For a recent school auction, I donated some time to help reinvent a student’s bedroom. Along with the design consult, the auction package also included a muralist, a seamstress and paint and painting services. Colin, a rising sixth grader, was the lucky winner of these services, thanks to his parents’ winning bid.
Like many boys his age, upon meeting with Colin, it was clear that his passion is sports. He loves baseball and basketball. On the color spectrum, his preferences lean toward light blues and reds. To that end, his parents recently splurged on a bedroom set for Colin which includes a bed with storage underneath, a desk, a nightstand, and a bookshelf. In addition, Colin’s mom was ready to pull the trigger on a closet organization system. We recommended the Elfa system at the Container Store for some customized storage for sports jerseys and aging Pokemon card collections.
Here are a few before pics of Colin’s room …
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Colin’s room was ripe for a transformation of impending teenage proportions. The challenge for me was to use the resources won in the auction to give Colin a new room that will grow with him over the next several years. Remember those teenage glory years when the priorities were study, sleep, and socialize? Although perhaps not always quite in that order! The goal is to infuse that combination with some style so that this room renovation will transport Colin through the exciting years ahead.
1. When we chatted with Colin about his style preferences, he said his favorite colors are blue and red, and he’d love a sports themed room. As a Denver native, Colin’s a fan of the Colorado Rockies and Denver Nuggets, but he also likes the NY Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. When it came to making a color selection, we gave Colin the paint fan deck, a temptation most kids can’t refuse! His pick was “Chicago Blues” (BM #804) which is a gorgeous deep saturated blue, but we feared it was a bit too deep, so much so that his new blue furniture might disappear. So we’re recommending that Colin head north on the fan deck two stops to land in another famous sports town, “San Francisco Bay” (BM #802), for a rich medium blue that will provide good contrast to the deep blue in the furniture. We also aim to amp up the cool factor in the room by adding some metal pieces to our traditional red and blue color palette. Read on to find out how.
2. What do you get when you put boys and their smelly sports equipment together? Lockers! That’s right! These locker style storage bins will help to organize the goods and stash the clutter on Colin’s bookshelves. We suggest at least 3 or 4 of these sturdy bins for Colin to use as he likes so that his space doesn’t end up looking like a locker room.
3. One of the biggest challenges in kids’ room renovations is making choices that will grow with them. You have to make decisions about what is an easy item to change if it’s outgrown, and what’s more complicated. Choosing affordable bedding to sport one of Colin’s favorite team logos is a guilt-free option just in case he may be rooting for another team or even exploring a new past time a few years down the road.
4. When Colin needs some inspiration for that first line to his latest essay, this mini basketball hoop is a slam-dunk for inspiration. We love its authentic look and his parents will appreciate the easy-on-the-walls basketballs that come with it.
5. As his homework load increases, (sorry buddy, but it’s true), Colin will need more storage in his dedicated study digs. We dig this galvanized storage shelf because the chalkboard labels suit the ever changing moods, plans, needs of a tween/teen. It could hang out above his desk making use of the vertical space on his walls for stashing study essentials and displaying few trophies to boot.
6. One of the generous contributors to Colin’s room reinvention is a seamstress who offered to make pillows and a valance. We found thispreppy madras fabric which will complement the colors in the Yankees bedding nicely and soften up the window in a tailored manly way.
7. Colin’s room has a neutral wall to wall carpet, so we thought a layer of stripes underfoot would bring some additional color and pattern to the room. To keep the rug from slipping around, a rug pad designed for rug over carpet use is essential.
8. This chrome desk lamp will give Colin lots of bright ideas when he hits the books.
9. Another organizational essential, this magnetic bulletin board works with tacks and magnets to post game schedules, photos, homework assignments and Colin’s special mementos. Hanging it over the desk and under the galvanized steel cubbies would be a slam dunk.
10. This bedside lamp with its unassuming style should suit Colin for light years.
11. Colin’s bedroom set is fantastic, but in a small space, the pieces don’t look that interesting when they’re lined up on the wall. We like this affordable round steel nightstand for Colin to use, replacing his current nightstand. The round shape and steel finish give some contrast to the other blue furniture elements. The lower shelf gives him some storage for his stack of summer reading books.
Our last element is how best to use the talents of the muralist’s services. We want to honor Colin’s request for sports, but also consider the teen, fun, cool factor. So we’re recommending that the muralist paint one entire wall like the floor of a basketball court. There are lots of images to use for inspiration.
Colin, I hope you like your room reinvention, and like all the accomplished athletes out there, don’t forget to thank Mom and Dad in your acceptance speech. Can’t wait to see the “after” pics!
If you want to truly love where you live, please contact me about design services.
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