Decorating & Design

September 2, 2011

Ask A Designer: Hip Girl’s Bedroom

Q. It’s time to tackle my eight-year-old daughter’s bedroom. I am stumped as to how to set up the furniture. I’ve tried moving around the bed and other furniture, but still have not come up with the solution! Her room is 10′ x 12′ with a large window. I’d like to fit two twin beds (for sleepover guests) but don’t know if there’s enough room. She’ll also need lots of storage options.

— R.B., via email (To submit your own question, see our Ask A Designer™ page.)

A. Accommodate guests.

The current furniture arrangement works pretty well as it is. But instead of two twin beds, consider a trundle bed like the Duetto from Flou (shown in the inspiration photo; flou.it) to keep the room feeling open. To save space, skip the bedside table and lamp, and use a floor lamp, like the Julia from Structube (shown). Its height is adjustable, and it can be placed by the bed or by the desk and easily moved out of the way when you want to roll out the trundle.

Revamp the furniture.

With its chrome base and white lacquer top, the Encore desk from Structube (shown) is sophisticated and will look great with your Louis Ghost chair. Then, for fun, take inspiration from the Jacqui chest of drawers from Bungalow 5 (shown) and paint the long chest of drawers a bright colour. Try Lime Green (209-5) by Pittsburgh Paints (shown).

Add softness and pattern.

Remove the mini blinds and hang white cotton twill panels across the entire window wall — this will provide an interesting colour block and a soft backdrop. Bedding in a cute pattern like the Hibiscus bedding from Pottery Barn Kids (shown) will make a great second set of linens. Place some large floor cushions, like the Kashmir cushion from Abbott (shown) at the foot of the bed to create a cosy spot for reading and playing.

Plan for storage.

Take advantage of the space above the desk and chest of drawers, and install some open shelving. Ikea’s Ekby Robert wall shelves will work well with the new desk.

See more Ask A Designer responses. Plus, submit your own question, with instructions from our Ask A Designer™ page.

1. Julia floor lamp, Structube. 2. Hibiscus bedding, Pottery Barn Kids. 3. Paint, Lime Green (209-5), Pittsburgh Paints. 4. Jacqui 4-drawer chest, Bungalow 5. 5. Encore desk, Structube. 6. Kashmir extra-large floor cushion, Abbott.