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Charlie’s Room Update: Have We Been Designing Kids’ Rooms All Wrong (Or Just Me?????)
Having a tween is a TRIP (having 2 is even trippier) and I’m enjoying the hell out of it (besides all the driving around, thank god for carpools). During the day, they are trying on all these identities, into and over things so fast, but then at night they want to snuggle with their mama. I wrote a PSA last year about not doing anything too permanent in their rooms for this exact reason (Elliot is so over her wallpaper that she once BEGGED for). She wants to redecorate her room daily (I told her we’d reassess at 13, which gives the wallpaper a 5-year life span–I’m not proud of that, but I’m ok with it). Charlie, on the other hand, doesn’t want me to touch his room; he loves it and wants to add stuff, like posters and tchotchkes, and I think he’s scared that I’ll add butterfly wallpaper. And since I have other fish to fry (and learned my lesson with Elliot’s room), I obviously haven’t pushed anything. But recently, he wanted to make a huge change that is not exactly an accepted design move, and being the “yes” mom that I am, I was like, “sure go for it”.
But first … As a reminder, here is what it looked like for the first year we lived here.
2023 – The Shared Room
They shared a room (their choice, Elliot’s sat empty) with two IKEA bed frames and a LOT OF STUFFIES. It was actually so cute and sweet, and they sometimes still drag a portable mattress into his room to sleep for the weekend.
I started collecting all these cute vintage or pop-y furniture pieces that I loved that he liked, but only in the way that a 9-year-old boy could. But I didn’t really do much because I knew it was temporary.
2023 – Charlie’s Solo Room
Ok, here was what it looked like after Elliot moved out (age 8 and 10, I think). The sofa was cute in the corner, and this was before he became obsessed with the drums.
I actually really think this was cute. Not designed, but just such a kid’s room that had a lot of elements that made me smile. The green bookcase is now in his bigger closet (which is a disaster, TBH).
This shot was taken right after the shelves were put in the smaller closet, so we shot it with the stuffies, but it quickly became used for clothes. Just showing you the layout of the room.
2024 – Making Some Upgrades
Charlie was now 11 and wanted a bigger bed. We got a sponsor for an awesome mattress and wanted to make the content a little more interesting, so we figured this was a great opportunity to DIY an upholstered headboard with my vintage fabric and an inexpensive IKEA bed.
The rest of the room pretty much remained the same. This was roughly how it was until a few months ago…
2026 – The Big Shake Up
Recently, Charlie begged me to put his bed in the corner, specifically that corner, so he could keep an eye on his bedroom door at night (and also to feel cozy). Brian resisted more than I did – but since Charlie was having problems sleeping and was in our room a lot, I listened to him. He said what Elliot has now echoed, that being in the corner feels cozier and safer. And I TOTALLY GET IT.
But he still wanted his round sofa there (which I found on FBMP), and it’s where his friends stay when they spend the night. They love jumping back and forth and being really rough on it. Now this placement bummed me out, so I tried to find a different spot for it, but he was firm. He wanted it here so the rest of the room was totally wide open to play basketball, wrestle, play darts, drums, etc.
He started sleeping so much better, so there is no chance we are moving it (for a while at least). It made me realize how wrong I’ve been about kids’ rooms writ large. I always thought that you arrange them like any other room, but with more kids’ stuff. Sure, safer, more storage, and avoid white carpet or glass tables. But the same layout, just more fun. They obviously look better with the bed centered and, you know, not slammed in the window against two windows. (BTW, I had safety film installed on the window, so if they were to break, they can’t shatter; they’d just be held together with a big, clear sticker). But kids want flexibility and space. They don’t care about symmetry or balance. They want the bed in the corner so they feel cozy, and then a ton of floor space to wrestle.
The only other thing that Charlie is begging for is floating shelves above his desk. He collects a lot of tchotchkes or prank toys/figurines, and they can clutter up his desk (he doesn’t like clutter – it’s so odd having a neat kid!!). So I am going to do that for him.
So What Are We Going To Do About The Bed??
