Looking back at how my sons decorated their rooms, I'd say a neutral background, a large bulletin board or homasote covered in some fabric (as big as can fit) with colorful push pins, and lots of space to hang posters. Let the color in the room come from this.

I would not do gray walls as a backdrop to the bed set. The set has nice modern lines and a gray wall would dilute it. Yet an all beige room might make it look like a prison cell. It all depends.......... How big is the room? The fact that you chose an "all in one" set makes me think the room is quite small. If so using a light color wall with the dark carpeting would be the way to go especially with the poor amount of natural lighting you say the room gets.

I like your idea of doing contrasting walls though. Maybe a very warm cream or the dusty blue you mentioned, for the wall with the bed and adjoining walls and a gray accent wall on the other side to balance things out. I would not do stripes on the wall with all the lines the bed set has. Too much going on. If you like the idea of stripes in the room maybe do wide stripes with the curtains. It all depends on the size of the room and the placement of the window to the bed.

Is your son going to "finish" decorating the room with all his own stuff from his hobbies? You sound like you want to keep it plain and simple as a background to the cluttery stuff he is going to set around the room. This sounds like a good way to go. Otherwise, if there is not going to be a lot of stuff going in the room, I would try to go with a softer print for the curtains to avoid a harsh sterile look that solid curtains would give.

You've got some great ideas for the room and have obviously given it a lot of thought. It is just a matter of picking the idea you (and your DS) like best.

When choosing colors remember the 60/30/10 rule and the fact that black and white are neutrals and don't count in the formula. And don't forget adding that little pop of Red to the room.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zumi

Found some inspiration: Googled the image gallery for glaciers:

Am liking the color schemes a LOT:

I can work with this...
(btw, DS is away at camp this week. This will be a room-redo surprise for him. He's easy, and as long as it's not pink polka-dots, he'll be fine with it.)

as usual, I'm being delusional. I went to HD at lunch and decided to go with a simple faux denim finish. I may do it on 2 walls or all 4...haven't decided that part yet.
DH again is thrilled (rolleyes).

When I did time at the Tutweiler prison for women I had a bed similiar to that. I'm kidding I'm kidding, I think the bed is perfect for a student.

How about a cranberry color with the gray?

.....Jane

I was only teasing and I would never hurt anyone's feelings. Hope you took it as just that.

Good luck with your room.

.....Jane

I would not do grey, as I think the bed would disappear.

What are his favorite colors, or his school colors, or the colors of his favorite team?

With the midnight blue carpeting, I could see an orange accent wall (maybe the wall the bed is on), the rest in the denim finish soft grey-blue, or all the walls in an apple green.

No curtains, but mini blinds in the same finish as the bed.

Mmqchdygg, in your first post you said you did not want to bring up any of the dark, Ink Blue color of the carpeting into the rest of the room, and now, you go buy Faux Denim Blue paint for the walls. So, if I am understanding this right the walls are going to be dark Blue and have texture? I'm not feeling it for the way you described the room. Faux Denim that I've seen has always been pretty dark and a texture going on with the walls in a small room doesn't seem like the best way to go either.

If you have your heart set on the Faux Denim definitely just do the one accent wall opposite the bed. I liked your original ideas in your initial post.

Do you have a photo of the room?

Hi dilly-
I put the colors that I've got going on so far down below. So far, I've done the base color (Misty Surf) on the "door wall" and the left wall with 2 windows). I'm really liking it, and it's got just a touch more blue tone when dry than the color card looked; that's fine (it's probably just the lighting in the room)
Les, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of the orange accent wall (or even just a 1/4 of one of the solid walls since there's a closet door) Can you give me an idea where you'd put that after you see the setup below, please. I don't know why I'm hooked on a giant horizontal stripe on a wall, but that's what I'm thinking- either behind the bed or on that right wall with the closet. I don't want it to look like a cheetos bag, though LOL.
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Carpet:
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Base Color (clicky thumb):
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"Denim" design overlay (clicky thumb):
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The room (enter from the bottom right) door swings open to the right against the right wall, which has a walk-in closet. Two windows are on the left wall, and one to the left of the bed on that same wall. I put the futon in the right corner, and he's got one of those round chair-things that I'll put in that other corner. Presently, he has a bureau, but his closet has wire shelving and a white wire bins ("Closetmaid" thingy) so he technically has no need for a bureau. So the other issue I'll have is what to put in the rest of the space other than his card-table that he likes to do puzzles on...
The room is 14 x 14, as I recall.

