As the leaves begin to change color and the air grows crisp, are you starting to feel the excitement of the approaching holidays? If so, you may have started dreaming up new ideas for decorating and even repurposing your garage for the colder months.
In any season, your garage can be more than just a place for storing vehicles. Your garage is an extension of your home and lifestyle.
In the winter, you may decide to decorate it for the holidays. As the weather turns, you may even redesign its interior to match your vision for creating a personal escape or themed entertainment space.
With a few simple sparks of creativity, turn your garage into a cozy space ready for entertaining friends and family or simply relaxing after a long day. Need some inspiration to get started? We share some of our favorites here.
24X36 double bay garage with copper weathervane, cupola, attic and side windows, double 6-Lite garage doors, and HardieShingle® and HardiePlank® siding.
Create Your Own At-Home Bar
A home bar creates an adult-friendly space for entertaining guests or winding down after a long week. With a few design and decor ideas, you can transform your garage into an at-home social gathering space–one that doesn’t require venturing out in the cold.
When designing your custom garage, consider adding a built-in bartop and shelving. Tap into your favorite design style and include a personalized feature wall with built-in shelving for displaying spirits and keepsakes. (Keep all non-kid-friendly items secured and clearly marked as off-limits.)
If you’re a sports fan, you may wish to turn your new watering hole into the ultimate sports bar and fan cave combo. Add a large wall-mounted television, keep some comfortable bar stools handy, and cheer on your favorite team in style.
Amp up the atmosphere to create a space that feels more like a night out than a night in. Start by adding mood lighting or stringing up twinkling rope lights around the perimeter. Set up a speaker system and curate a night-out playlist. Some other ideas to complete the experience include:
- A pool table
- Dartboards
- Arcade game cabinets
- Pinball machines
- A vintage-style jukebox
- Pub-style booth seating
- Built-in countertops for a back bar
An Office Space to Cut Out the Winter Commute
Commuting to work in the winter may start to feel like a chore. Drivers traveling more cautiously and weather-related traffic delays can add hours to your weekly car time. The drive alone may be reason enough to work from home whenever possible.
If you are lucky enough to have this option available, working from home can save you precious time in the winter. When kids are home on snow days, having a dedicated work area makes it easier to focus on the task at hand.
Creating a home office in your garage brings more peace and quiet, not to mention comfort, than working from a kitchen table. Use this opportunity to set up your desk where you’d like. Design a sit/stand area if that works best for you. Create a visual focal point with a built-in desk. Surround it with other features, such as custom shelving or ergonomic chair for all-day comfort.
Suppose you are just starting to pull together a vision for a new custom garage and envision using part of it as your personal office. In that case, you can also take advantage of this design stage, using this time to reflect on other features that would contribute to a cozy work environment. For example, do you imagine positioning your desk to face a specific direction or feature a specific view? Use custom window configurations, transom windows, and doorway placements to create views and allow in as much or as little sunlight as you prefer for your workspace.
A Gathering Place for the Holidays
Hosting friends and family for the holidays is a timeless activity that many homeowners enjoy. While the festive cheer makes all of the preparation and cleanup worthwhile, you may decide that you want a larger, more open space for hosting guests.
Turn part of your garage into a space for all things holidays. From singalongs to present wrapping parties, keep all holiday-themed entertaining contained to one open and easy-to-clean area.
To add instant holiday cheer, string up festive and colorful lights and deck the walls with themed decorations. You can even position a large dining table at the center of a bay to create a new space for a cookie swap or to exchange gifts.
If the idea of eating in a garage doesn’t sound appealing on the surface, use a little imagination to spruce your space so it doesn’t feel like a garage. Clear the walls of tools, relocate them to an upstairs loft, and refinish exposed walls with drywall for a roomier feel. Festive colors also look fantastic when contrasted with a soft shade of eggshell-white paint.
24X36 Completely Custom three-bay garage with extended eaves, additional wall height, gable dormer with extra-large window and shutters, custom insulated overlay garage doors with glass inserts, and Mastic Ply Gem® vinyl board and batten siding
Transform Your Garage Into a Multi-Room Space
An empty garage offers a blank canvas for near-limitless design ideas. However, you might also decide that you want to dedicate at least a portion of the interior bays to car or tool storage. If you’re looking for more entertainment or personal space, have you considered building up?
A two-story garage offers an entire second floor filled with possibilities. If building up isn’t possible, how about dividing up? With custom room partitions or built-in rooms, you can create two distinct spaces, each with its own unique character.
Design Your Own Custom Garage in New England This Season
Since 1962, our team at Post Woodworking has designed and installed countless custom buildings and garages across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine. Every dream garage is designed to reflect the vision of the person who dreamt it.
When you work with Post, we strive to match your vision as closely as possible to bring you an expertly-built turnkey garage that you may depend on for decades. To learn more about getting started on your own dream project, visit our Garages page or contact us anytime.
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