Style at Home

Vibrant colours and a compactcabin bed may be suitablefor a little boy’s room, butwith my 11-year-old sonCharlie rapidly outgrowingboth his furniture and decor, I realisedit was time for a change,’ says Vivienne.‘The room itself was in great condition,so I hoped a quick coat of paint and newfurniture would suffice. However, Charliehad other ideas and after some negotiation- including being bribed with the ratherdubious promise of him helping aroundthe house – I agreed to a total revamp.Working side by sideI wanted Charlie’s new-look room to reflecthis tastes, but also remain in keeping withthe rest of our home. So, having tasked himwith researching ideas online, I was a littlebit sceptical as to his choices. But I needn’thave worried. He was inspired by a recenttrip to America and favoured the loft-stylelook. I’ve always liked the industrial trend,too, and was keen on Charlie’s preferencefor a high bed, as it meant we could fit adesk underneath. I did, however, draw theline at the graffiti walls he wanted, and wesettled on a brick-effect wallpaper instead.With the problem of adding a desk areaneatly resolved, the awkward through-room layout no longer seemed such anissue. In fact, we now had space to spare.We decided to divide it into two zones,with a conventional bedroom, plus a smalladjoining space for Charlie’s new drum kit.``````Finding inspirationBefore work began, we hit the high streetto look for furnishings. On a trip to Ikea wefound the perfect bed, and I also stumbledacross the idea of a storage wall madefrom modular units. It took a lot of workto achieve the smart, streamline finish Iwas after, but it was worth the effort as itmakes the best use of the available space.For a cohesive look, we went for palegrey walls and vinyl flooring to help openup the layout. We wallpapered matchingVivienne, 53, andher son Charlie havejointly transformed aproblematic bedroomusing clever zoningand some innovativedecorative touchesA COOL PROJECT’STYLE TIP‘Pick durable vinylflooring for apractical solutionin kids’ rooms’housetohome.co.uk/styleathome SEPTEMBER 2016| 75BOY’S ROOM MAKEOVER Love it