Beautiful room, but can I make a suggestion. It's always been said that we shouldn't change our children's room when they go off to college, at least for the first year.

If your son thinks it fine, then by all means do it. My boys would always come home once or twice a month on weekends, and I know they loved the comfort and familiarity of their rooms.

Maybe you can take the drapery fabric to Benjamin Moore and have them color match it then lighten it by 50% for the walls. I'd do an even lighter version of the gray for the ceiling. I think that fabric would also look very graphic and cool framed, taking that as inspiration, I'd try to find 3 prints that can relate to each other graphically and frame each one to make a set for one wall.

A few years ago, I found some napkins in a really fun print at Pottery Barn outlet. The colors matched the blues & greens we used in our office perfectly so I decided to use them to make a valance for the window. There was one napkin left over so I framed it and I love the way it looks. I could see you doing the same thing with some graphic prints and think it would be fun.

Here's what ours looks like. I know it's bright, but we love color and our office was the "let's get crazy with color" room. :c)

As I started reading your post, my first thought for his room was to go grey, a deep charcoal would be my preference, rather than the color in the inspiration room.

We recently painted our room grey with stark white trim, drapery and bedding, but I use a lot of orange and red for color contrast. I love the bedding, the drapery and the rug you've chosen...perfect for a young man who wants to study graphic design.

Wait - you have a budding graphic artist in your midst, and you aren't going to let him have a hand in designing the room, and adding a focal wall with some graphic designs of his creation?

I would certainly be asking him for his input. If he has a talent for his chosen field, I bet he has a good eye.

Ditto what Oakleyok said. I would move on to a different room. Leave his until his is no longer coming home for summers, many week ends, Even then I would hesitate. Once you change it he will no longer FEEL it is his room. Is that the message you want to give him?

What does your son think of the grays from the other rooms you have already redone? Does he like it or does he say (like my son) "Gray? What about color?"

I have had to redecorate this house with constant comments from my son. It doesn't help that he is colorblind and all the various shades of grays read "no color" to him. But if your son is really interested in updating his room and he likes the urban look you are leaning towards, then I say go for it. Some kids love to get an updated look, especially if it means it is more sophisticated.

I would first pick the fabric you want to use for the curtains, then find a color that matches and use a color on the strip either a shade or two (either lighter or darker) away from the match.

I also suggest if you want to be in control of the project but want his input, then find 2 colors for the walls that you would find acceptable. Give him the choice.

In my bathroom where I used BM Nimbus, I used the same color on the ceiling and only I can tell. It looks lighter than the walls, so it appears to be a different color. Keep that in mind. Don't go dark on the ceiling it will make the room look too short.

The WE orange bedding is really nice. Did you know shipping is free until Monday on bedding? Not to pressure you...

Here is a link that might be useful: West Elm's sale

"Wait - you have a budding graphic artist in your midst, and you aren't going to let him have a hand in designing the room, and adding a focal wall with some graphic designs of his creation?

I would certainly be asking him for his input. If he has a talent for his chosen field, I bet he has a good eye. "

Ditto!

My son is in graphic design and he had a hand in his room re-do a few years back.
He DID have a good eye!

I didn't mean to imply that I was surprising him with a makeover and he would just come home to find his room not his room anymore. This is his second year of college and last year he managed to get home about every six weeks for a weekend and then was home for an extended time during the holidays.

My son is not into decorating! Even though he likes the changes I have made to the other two rooms, he doesn't get why I "needed" to change them. (He also has great disdain for my "need" for a clean house). He has approved a gray graphic print for the drapes and likes the duvet. He's not sure about a greige for the walls but doesn't say what color he would prefer in it's place. He has also given a thumbs down to a turquoise pillow. Bummer.

I will however, ask him to put together his vision for him room and report back.