Stickybeak of the Week: A Boy's Bedroom Designed to Suit a Teen
By maximising space and storage, this fun boy's bedroom design can easily adapt to a his transition from child to teen
When kids are leaving childhood behind and progressing into their teenage years, it can cause challenges for the entire family. Often, childhood rooms don’t accommodate teenage requirements, and can be quite difficult to update. On the one hand, teens can still cherish their childhood toys and not want to be without them, but on the other they now need a more grown-up space to hang out in on their own or with their friends. A family in the Brisbane suburb of Wavell Heights embraced their son’s transition into teen-hood, and – with the help of interior designer Sarah McCarthy-James from Greenwood’s Home – created a multi-purpose space that will adapt to their son’s development.
A wardrobe 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 points out. The white paint on the remaining walls makes the room look spacious and contrasts beautifully with the dark feature wall.
Feature wall painted in Wash & Wear in ‘Metalise’: Dulux; bedside table: Matt Blatt; Bristol bedside lamp: The Modern Furniture Store; quilt cover: Ikea; Cross Blanket: Pia Wallen
Feature wall painted in Wash & Wear in ‘Metalise’: Dulux; bedside table: Matt Blatt; Bristol bedside lamp: The Modern Furniture Store; quilt cover: Ikea; Cross Blanket: Pia Wallen
A new custom-built wardrobe and overhead storage cupboards were installed along the main bedroom wall. This unit frames a two-metre-long plywood desk with drawers underneath. Above the desktop are a couple of plywood shelves wrapped in gloss laminate, used to display books and personal items. This change of layout maximises the flow of natural light in the room.
Cupboards in ‘CrystalGloss White’: Laminex
Cupboards in ‘CrystalGloss White’: Laminex
“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 explains. An LED lighting strip on the underside of the first shelf provides task lighting for reading and writing. All cupboards were made from Laminex CrystalGloss in white, to reflect natural light and blend in with the wall colour.
Eames chair: Globe West
Eames chair: Globe West
A table 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 washi-taped to the wall. A clipboard functions as a reminder of upcoming events.
Custom-built storage boxes, some in marine plywood and some with a white polyester finish, function as practical display units for the boy’s treasured objects. At the same time, they make a unique wall decoration. This look has been achieved through grouping the different shaped boxes and mixing the colours.
“It was important to our client that the room had enough storage spaces to display and/or 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 seat is custom-made and incorporates plenty of storage for school bags and bulkier toys and items. Together with the stool, the bench creates an inviting area for the boy and his friends to hang out together, while at the same time there is still enough floor space to sit and play. When the son is on his own, the bench provides a perfect spot to chill out and read a book.
Stool: Matt Blatt
TELL US
How have you made over your child’s bedroom? Show us by posting photos in the Comments section.
MORE
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Stool: Matt Blatt
TELL US
How have you made over your child’s bedroom? Show us by posting photos in the Comments section.
MORE
Clever Kids’ Rooms: 15 Ideas to Give Boys’ Bedrooms a Boost
Teenage Boys’ Bedrooms That Celebrate Who They Really Are
Stickybeak of the Week: Chasing Rainbows in a Growing Girl’s Bedroom
Who lives here: A 10-year-old boy
Location: Wavell Heights, Brisbane, Queensland
Size: 12.5 square metres
Designer: Sarah McCarthy-James, Greenwood’s Home
The brief for 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 useable and relaxing environment with plenty of storage,” designer Sarah McCarthy-James explains.
The new room should include a study desk with good lighting, ample storage for clothing and toys, display shelving, and a hang-out area for the growing boy and his friends. On top, the design needed to be adaptable so he can update the look and feel as his tastes change. The new room was also expected to suit the homeowners’ favourite decorating style – clean and fresh Scandinavian.