A garage is an important aspect for a lot of homeowners. In most cases, it’s also quite a bit of unused square footage.
When designing a garage, you’ve got to think about what it is exactly you want. Do you want a storage space? Do you want functionality? Versatility? Practicality?
Finally, have the time dedicated to designing your dream garage? We’ve researched all sorts of garage design ideas; keep reading to see our top 17 ideas!
1. Natural Light
Why would you want natural light in your garage? Without light, a garage can be a dark, damp, and humid place. With those conditions, no one wants to spend any time in the garage! If you incorporate natural light into the garage, you’ll be more likely to clean and keep the space organized.
There are various ways to add natural light into the garage space, the most obvious being installing a couple of new windows. Suppose you don’t have the floorplan or budget to install windows. In that case, you can also go about purchasing a new garage door with windows at the top of the door or even a door where the panels are frosted glass, providing privacy but that much-needed natural light.
If neither of those options works for you, consider installing a simple skylight. If you need more ventilation in your space, you can also opt for a skylight that opens for the required airflow.
2. Tandem Garage
If you’re building a new home or a detached garage with a limited footprint, a tandem design might be perfect for you. You can have a simple one or two-car garage door, but the garage goes much further back and accommodates two, three, or even four vehicles!
With a tandem, you can also convert just one area into one of the ideas below and leave the rest for car storage. If you just want a tandem for vehicle storage alone, a drawback would be the added hassle of removing both the vehicle in the tandem and the vehicle parked in front of it.
3. Pegboarding
If you’ve got many tools cluttering up surfaces in the garage, consider hanging up some pegboard on the walls. This allows for all that clutter to be relocated to the walls for nice clean surfaces. It also allows for much easier locating when you need those tools!
Check out this pegboard organization kit on Amazon.
4. Wall Shelving
Wall shelving is a great design idea for adding extra storage to a small garage space. Or to just tidy up any garage space, for that matter, lifting things and off the ground.
Check out this garage shelf on Amazon.
5. RV Garage
This garage design houses your camper trailer! No more monthly rent going towards your camper storage. If you’ve just purchased a home with an RV garage but aren’t the camping type, this is the perfect design for adding in a loft!
6. Upstairs Loft
An upstairs loft is a convenient way to turn your garage design into a guest suite for visitors. It gives the homeowner and the guests all the privacy they could ever want.
7. Overhead Racks
Overhead racks make it incredibly easy to store seasonal items up and out of the way. You can store unused pet crates, Christmas light displays, and other odds and ends in these convenient storage options. The only real drawback to this design needs a ladder for access.
Check out this overhead rack kit on Amazon.
8. Wall Cabinetry
Wall cabinetry can really clean up a space. Having doors to conceal what’s inside is another lovely design aspect.
9. Epoxy Flooring
Epoxy flooring will reflect your lighting choices giving your garage an elegant makeover. Not only does the epoxy look attractive and smooth, but it also protects your flooring from chemical spills from a car or other garage work you might engage in. It also conceals any pre-existing defects your flooring has. There are all sorts of epoxy finishes, from speckled flakes to stones.
10. Interlocking Tiles
Interlocking garage tiles are fast becoming popular. There are generally two kinds to chose from, PVC or high-impact polypropylene (plastic polymer). They’re affordable, easy to install, and durable. They’re great for creating an anti-slip surface for colder weather climates and help reduce snow and mud from being tracked into the house.
There are a few drawbacks with the interlocking tiles; if you’re in a warm sunny climate, the tiles tend to buckle when in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time. The PVC-made ones also tend to stain, so it’s recommended to pick a grey or black design for car use.
Check out these PVC interlocking floor mats on Amazon.
Check out these polypropylene interlocking tiles on Amazon.
11. Hanging Rails
Any wall organization smartly uses unused wall space for storage and helps keep the garage clutter down. These rails have a wide range of attachments you can choose from to find your perfect design layout.
Check out this rail hanging kit on Amazon.
12. Car Lift
Have a teen in the house that’s now driving? Need to fit another car in the garage? Car lifts transform your one car into a two-car, two-car into a three-car, and so on.
You could also take a two-car garage space and stack two on one end to free up the empty one-car side for workspace.
13. Workout Space
Transform your garage into your own personal gym, all while keeping the bulky gym equipment out of the house.
14. Workbench
As seen in this example, you can design many different kinds of workbench solutions for your space. This particular design has an entire wall of storage space on top of an extended countertop workspace for all those projects.
15. Garage Bar
A great design idea for a garage is to transform it into your very own bar. Perfect for hanging out with friends or throwing the perfect party.
16. Man Cave
Design the perfect relaxing, fun spot to watch the game or hang out with the guys.
17. Garage Theater
Put in a big screen and have fun with the family or friends. You could enhance the theater environment with some vintage movie posters, a popcorn machine, and surround sound!
tage vinyl movie posters on Amazon.
In Summary
As you can see, there are a variety of design ideas for your garage space. It doesn’t have to just be an area to store vehicles. You can easily turn the garage into beneficial extra square footage for your home to entertain, have fun or change into a valuable workspace that best fits you and your needs.