Room of the Day: A Boy’s Bedroom to Move Through Tween and Teen Years
Reorganizing the space with a new study desk, bed, seating and storage gives him room to grow
As kids leave childhood behind, their rooms can be a challenge to decorate. Often the existing rooms don’t accommodate teenage requirements and are difficult to update. On the one hand, many teens still cherish their old toys and don’t want to be without them, but on the other, they need a more grown-up space to hang out in on their own or with friends. A family in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia, embraced their son’s transition into his tweens and teens. With the help of interior designer Sarah McCarthy-James, they created a multipurpose space that will adapt to his development.
A closet that originally sat against the back wall was removed and replaced with a custom-designed bed, with three full-depth drawers for storage. “By removing the existing furniture, I could change the floor plan and position the bed against a feature wall, which we had painted in a low-sheen charcoal,” McCarthy-James says. The layout change maximizes the flow of natural light in the room. The white paint on the remaining walls makes the room look spacious and contrasts beautifully with the dark feature wall.
Feature wall paint: Wash & Wear in Metalise, Dulux; bedside table: Matt Blatt; Bristol bedside lamp: The Modern Furniture Store; quilt cover: Ikea; Cross blanket: Pia Wallén
Feature wall paint: Wash & Wear in Metalise, Dulux; bedside table: Matt Blatt; Bristol bedside lamp: The Modern Furniture Store; quilt cover: Ikea; Cross blanket: Pia Wallén
Along the main bedroom wall, a new custom closet and overhead cabinets frame a 6½-foot-long plywood desk with drawers underneath. The cabinets, made of Laminex CrystalGloss in white, reflect natural light and blend in with the wall color.
Plywood shelves wrapped in glossy laminate hold personal items above the desk. “I planned for spaced shelves over the desk, so that in the future, my clients’ son will be able to accommodate binders and books for high school and university studies,” McCarthy-James says. An LED lighting strip on the underside of the lowest shelf provides task lighting for reading and writing.
Eames chair: Globe West
Eames chair: Globe West
A desk lamp next to the computer provides a secondary source for task lighting. The white wall is a creative backdrop for the boy’s inspiring images and photographs, which are attached to the wall with washi tape. A clipboard functions as a reminder of upcoming events.
Custom-built storage boxes, some in marine plywood and some with a white polyester finish, display the boy’s treasured objects. At the same time, the grouping of different sizes and colors makes an artful wall decoration.
“It was important to our client that the room had enough storage spaces to display and pack away their son’s more sentimental pieces from boyhood, leaving room for new items that would take his interest as he matured,” McCarthy-James says.
This versatile bench is custom-made and incorporates plenty of storage for school bags and bulky toys. Together with the stool, it creates an inviting area for the boy and his friends to hang out, yet it leaves enough floor space for play. When the son is on his own, the bench provides a perfect spot to chill out and read a book.
Stool: Matt Blatt
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Stool: Matt Blatt
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Who lives here: A 10-year-old boy
Location: Wavell Heights, Brisbane, Queensland
Size: 135 square feet (12.5 square meters)
Designer: Sarah McCarthy-James, Greenwood’s Home
The goal of the project was simply to create a room that would take a young boy into his teenage years. “It had to give him a more usable and relaxing environment with plenty of storage,” McCarthy-James says.
The new room needed to include a study desk with good lighting, ample storage for clothing and toys, display shelving, and a hangout area for the growing boy and his friends. On top of that, the design had to be adaptable so he can update the look as his tastes evolve. The room was also expected to suit the homeowners’ favorite decorating style — clean and fresh Scandinavian.