Nothing. At least not right now. If he’s happy, I’m happy. All I want in the world is for our kids to love being at their home (with us), so if he loves it like this, why would I care? Why would I create a problem that he doesn’t want solved? Now I know I could make this “better” with a corner bed, one that has a headboard on the side (like an L), meant to go in a corner (and maybe I will). I know that I could switch out the world’s biggest round sofa for a normal-sized big lounge chair (and I know that this one would look good in the guest cottage band/speakeasy room). So I suppose I could see that happening next year (along with the drums moving over there). He loves his art (Elliot has gotten him both the cat art and the new tapestry – both of which I have no idea what they mean) and sword and darts. He wants shelves and a new light in the middle of the room (the one bulb doesn’t give enough light). I don’t know, it all just feels very tween boy to me in the best of ways, so in a sense I almost don’t want it to be more pulled together or better designed. He’s in this massive life phase of “figuring it out,” and this room is a reflection of that.
I feel like I should care, but I don’t. I just feel a little dumb that I’ve been part of the problem, designing kids’ rooms with the bed in the middle when I think most of them want them shoved in the corner. I guess my fear is that if we invested in one (and some are super affordable) or DIY’d something, that he might again change his mind in 3 years, and then a corner bed is very specific and less easy to find the right place for it (but maybe FBMP?). I think what I could do for now is have a big cushion made out of more indigo Boro fabric (lord knows I have enough). Although it is just an IKEA bed that we attached the fabric to, and we always knew that we could take it off, plus that headboard is pretty dang high for those windows. Anyway, I found a few corner beds that I actually could totally see in here and a few others that I really liked but are less his style. Here you go:
1. Reversible Corner Bed | 2. Velvet Tufted Corner Bed
3. Scalloped Corner Bed | 4. Low Tufted Corner Bed
There were some solidly cute ones at West Elm and Pottery Barn, but they were more like $2k, and since I know this is a temporary situation, that just didn’t make sense to me. There is always the idea of taking the fabric off the IKEA bed and cutting down the headboard so it’s lower, then building/attaching a side-headboard in the same fabric and keeping the same frame (just for less waste). Hmm… actually, that does sound like it could be the right plan. And then once the drums go into the guest house, maybe we put the sofa where the desk is and the desk where the drums are. Maybe someday he’ll have a room that doesn’t quite look this “hodgepodged” 🙂 Thoughts???
*Photos by Kaitlin Green
This is such a timely post, we moved house a few weeks ago and my daughter (age 13) is ADAMANT she wants to move her bed into the corner. It’s messing with my head because there are two wall lights that centre on each side of the bed and the symmetry would be thrown. Perhaps I should just get over myself and let her do it, it’s hardly the worst thing a 13 year old could want to do….
Oh and she’s also a terrible sleeper, imagine if this is the fix!
Speaking as a former teenager, please don’t make symmetry with wall lights a Thing!
Agree! As a teen I LOVED my corner bed with a funky shaded globe light with a pull chain over my bed! My parents also let me choose my flooring and I’m sure my choice was horrifying to them but they went with it–blues and purples in a striped shag, found on the back wall of the store as a leftover scrap. I adored that carpet and “combed” it with a coat hanger on the daily.
i feel like its important to let kids have ownership over their space. there are a lot of things they don’t get to choose or control, so why not let them do that in their room? you can change it back when they move out.
Yes I agree I do need to give her more autonomy, I guess it’s just a new turning point in the parent-child relationship. The last time the kid’s rooms were decorated they were much younger and it was really about me having fun designing a cute room for them (that they loved), now I have to face the fact that they are teens with their own strong opinions (though actually my teenage son is still pretty ambivalent about his room, just the cool gallery wall is now surf posters)
There are also financial/ethical aspects to consider when you’ve sunk money into things they loved just a few years ago and now they’d happily bin it all and start again. But moving existing furniture around costs nothing. I guess Emily is approaching the same turning point. I’m just acknowledging it is a little hard when you are someone who enjoys aesthetics and design to step away and it’s always bittersweet to see your children needing you less and less. It helps to see other parents facing the same.
