Manuel & Manuella hired me to help them give their son a brand new bedroom for his birthday (lucky young man!)
I went to their household for a two hour consultation.
Ruben’s room is currently being used as a home office/guest bedroom. The room has a few challenges: A slanted ceiling , it has no wardrobe, and has a weird nook on the right of the room.
Challenge # 1 – Manuel & Manuella have no idea how to arrange furniture in this space. They need a sleeping area, a reading area & a desk area.
For the layout I suggest we make the bed a focal point by placing it in the middle of the room right under the window. A simple low bed frame with no headboard will do. The couple has a small leather accent chair in their basement that they are not using, we include it in the concept of the bedroom. That chair will be perfect right next to that little bookcase nook in the area where the wall is the most slanted.
We use the available wall to place a narrow desk, I’ll come back to the desk once the concept is finalized.
Challenge # 2 – No wardrobe
Since we have built in units on the right side of the bedroom, I suggest using those for clothing that requires folding. I also recommend we add a closet rod in that nook to hang clothing. Since Ruben is 6′-4, he’ll have no trouble reaching for his clothes!
Example of a rod
Challenge # 3 – No clear concept
One we decide on the layout of the furniture, its time to focus on the concept or the vision of the room. I take Ruben to his current bedroom and ask him what he is attached to. He points to this frame:
It’s a nice frame, but it doesn’t really inspire me!
Its time to dig deep, our conversation goes something like this:
Sandra Best Decor (SBD) : What’s your style?
Ruben (R): I dunno
SBD: Ok, how do you want to feel when you come into the room?
R: Chill
SBD: Do you have a favorite artist?
R: Can it be an Actor?
SBD: Sure
R: I like will Smith… I love the Fresh Prince of Belair
SBD: Keywords are popping in my head: 90’s, colorful, wild, preppy… and this image comes to mind:
SBD: How would you feel about having some kind of Graffiti on a wall?
R: His eyes light up, COOL
SBD: GOT THE VISION!
So after talking to Ruben, we decide on a urban, colorful Room. For the desk I think it’s a good idea to use urban elements to make the desk. We could use barn wood and these cool legs.
I have a little chat with the parents about the budget and go back home to finalize everything.
The only constraint to the room decor is that the blue curtains have to stay.
I choose my graffiti mural from my favorite supplier accordingly:
This mural becomes the inspirational element of the room.
I choose paint color according to the mural and to Ruben’s personality. I choose a pop of color just for the nook area where the rod will go:
Benjamin Moore- CALYPSO
& I pick a neutral color for all the other walls: I love the subtle grey in the mural which also reinforces the Urban theme.
Benjamin Moore – SHORELINE
To keep with the Urban Vibe, I suggest we have a simple bed base made with wood slats
Another option is to make the base with concrete blocks
All this bed talk reminded me of bedding! Because of I don’t want to deter from the mural, I suggest a simple Duvet set, with a preppy vibe!
This bedding from PBTeen is perfect! It has subtle orange touches in the plaid, and the blue goes well with the curtains.
Ruben currently has this book shelf that he uses has a night table so we’re keeping it
A little lamp finishes the look
Bessemer Lamp from Dot & Bo
Here’s what our vision board looks like
Most of the time people need a designer simply to tackle certain challenges they can’t get past. A two hour consultation can get you well on your way to achieving the room of your dreams.
Consultations start at 175$ and are well worth it!
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