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He's not a sports fanatic. Could care less. But his HS colors will be Red & White. (for the record, I just got rid of the red/white/blue thing that he's had going on in here for 7 years. Red curtains, red/white/blue patchwork quilt, some americana wood-thing hanging from the wall...the curtains alone made the room look SO dark!)

This is what I'm shooting for- a 'faded' denim look:

I like the idea of silvery-gray walls that cause that big honkin piece of furniture to recede into the background. Don't get me wrong, it's perfect for the room, but it is a small space and that is an imposing piece.

When I did time at the Tutweiler prison for women . . .

So, Jane, what did you do time for? Some sort of really bad decorating crime is my guess. A faux project that went very wrong?

hi gray-
Actually, the room is very large. The ceilings are 8' and the new bed takes up only the amount of space as a twin sized bed. His old bed was a hand-me-down queen bed, and fit the room better, but I wanted to give him something more trendy, and that he could potentially take with him to college or studio apt if necessary. So this piece actually gives him yet MORE space in the room.
I think what would be perfect for this room might be some sort of 'project table'...even a steel garage table that would match the gray of the bed frame.
We'd prefer not to provide a TV in his room (we don't see him enough as it is!), and currently limit his non-homework computer time. There's just a serious amount of unused space now on the long 'inside' wall where there is only the doorway. Course, we could rethink the position of his bed, and put it on that wall...we'll have to see how it all plays out.

I need to research what other types of furniture are typically in a teen room- esp with the lack of a bureau.

Cover a really large piece of homasote in orange fabric and mount to the long wall. That will give you the orange accent and provide ample space for your son to personalize his space.

I have to say that 14x14 is a HUGE room for a kid. Lucky guy!

How about a drafting table?

Would he want a place to display his special items? My son doesn't have a bureau in his room either, but he has a set of cube shelves that he uses to store books, games, and items that he wants to display. Our set came from Target, but I almost wish I had seen the Ikea version first.

My son is also using a rolling cart (minus the wheels) for a garage as a nightstand. It's roomy and has that industrial look that fits well in a young boy's room.

I would suggest a few beanbags for guest seating, but I see that you have a futon and chair. You already have plenty of seating. Let him hang a few posters on the wall, and you are set!

Nin

Back with pix. I must say that this is THE easiest textured paint job EVER!!! I got me one of these super-duper size paint brushes and away I went tonight!
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From the doorway looking left:
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From bottom-left of diagram looking right toward closet
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Opposite Wall from doorway:
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From closet toward windows (left wall there has first coat of base-color on it)
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Vertical layer with flash & without:
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The lighting in the late afternoon/early evening:
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Hey, what is wrong with a Cheetos bag, especially from the perspective of a high schooler? LOL

I think I would move the bed unit to the wall that the door is on. That way when you look into the room it isn't the first thing that you see, so that it overwhelms the space. Also, I think the wall it is on currently could be put to better use.

Be sure you mount some kind of shelf up on the wall by the bed, so that he can put an alarm clock up there. You will want to mount a swing-arm lamp up on the wall so that he can read in bed and not have to get down to turn off lights. Have a comforter, not a bedspread, for ease of making the bed. This bedding from Penney's might be perfect:

stan comforter

I would get a drafting table or something along those lines, and put that in the corner where the windows all meet. That will give him great light for working on schoolwork and puzzles. Then the two seating pieces can be down that wall and into the opposite corner a bit near the closet door. Maybe a inexpensive small plastic or RTA table between the two seating pieces.

I would do the orange as a stripe that runs around the room, as wide and at the same level as the space between the bottom of the bunk and the back support brace on the bed unit (about desk height. That should put it just above about 30 inches at the bottom, so just above chair rail height.

