Layer Your Lighting

Lighting décor rules are the same, whether it's in your main house or the coach house. Your coach house should have at least two types of lighting, including ambient and accent. Ambient lighting usually provides illumination across the room. It can include light coming from ceiling fixtures. You can also have ambient lighting on a kitchen island because that space needs a lot of illumination.

On the other hand, accent lighting helps to highlight your décors, such as wall arts and potted plants. Another tip when lighting your coach house is to place the light source in a corner, facing upwards. The glow cast on the ceiling will make the room look bigger.

10. Declutter Your Coach House

You can finish your decoration project by decluttering the house to get rid of anything you no longer need. Coach houses are not that generous in terms of space. The longer you stay there, the more you'll see items that occupy unnecessary space. You can take these items to the garage or repurpose them into outdoor accents.

Give Your Coach House a Pristine Look

Draw inspiration from these décor ideas and turn that coach house into a place you're proud to call home. Most of these ideas are simple, and you can employ them as DIYs. However, if you don't trust your skills, you can hire a professional to help you. It will take a professional a few hours to decide what needs to be where and which items to get rid of.