Fascinating! Coming from Germany, I was always surprised that kids’ bedrooms were set up like adult bedrooms. In most European countries, a bed in the corner (no extra padding along the side) is standard for kids. You just add firmer pillows during the day, if you want to.
The focus is on playing, sleeping, and doing homework in that room, not just sleeping. I thought this was due to a lack of space. Most houses don’t have separate playrooms or other additional rooms for kids/learning/music, etc. Everything is expected to be done in one room (per kid or shared), hence the name “children’s room,” not “bedroom.”
And no news, European homes are much smaller, not 2,000 sq. ft. plus for a family of four.
Moving the bed towards the center of the room happens when the bed will be shared regularly, so both people can comfortably get in and out.
Thank you for the cultural learning and better understanding! What’s normal for one person (a kids’ corner bed observing the door) is exciting news to someone else.
I actually think a corner bed is the norm for Americans, too. (Generally a small twin bed.) Affluent design bloggers aren’t really a reflection of how most of us live. 🙂
Yah i know that its dictated by the size of the room for sure. these kids have very large bedrooms with a lot of windows. Clearly not a bad thing (very grateful for the space), but I def why i felt I could center the beds.
Yeah, twin bed in the corner is the norm in the US too! Like you said, the only reason to have a bed in the middle of the room is if two people are sleeping in it. Otherwise, it takes up too much space!
Follow his lead! If he loves the sofa and corner bed, leave as is and don’t move the sofa out. Having a cozy room he loves having friends in is such a win. And it WILL change again (and again). Not only did mine want the bed in the corner, but on the floor! He took apart his bed frame and hasn’t looked back.
Mine preferred sleeping on the floor as well. Once I built them beds they were disappointed and slept in giant blanket forts between the beds or in a play tent on the floor way more often than in their beds. (No monsters under the bed if its on the floor)
love the diy idea adding a second diy covered headboard to make a corner bed, that you could then use elsewhere when he outgrows this set up. I love that you are allowing them their rooms / spaces to be their own, so important.
My kid (now a teen) went through a period where he both didn’t understand how strong he was nor exactly where his body ended and the rest of the world began. A LOT of things got accidentally broken or damaged during this period. I would leave the tall headboard as a hedge against an accidentally broken window, safety film or not! (And maybe add an equally tall DIY headboard along the side to protect the other window, “tween-proofing” should really be just as big a thing as baby-proofing.)
I was thinking the same thing. In our house there isn’t enough free floorspace to do yoga, let alone wrestle/rough-house, so that always happened on the beds. Might be worth adding a headboard to the side window to keep someone from flying out it.
Totally! very much agree re not knowing where their bodies end (it was so much smaller even a year ago). Must be confusing – spatially – to be a growing kid.
I’m so tickled by this post! My 15 year old wanted a corner bed for Christmas (we actually bought the “Velvet Tufted Corner Bed” you linked). I also looked at PB and refused to spend that much for a 3 year bed. AND, I also considered DYI’ing (but decided I didn’t have time – I would love for to you do this though!). He also wanted a tiny bedside table so that he could have open space in his room. And then he wanted me to leave his room alone ;). Good luck!
HAHAH. yay. makes me feel sane (or less crazy).
I’m team bed in the corner for kids. My kids always played in their rooms and then as they got older they wanted the space to lounge with friends and play guitar or whatever.
Also, as a mom with older kids I vote you take down Birdie’s wall paper now rather than later. If it is coming down anyway, the difference of when is actually only mental- it’s not practically less of a waste in a few years. They have so many memories of their childhood rooms/spaces but so few years of actually living in them. My kids are about a decade ahead of yours I can almost promise
that 10 years down the road you’re going to regret making her wait to take it down as much as you regret putting it it up in the first place.
I want to highlight this about the wallpaper. PLEASE take it down sooner than 13. My mom designed my room when I was a kid and it was where I grew up, but it was never MY room.
that is compelling!!!
