Transforming this room into a bedroom for two little boys was such a joyous and heartwarming experience.
When I received a call from the client, we had an immediate connection and understanding. Initially, she needed to make more room and storage, but during our conversation, she shared that one of the kids will be heartbroken to see his things displaced.
I can relate, I am a mother to two boys, slightly older, but the problems are the same. We made the plan to make this room a surprise installation.
Their visit to their grandparents was coming up in about 4 months, and this gave us that window we needed to do the work. The timeframe sounded challenging, but we decided to proceed with it.
It is a first-floor apartment on a beautiful, quiet brownstone-lined street, typical for Brooklyn’s sleepy downtown area. The boys had already outgrown their toddler beds, but the room size was way too small to accommodate two twin beds. The dressers were overflowing, and toys found home in boxes and baskets tucked in the corners. They loved books and had quite a collection of them, which also required a better solution.
There are a few things that were important: aesthetics and storage. And we started with the fun part. Developing the concept, we immediately agreed on blue as the leading color, but I needed more.
My initial interview process was with my clients, but not with the kids, and this is where I knew I needed feedback. We engaged the boys in a little show and tell, and started asking them about their favorite colors, activities. They were so eager and happy to show me all their toys, books, and favorite animals. I think kids have such an immense amount of imagination and have no reservations about what goes with what! It’s always such a joy to listen to their ideas. It became evident – we needed to add a lot more fun into it! The concept now had blue and yellow colors, animals, and pom poms! Now that became fun! When I stumbled on the rug with fishes on it, and it was instant love for my client and me as well. We selected wallpaper that is not too overwhelming with marine animals on it, and it became a marine-themed room in a heart of Brooklyn.
The second part was the storage, we needed to find room for everything that was already there and make room for more.
Utilizing the closet in the room was step one. The closet had a standard rod, and a few shelves that practically screamed for help!
And that is where we started.
Redesigning and fitting in a new closet was a very welcome experience for my clients. When I showed them the photo, I took of their existing closet situation next to redesigned version – their reaction was: – “Ohh wow, we never want to see that old mess again! -They laughed “. And just like that magically it was gone! The new closet had two rows of rods for hanging clothes, plenty of shelves, and a great variety of drawers.
When we moved on to reconfiguring the room, the only way to fit two twin beds was with the bunk beds. Most bunk beds offer plenty of storage, but we needed to find one that doesn’t add to the width of the structure. We opted to retrofit the trundle bed drawer for storage.
I had measured their existing storage in linear feet to make sure we are not only matched it, but also expand, and we fought for every inch trying to come up with the best configuration. We needed a big bookshelf, and dressers for two kids, we needed toy storage and some display options for their art. One of the kids had a little electric guitar that he loved to play. We wanted to find a mirror for that superstar to practice and be silly in front of it.
Another challenge was to purchase the furniture, operating in the middle of pandemic. The stores were out of everything, and new shipments were not coming in. The lead time on purchases was so long that it seemed that kids would be ready for college by the time they arrive. I got out my Rolodex and my phone and called every showroom in the neighborhood and stores to see what they had in stock.
It was tough, and at times it didn’t look like it would happen. Honestly, without personal connections I had with some of the warehouses, I don’t think it would have happened. For instance, the bed was to be delivered and assembled a day before the scheduled arrival, but the delivery truck never came. We were so worried! The bed was the most important item for the kids to see. I emailed the store owner in the evening, with no hope, but they immediately acted, knowing our tricky install situation. The bed arrived close to midnight. Honestly, we were so happy.
The end result: a room that energizes the little senses without being overwhelming. Buttoned up design with plenty of storage packed neatly away. Display shelves for proudest little projects, and a pin board for all the little drawings. And the best part, are the sea animals to learn about and to tell your playdates when other kids come over to join in for a play.
When the kids arrived, we all waited inside to see their reaction, and oh my goodness, it was magical!
The smile on their faces was the best “thank you” I could have gotten. This was one big win to celebrate!