My son will be getting his own room in the next few weeks after spending his entire life sharing. Like most people I imagine, I have often wondered how I would furnish it if my budget was totally unlimited. So, purely for my own amusement, here is a list of my top picks for the modern nine year old boy! Firstly, I have to say, this is not a big room, it's a very small room. So, as much as I would love to get a bed with a ladder and a slide, or one shaped like a camper van, or something, I have to be practical, so the emphasis is on space-efficient.
Like most boys, this one is Lego mad, so, from a storage point of view, we have to consider the increasingly intricate creations that need to be saved for another day. With this in mind, I am really keen on cabin beds with shelves.
Southside Cabin Bed £495 |
Like this lovely example from Aspace. particularly child-friendly as it has indented handles, reducing the risk of squished fingers. I like the idea of cupboards. So much more practical for toys, and you can shut the door on any untidyness creative expression!
When space is at a premium, I think it's really important to go as tall as you can with your furniture, as it will take up the same floor space, but give you more storage. Obviously, with children's rooms, you are limited by their height, if you want to encourage independence. It's so much better if they have free access to all their clothes, without the need for assistance. However, it's also essential tha furniture that will last, so there is no point going too short either!
Photo Credit Ollie and Leila Tillie 3+2 Chest of Drawers £450 |
I think this drawer unit from Ollie and Leila is a happy medium. I love the large, grippable knobs, perfect for little fingers and I don't think the design would look out of place as he grows, either. It would fit in equally well in a teen bedroom.
One thing I've noticed as he's got older is that he can never have enough shelving. It's not just books, there's school bits, trinkets, cuddly things, action figures, those flipping Lego models again and other handmade creations. All very valuable treasures, requiring specific display storage. Or the floor. Either seems acceptable, but I know which I prefer! It's really important to encourage children to be tidy and they can't do that, if there isn't enough storage.
This beautifully crafted shelf unit by Lucy Willow looks sturdy enough to hold a multitude of must-keeps. It's so vital to encourage reading, particularly as children get older. This unit will provide ample storage, so that books can be collected and added to, instead of having to clear them out constantly, to make room for new ones. We all know how lovely it is to go back to a book you've already read sometimes!
On a related subject, at the ripe old age of nine, homework is becoming a bigger part of school life. I would love a work space that would be both appealing and comfortable, to give L the best start, when it comes to producing quality work. A lot of the desks I've seen were either a bit on the young side, or very samey. Then, up popped Andrew from UNIQ Furniture on Twitter, with this fantastic refurbished retro desk, providing ample workspace, as well as very useful storage inside, for drawings and schoolwork. This would be perfect for a young person, and, again, would happily grow with them right through school life. Remember these desks from school? I do, but, thankfully, this one comes without chewing gum underneath!
Double School Desk £240 |
Every cool room needs fabulous accessories and, as I am a massive fan of Ikea, this is a selection of all the things I love. I'm especially fond of their storage ideas and I love how much effort they put into their children's designs.
I hope you have enjoyed this foray into my overactive imagination. Stay tuned for future wishlists, as I have lots of other rooms that I am currently dreaming about!
Ooh love the desk!
ReplyDeleteI love the school desk - we'll be doing my son's room soon and I'd love to get him something like that.
ReplyDeleteI do love cabin beds, such a good space saving idea. My son is desperate for his own room
ReplyDeleteI love the cabin bed, I'd like one for Harry but it wouldn't fit in the space in his room
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that he's getting his own room! The school desk is lovely.
ReplyDeletewe are thinking of doing Little Mans room up too. It's a complete blank canvas at the moment so I'm looking for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSome great ideas here!
ReplyDeleteWe let our son choose his own bed and he went for an Ikea bunk bed, so that it is easy to have sleep-overs. It's also great for making dens, and we have under-bed storage boxes for Lego and other toys.
Oh those school desks, they are amazing. They made me whant to have little ones again!
ReplyDeleteMy son's room is tiny to the extent that a single bed won't fit in his room! He is currently in a cot bed but we're looking for one a bit bigger but not as long as a single.
ReplyDeletethe desk is amazing. our kids share a room and it is tiny :(
ReplyDeleteI had a school desk similar to that at Primary school x
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post! I must admit we turned to Ikea when we uplifted our children's room- the storage is fantastic for lego and clothes. I do love the idea of letting the imagine run- child and adult alike. And with twins, I have to admit to desks would be at the top of my list... for a few years time.
ReplyDeleteI love the look of that bed - My big two are sharing a room and I think we are going to need to think of better storage ideas soon too
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Aspace and bought my eldest a bunk from there but the true winner are those school desks ... totally gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI had a bit of an old school flashback when I saw the desk. Very cool. Stephen :o)
ReplyDeleteOh my word, that desk is beautiful. I love the creations from UNIQ. I'm really not a fan of Ikea though, for me it's all about the antiques, the retro and the recycled. They're so much better quality. No wonder I'm such a big fan of Andrew's work!x
ReplyDeleteMy son's room is very small we bought him a cabin bed but the lack of storage is a real issue. Good luck with your makeover
ReplyDeleteNow those are some fantastic ideas for a boys room :) x
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post - I have yet to put up Ev's bedroom makeover (coming soon) but I wish I had seen the disco ball light that is AWESOME (just like everything is ;)
ReplyDeleteOh loving that cabin bed! Jack's got his eye on a midsleeper bed atm but its so expensive!
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