Honestly, I disagree (as an non-parent, but former child). I had 5 siblings and my mom did not have the time or money to be redoing our bedrooms as soon as our tastes evolved. I remember a heart-shaped floral sponge-painted border in my childhood bedroom that got painted over with graphic stripes (purple and lime green, of course) when I became a preteen. Did want to get rid of the flowers earlier? Probably. Is this a great lesson that wallpaper is expensive and we have to live with our choices for a while? Also probably.
Katie, my kids could probably relate a bit with you 🙂 I have 5 kids ages 0-11, and they share rooms and do not have much privilege or personal space compared to many of their peers here in Canada. But we do make efforts to give them as much as we can. If I made a very strong design choice for one of them (with their enthusiasm, sure, but as the adult I would own the choice) I would think 5 years is a long time for them to have to live with it.
Emily – I think it’s okay to let the butterflies go – just my unsolicited 2 cents. 🙂 love you and the whole Henderson fam very much ❤️
And I want to add – the butterflies are a lot like the giant tree that took your Glendale living room to the next level. An excellent business investment that gave you incredible photos you can use forever. Mission accomplished!
HAHA. thank you 🙂 sometimes i tell myself that, other times i feel shame for changing something that cost a lot. but what’s done is done …
AND – The butterflies anchored a wonderful mother-daughter design collaboration project that brought so much joy during the first dark years in Portland. They will always be a wonderful memory for you both. Mission accomplished!
I agree on taking down the wallpaper now as opposed to an arbitrary later date. The consequence would be it can only be replaced with plain, inexpensive, pale colored paint, that is not going to cause more design headaches or fights down the road, or be a significant financial cost as it replaces this expensive wall covering. If she doesn’t want the butterflies she can have a quiet envelope/backdrop instead. But I’m not her mom 🙂
Thats right. if it comes down it has to be replaced with something neutral that can evolve with her to layer on all her bright colors. When i say neutral i mean pale pastel color. She does NOT like neutrals (which I get, i didn’t either til I was like 40).
I agree with others about letting Birdie take down her wallpaper. You don’t even have to tell us about it here on the blog!! You could have her take the lead on removing it and I that would give her practice on some home DIY skills she may use some day down the road. Life is too short to worry about wall paper!
This was the agreement I had with my parents as a teenager – I begged for YEARS to take down the victorian house wallpaper, and they finally said I could paint so long as I removed the wallpaper myself. It took a ton of work/time, but I was very proud of myself!
ooh i love this counterargument. maybe you are right. Like maybe we take it down now, and she can decorate but not choose another bold direction. Definitely giving me somethinng to think about….she would be thrilled to read this (but also 13 is not that far away, i told her at 12 we’ll start designing it and she’s 10 now).
These years are each huge, though. I’d give her a neutral base and let her just go for it with her posters and everything and then discuss another “decorated” room when she’s a lot older!
This is easy to forget, but three years is a very long time when you’re that young. 🙂
You could also cut down the legs on the current ikea bed. (It looks like many of the alternatives you showed were closer to the ground.)
oh interesting!! I hadn’t thought of that. that’s actually a pretty great idea. seems easier than taking off the boro and then cutting the back down and putting it back up.
Yes – do just cut the legs – and leave at least 1-2″ because you need a bit of airflow and can’t have the slats touch the ground.
I’m firmly on team Just Let It Be. No decorating. No DIY. No fussing with figuring out a different headboard situation. He has entirely different priorities, and whether it looks cute or the furniture is placed “right” doesn’t matter at all. That whole wall of furniture is like an awesome mega window seat, and then there’s all that open space. I’d probably like to live that way myself.
haha. yah its awesome. so much space. and i can hear them jumping and wrestling and doing all the 12 year old boy stuff up there which is a very sweet sound.
Right there with you on this experience. We moved into a new house, and I designed a fabulous bedroom (IMO) for my daughter . . . with the bed centered in the room. A few months in, she locked the door one day and moved the bed to the corner. She’s not one to take initiative, so she was clearly motivated to improve a space that wasn’t working for her. Admittedly, it’s 1000 times more functional for her, and a cozier bed situation.
