LittleBunny Blog
The Boys' Room
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Designing my first boy's room made me a little nervous. I've got the girly thing down, but could I come up with something cool for a boy? And not just one boy but brothers sharing a room. Mateo the 3 year old didn't really care what was going on, but Luca the 6 year old was tired of the "baby" stuff in his room. Mama wanted it to be cool, bright and fun without being theme-y. Here's the lowdown:
Luca and Mateo have bunk beds that are about 4 feet away from the window. The top bunk actually isn't being slept in yet (there's a fear thing going on; he sleeps on a trundle), so it's really just a playground where the stuffed animals live. This is where lots of playtime happens, so I wanted to make it special and fun. I lined the curtain on the window with a super fun fabric from Ikea that looks like a cartoon drawing of wooden planks. When the boys want, they can lift the curtain up to a couple of hooks on the top bunk to create a tent. Three mailboxes line the wall to hold their secret treasures, and attached to the side of the top bunk is a rope and pulley with a fabric pouch for sending messages and goodies up and down.
One of the most important things I needed to create in this room was a quiet, cozy place for Luca to chill out and read. This space where the messages go up and down on that pulley naturally had to be the cozy reading nook. I filled it up with plush pillows, hung some forward facing bookshelves (picture ledges with plexi-glass faces so the books stay in place) and for extra added privacy, hung a curtain on a line from the wall to the bed post. Cozytown, especially if the fort is overhead. And when it's not, the curtain is a fun, bright print from olli and lime.
The ceiling is really high and was calling to be played with, so I installed a hanging hammock chair. When it's not in use it slips onto a hook on the wall to keep the layout of the room wide open.
Storage, like always, was an important issue. I found a set of vintage lockers on craigslist in pretty good condition and filled some of them with magnetic organizers and bins to contain smaller things.
Luca is really into science. Yes! The perfect opportunity to use the Atmosphere-Earth-Ocean trio from Brainstorm Print & Design.
Both kids are into art and mama wanted a way to display their masterpieces. I had a piece of stainless steel cut to fit one wall and installed it low; it's the perfect height for them to curate their own gallery.
That's me getting some playtime in the fort.
The boys are really excited about their new big boy room with all of it's nooks and crannies. I think the hammock chair was in first place for most fun the last time we talked. Phew...I'm so glad they think it's cool.
I was lucky enough to have my dear friend Shay Harrington assist me with the installation of this room. She took these photos at the end of a very long day (with the exception of the reading nook) and they're actually all I have from this room (hard lesson learned). Go here to see her photography. It is moving, moody and mysterious.