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House Tour: Boy’s Bedroom

Today’s post is a continuation of the 2017 House Tour. We are celebrating our three-year home and blogiversary by giving our readers an updated tour of BHH. If you search House Tour on the sidebar, additional 2017 posts and tour posts from previous years will pop up.

During this summer, our kiddo spent six weeks at summer camp as a leader-in-training. While he was away, I gave his room a thorough scrub. I am not in the habit of cleaning my kids’ rooms. I consider that task a useful life skill. That said, the only way I was going to take pictures in there was if I cleaned it myself. Although I am pretty easy-going, I do have some standards for interior blog photos. They are lower than professional bloggers but higher than a teenage boy. The gap between those two sets of expectations is very wide.

Hmmm…Now that I have written that out, I think I may have the perfect new reality show for HGTV. Teen vs. Professional Blogger: House Swap. It could be a winner.

Before

This bedroom is located in the wing of the house that was originally the servants’ quarters. Even before we made changes, the dimensions of this room were only 9′ X 11′. It contained one tiny closet and no additional storage.

Now, flash forward to the mid-twentieth century and a lifestyle without servants. We are not sure how Dorothy and her husband used the house initially, but in her later years, Dorothy kept this portion of the house closed off.

When we bought BHH, this bedroom and the one beside it had severe damage from ice dams and a bad roof. That misfortune was exacerbated by the fact that the heat did not work on this side of the house. This wing of the house sat cold and unnoticed. It is likely that Dorothy never knew how badly the rooms had deteriorated until after the fact. We are a family of six people, and we have a hard time keeping up with everything here at BHH. I think it is remarkable how well Dorothy managed living here alone after her husband died. Stuff happens.

After

To function as a proper room for a modern child, we knew this bedroom needed more storage. We borrowed 12″ from the already small floor plan to build a floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelf. The bookshelf was one of our first big projects, and it was fraught with blunders and folly.

Although the bookshelf reduced the already small room down to 9′ X 10′, the extra storage made up for that shortcoming.

Clearly, the bed takes up the bulk of the floor space. I would like to put a new bed with a smaller footprint in this room, but the boy loves his classic bed from IKEA.

The opposite side of the room is pretty bare. The black blob in the bottom left corner of the picture is a giant bean bag chair. It was the only thing that S. really wanted for Christmas last year. It is humorously large, and we had to move his dresser and hamper into the hall to accommodate its hefty bulk.

Because the closet is packed with junk precious memories and important items, I hung an over-the-door hook rack for his sports bags and other items that he reaches for on a regular basis.

S. is an avid reader, and he loves having all of his books right at his fingertips.

Although this room is not fancy and it does not have a theme, the boy is very content here. It is his haven, and he likes it just the way it is. Here at BHH, we believe that our kids’ rooms should reflect their interests and taste, not ours. They get a lot of input on the style of their rooms and responsibility for the bulk of the upkeep.

Andy and I believe that giving our kids this control fosters their independence and autonomy. We also think that it helps set up more realistic expectations for their living arrangements once they strike out on their own as adults. I do not know about you, but the first place that I lived in looked nothing like Pottery Barn or anything out of Better Homes & Gardens. It was more prison chic than shabby chic.

How do you handle your kid’s rooms? Do you decide the decor or do they? How do you compromise? What was your first home like as a young adult striking out on your own?

 

 

10 Comments

  • Cathy
    Posted August 8, 2017 at 8:02 am

    We are currently midpoint in redoing both teen boys’ rooms – the negotiation is real. 13 yr old’s room redo was pretty easy as he still believes his parents’ do in fact know somethings. While not completely finished (mosquito population is too insane to finish painting a few things that need to be painted outside) it’s somewhat functional and will be completed before school starts. Our 15 yr old has been willing to move from his original black and bright purple color scheme to a more tolerable greeny-greigey thanks to sitting with him and looking at pinterest. A lot of craigslist purchases…. and a new to us bed and desk are waiting for installation once mom and dad get the carpeting ripped out, recycled cork floor installed (how green can you get?) and everything repainted. Looking at a busy weekend! And grateful to help the boys move into teens with rooms that fit their needs.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 8, 2017 at 1:40 pm

      Their rooms sound great. S.chose bright purple for his room and I’m curious when he will change his mind and want a different color. Maybe never. My kids get oddly attached to unusual things. Also, I’m finding it hard to believe your boys are 13 and 15! When did that happen? Of course, mine are about the same ages. I guess it happened while I was not paying attention. 🙂

  • Ame Jo Hughes
    Posted August 8, 2017 at 8:41 am

    I like the colors in that bedroom, and the shelving. Also love the term “prison chic.” My first home when I moved out at 18 was a combo of divorced bachelor and country-loving-mom (I moved directly into my future-ex-husband’s house). My first place really on my own continued the country-loving-mom theme, because my mom lived near me and loves to decorate. To this day, I still have many, many items that my mom sends down for me. And pretty much every granchild of hers has the same decor upon striking out on their own, because she has no compunctions whatsoever about giving her stuff away so her family can have a cozy home. I think she’s taught the whole family (without even trying to) that any place can be improved upon and made to look lovely. My style has evolved to more of a classic/thrift store chic at this point 😉

    How long did Dorothy live at BHH alone? That’s amazing to me. I know a lot of repairs were needed when you bought it, but the fact that it wasn’t just abandoned years ago seems like nothing short of a miracle.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 8, 2017 at 1:44 pm

      That is really sweet of your mom. <3 There is still some thrift store chic going on in BHH now.

      I am not sure how long Dorothy lived alone. I think it was about twelve years. If I find out otherwise, I will update.

  • Devyn
    Posted August 8, 2017 at 9:26 am

    The theme is quite obvious… Typical boys room. Although most boys (myself being an exception) don’t really care much about their room decor, I think you have found a nice compromise between a overly planned space (designed by a parent) and letting it just be a boys room.

    I really like the shelving surrounding the window, I have always been a fan of utilizing that space for storage. I am curious as to why there are no doorknobs on the closet and bedroom door.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 8, 2017 at 9:51 am

      Ha! You caught that. The doorknobs are a victim of the last 10% of the job that does not seem to get done in a timely manner. I just need to put them back on the doors. I took them off to paint. ?

  • Christine
    Posted August 8, 2017 at 10:15 am

    We have a very similar philosophy with our 13-year-old son. He picked the paint color, the curtains, his bedding, and the room arrangement. We have a hodgepodge of furniture at the moment because I like to buy second-hand and antiques, so while he is growing out of his little kid stuff (like a stair-step bin organizer from Ikea) we are slowly getting him more “grown up” furniture. He’s responsible for cleaning up his room and putting his laundry away. If it is all over the floor, he has to deal with wearing wrinkly clothes. Every month we have a day where he has to really clean up and we wipe up the wood floors and dust the baseboards.

    Your son’s room looks great! I love that wall of storage. Also, I don’t blame him for wanting an enormous bean bag. Those things are supremely comfortable.

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 8, 2017 at 1:47 pm

      The bean bag holds two people. It’s fantastic. 🙂 I like how you handle your son’s room. After cleaning my son’s room, I realize that I need to be more diligent about getting him to dust and vacuum on a regular basis. We have a good system for bedding and laundry, but the amount of dust in there was pretty startling.

  • SH
    Posted August 8, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Looks like just the right blend of sensible layout/decor and individuality and boy-ness. But your HGTV show idea made me snort laugh (but don’t tell anyone that 😉 )

    • Post Author
      Stacy
      Posted August 9, 2017 at 6:42 am

      I won’t tell a soul. No one reads this blog so your secret is safe. 😉

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