Tween Boy Bedroom Makeover

We created a playful yet sophisticated room for my husband's 11 year old brother that will take him from childhood into young adulthood.

When we originally set out to make over my brother in law Harry's room in August 2020, we expected a simple weekend project that would be finished for his 10th birthday a few weeks later. We quickly realised that we were going to have to tackle a much larger beast: a larger scale reorganisation of the family home was necessary, which involved not only several weekends taking unwanted belongings from over 17 years to the skip, but also the switching of several rooms and necessitated the complete gutting of the room that would eventually become Harry's. The whole process took a total of several weeks spread out over the span of a year, thanks to Covid regulations, delays in deliveries and other projects taking priority. We finally presented the room to Harry almost exactly a year later, just in time for his 11th birthday. To paraphrase his own words, the wait was well worth it.

Some Before Pictures:

The Brief:

Harry had requested the use of his favourite colours, blue and red, in the room. He wanted it to reflect his main interests, Marvel and Star Wars, and be spacious enough for his favourite activities: gaming, reading, TikTok and Lego. My aim was to create a space that he would be able to grow with, playfully embracing his still childlike spirit yet sophisticated enough to be suitable for his later years as a teenager.

After removing the wallpaper and original built in, we cleaned and fixed the walls before painting them with Crowns Paint Matt Emulsion in Fine Silk. We used Crowns Paint Glossy Wood Paint in the colour Periwinkle on the skirting board, installed new vinyl wooden floors and installed striped wallpaper to the ceiling and in the alcove to optically lengthen the rather small room. We also used MDF and dowels from B&Q to make a built in desk and shelf for the Alcove, which included a custom task light.

We opted for a trundle bed from Ikea that could function as a sofa during the day, leaving ample space for his TikTok dances and Lego. It can be pulled out as he gets bigger or when he's got a friend sleeping over. We also included additional under-bed storage.

The frame for the built-in wardrobe was inspired by one I had seen in the dressing room of 2LG Studio. As our budget was limited, we needed an option that we would be able to build ourselves at minimal cost. We paired the external structure with Ikea's customisable wall shelving system BOAXEL.

The print above the bed was purchased from my friend and designer Joey Miranda.

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