The journey of a teen room transformation

How do you convert a home office into a modern teen’s dream bedroom? The answer is listen closely to their needs, and with close collaboration create something you can both be proud of. This new space is fresh and totally teen-worthy.

Transformation Complete!

(and a happy teen…)

Living in an old Georgian cottage the main thing this teenage boy was striving for was something new, modern, and with plenty of clean lines! He was ready to upgrade from uneven plaster walls, small pokey windows and door frames that aren’t plumb. Enter the under utilised office in the new part of the home, with oodles of natural light, and he was besotted. The perk of easy outside access to his basketball ring whenever the mood arises was really just icing on the cake. Do we know if he is doing homework or shooting a few hoops? We really don’t, but with the use of texture, colour and plenty of meaningful items it has become a happy and functional space to hang.

Before Photo 1.

View of the old office, we took out the built in desk which was once along this wall.

Before Photo 2.

We also removed the linen press (to the right of view), ready for new wardrobe storage.

After removing the built-in desk and linen press we were able to plan the space to work best as a new bedroom. We needed to make room for his large drum kit, desk, wardrobe and bed, and after a few revisions of the floor plan we nailed down what would work best. As it is a small room, we knew that keeping it as spacious as possible was key. Next was installing new carpet, a ceiling fan, our feature wall, painting the walls and choosing new furniture. Now that the basics were in place, the vital element was creating a feel and style that would make our teen feel comfortable.

Key to this space working a treat was its mix of all things texture. We threw different tones of timber, linens and leather into the space and mixed them with cool greys and black to keep it looking cool. The result? A space this young teen is super proud of. The result is a balance of warm and cool, smooth and rough, old and new which has a created a considered room that will age with him.

We wanted to add warmth and character to the space without it feeling heavy or dark, enter the plywood wall! It proved to be such a flexible material in that it could be used as a wall lining to bring visual interest, while still remaining in keeping with this young man’s style. We hung the sheets in long vertical strips to draw the eye to the interesting architectural feature of the sloping ceiling height, with the single square panel in the wall acting as a quiet contrast to break things up. Adding a hanging wall shelf continues the cohesive look and provides a storage area within easy reach, while bypassing the need for a bed-side table in an already compact space. Equipped with a built in power-point and USB charging station, it’s a feature that will work hard for many years to come.

To help with room to feel truly his own, we made sure to incorporate this teenage bedroom with personal and individual pieces. It was important for this space to feel genuine, no cookie-cutter looks allowed! Now this kid really loves his drawing and we wanted to incorporate some of his talent. We picked out two of his drawings and enlarged them as artwork above his bed. This is a sure way to ensure that the artwork is meaningful to the client! Along side this a large pin board provides a space to display an ever evolving collection of personal inspiration, and sits perfectly above the drum kit that takes pride of place.

Feel like you need some help to transform your child’s room? We are here to help! Email us at hello@designrelease.com.au if you would like to chat about the plans for your space.