Teen boy bedRoom

Teenage boy rooms are hard – how to make it reflect their personality, be easy for them to keep up with, and stylish enough, without overdoing it? This young man had a small room, so we kept it simple with the furniture, maximizing the space available. A new full-sized bed was a must, and I loved the mix of natural wood with industrial metal for him. Very organic and masculine, but age-appropriate. All-white walls are back in, so we used color and texture in other places with that as the canvas in the background.

Instead of buying a large dresser, I went with under-bed storage (this also keeps them from shoving piles of clothes or toys under the bed). A matching desk gave enough continuity to look custom and not like buying a whole set off a showroom floor. Red is his favorite color, so I mixed that with shades of grey and a few blue pieces for a contrast.

In every room I design, there’s one piece that takes centerstage. Here it was a completely custom quilt, a hand-made piece of art with the outline of the state of North Carolina in the middle of the counterpane. From the top left down to the bottom right corner, the diagonal line you see is actually the silhouette of Grandfather Mountain in the western part of the state. This art-quilt was his favorite part of the room, and it grounded the color scheme.

Now, for the personalization  – he loves Star Wars, so I incorporated accessories and artwork, while not making it feel kitschy or too thematic. A vintage lunchbox, droid bookends, a few Star Wars and vintage Hardy Boys books, artwork with blueprints of Empire and Rebel Alliance aircraft, a Mandalorian Funco pop. Things that are subtle and easy to change out but make it feel authentically his.

I took this from a haphazard, scattered mess to a room fit for living and studying comfortably at home in the Six Forks North / Crabtree area of Raleigh.