Behind the desk in that area, instead of just an orange stripe, make it orange-painted corkboard or bulletin boards so that he has a place to hang stuff related to school and other reminders, a calendar, etc.

I would look for other ways to bring in the orange, like painting the fam blades, a couple of throw pillows in a wild print that includes the blues and oranges, orange frames on artwork or photos.

You could also consider adding orange stitching lines to your denim walls, done every so many inches to mimic the stitching on denim jeans.

Oh, and I don't think a 14x14 room is small at all. Our younger son had a similar unit in his room when younger, and that space was 10.5x11 with 8 ft. ceilings. Didn't overwhelm that room at all. More room than two people have in the typical college dorm room, too.

Looks like you have had fun and done a great job on the walls!

Having the bed on the other wall will also mean that guests/passersby won't see the bed if it is unmade.

Also meant to say that having it on the other wall means it won't visually overtake the space when you look in the room.

les- more great ideas!

Well, the good news is that the DH came home last night and thought the first vertical layer looked "pretty cool." I know he had doubts about the whole thing. I don't even DARE mention the orange stripe...he'll flip his lid.
The bad news is that I'm so pressed for time, I'm feeling overwhelmed by all this...dammit why didn't we think of this last week?! (he's been at camp for 2 weeks; comes home Saturday morning)
That "Stan" bedding is fantastic! But how would that look with 'just' the comforter I wonder...w/out all the accessory pieces to make "the whole look."
I quit early last night because I simply was tired after work, but should have at least rolled out the rest of the base color on the other walls. DH said he'd help me get it done.

Changing subject...
By the way, has anyone got actual pictures of how to seal painter's tape? I keep reading threads about how to get clean lines (I didn't even bother trying to keep the paint off the trim last night and simply opted for a wet rag at the end of the job- worked just as easy), but I know if I go with this orange stripe that I'll need to figure it out. Need some help with that, please. Thanks.

Oh, and I have to apologize for the mess in the room & closet. FWIW, the pictures you see are stuff piled on every horizontal surface (bureau, bookcase, and the card table), but the floor is clean :D This room will be spotless when he comes home, even if we have to do a mad stash & dash to do it. And let's just not talk about the rude cactus that ended up in every shot up there that I had to censor-out to post here.

More progress. Got the first big wall completely done, and it looks great! DH surprised me when I got home and decided to help, and had everything moved to the center of the room, and had his shop lights set up ready to go. HUGE help! So the entire room is done base-paint, and 2 more walls done vertical strips. Tonight I'll do the horizontals on those two walls, and hopefully the vertical on the last wall, with the final horizontal texture tomorrow night. DH will have to be assigned clean-up, since I don't think he'll want to do the broom painting. I don't really care if it even just involves throwing everything in his closet just to get the room cleaned.

Still contemplating the orange strip across the center of the wall...Did a visual on the computer and I like it, but it's one of those things you grit your teeth and make that sucking in air sound while you say "I just don't KNOW."

I bought this bedding yesterday, and three throw pillows. Not that you can even SEE it up there...but we have absolutely nothing for twin bedding in the house, so had to do it. Got a decent deal at Target: Got comforter, three decorative throw pillows, and a set of sheets for $65.

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Orange strip...think think think...

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bag the orange stripe. I found this at Target today in the clearance section:

Oh geez!!!

I just FLIPPIN' realized...
I'M BACK TO THE RED/WHITE/BLUE AGAIN!!!!

By the way, has anyone got actual pictures of how to seal painter's tape?

Two suggestions: I haven't used it yet, but there is a brand of painters tape called Frog Tape that is supposed to be excellent. It is green in color.

Second: after you apply the painter's tape, you first paint over the edge of the tape and onto the wall with the opposite color. Let it dry then paint with the color you want that area to be.

In order words, with an orange stripe on a white wall, apply the painter's tape and paint over it in white. Let it dry, then paint the orange stripe as you normally would. The layer of white stops the orange from bleeding under the tape.

When you remove the tape, peel it back close to itself at a 180 degree angle, don't stand back and peel off 5 feet of tape at a 90 degree angle.