I still treasure the memories I have of my childhood bedroom. The first time I came home after going away to college I remember how surprising it was to walk into my old room. Details that had once been commonplace suddenly seemed brand new—the collage of photos on the bulletin board and my favorite pillows stacked on top of the bed. With fresh eyes, I could see that the room was telling a story about who I was. That realization is something I’ve held onto ever since. As we grow and evolve, I love the idea that we can create rooms to reflect who we are in each season of life.
Since my boys are getting older, I wanted this next phase of their bedroom to be more mature and become a space they grow into rather than out of. Of course Drake and Duke aren’t very interested in “design details,” so when I asked what they wanted in the updated room, their one and only request was bigger beds. So needless to say, I got to have some fun with the space since I knew they weren’t going to be picky about what I selected (very opposite of the girls, but that’s for another time).
The Boys’ Original Room (2012-2019)
The Boys’ New Room (2020)
The boys love the outdoors, and since hunting and fishing have always been favorite activities for them, a cabin-inspired design seemed like the natural direction to go with for their update. The room went from being light, bright, and playful to being a little darker, cozier, and more mature. I painted their walls Bespoke GreenOpens in new tab to complement both the warm wood tones throughout the space as well as the rustic nature of the original floors.
Storage was another key component of the redesign. We installed a wood accent wall in a relatively unused corner of the room that serves as a catch-all for everyday items that would otherwise end up all over the floor. We also built individual desks, not only to create a space for homework, but for each of the boys to display their own collections and mementos.
Since the boys' only request was for bigger beds, I designed more modern, minimalistic bunks that hold queen-sized mattresses. A small design challenge was that because the boys’ bathroom is so narrow, a traditional door doesn’t work for the space. Instead of opting for a pocket door, we installed an automatic roll door to give the room something unexpected. It ended up being the boys' favorite detail about the room!
I love designing rooms for my family that they genuinely want to spend time in. Knowing these are the spaces my kids will think of when they’re all grown up makes designing them that much more meaningful—and that the memories they make here will likely stay with them for a lifetime.