Love this! I think DIY-ing to make it a corner bed makes a lot of sense! That fabric is fantastic, and the height of the “wall” seems perfect for leaning against to read or draw. I would also vote to keep the drums in his room unless the guest house is where he wants them to be. Having instruments easily accessible makes it so much easier for kids (and adults!) to practice, even in small increments, and a great way to share his passion with friends. There is a certain amount of mess that I think comes along with allowing a kid/tween/teen to figure out what they like and want (which does not mean they always get what they want!), and I think that, while it may not be “pretty” to look at, it’s important to let them learn that for themselves so that they can be guided by their own desires and sensibilities in life (and design!) as they become adults. Keep up the great work, Em!!
Let Eliot change the wallpaper! She wanted wallpaper, but you convinced her to get that particular pattern!
And she was a child. 🙂
She wanted that wallpaper I swear!!! i mean i gave her options because the ones that she really wanted had unicorns (and not in a cute way), but yah she was like 7. its my fault. 🙂
Let kids have a choice in how they want their rooms to be. You don’t have to have it magazine/editorial worthy. It’s their room and they should have some control over somethings. I let my kids paint their rooms whatever color, whenever they want, as long as they do the labor. They also tend to rearrange their furniture whenever their heart desires. It’s a small concession, but it makes them happy.
I think you are over thinking his room. Let it be as it is! He’s happy with his room.
Totally agree. This is a kid room and his needs/wants will continue to change.
its fun to think about. i’m not stressing at all, just something fun to talk about here. 🙂
I have never heard of a corner bed before. Growing up, most people including me had their beds in the corner. I actually had no idea this was considered a concession or step down from a centred bed and can’t see why this is less designed. I think it’s obvious that kids need space to play in their rooms and firm should follow function.
Its the window situation that makes it tricky otherwise we likely would have/could have done it before. but where the windows are placed begs for the bed to be centered in between them.
I think corner beds make sense for kids, and he clearly it, but I would have safety concerns, particularly if you open the windows in the summer, so I think having the L shaped backboard is important from a safety perspective. The corner windows open for a summer breeze feels like it would be delightful, I can still remember the feeling of the summer breeze in my corner windows – it’s a core memory.
As a kid, I rearranged my tiny room weekly. And yes the bed was also always shoved into a corner. Even as an adult, that would be my preference if I lived alone. I want walls around me when I sleep not open space. I dont even eat in restaurants with my back to an open room. I prefer bedrooms designed for how I want to feel in the space when I sleep rather than what looks good. Its awesome you are letting him do what he wants in his personal space.
One time, the waiter at our regular asked my husband, “Do you ever get to sit in the booth?” He just said no, he knows better than to try! The craziest thing to me is those beds that are in the center of the room, without even the headboard against the wall!
Something I’ve been thinking about for 25 years is whether there’s a link between our home geography and our sense of what’s comfortable in a living space (I should probably do a PhD and actually research this!): When I was 20 I had a summer internship at a magazine in NYC and on my last day my wonderful boss took me out to dinner to celebrate (in a genuinely non-creepy way!).
It was a decent walk to my subway stop so he walked down with me, and we passed a loft building with all the lights on in a 3rd floor loft. He was from Kansas, a tiny town in the middle of nowhere; I’m from Eugene, OR, right in the middle of the valley. We started talking about lofts and how we would lay them out: He said, “oh, I’d love to put my bed right in the middle and have all that space all around!” and I was HORRIFIED, because the first thing I’d have to do would be build a little bedroom space so I had wall around me for sleeping!!!
I also think the direction of the bed matters! i love when beds face south so when we flopped Elliots bed i was like ‘oooooh boy, this girl is NOT going to sleep EVER’. definitely get your PHD and come back and tell us allll about it 🙂 go ducks!
🥰🥰
Can you please share the paint color of his walls and doors? This is giving me inspiration for my six year old son’s room. Doors would be a great way to add a little color while keeping it neutral otherwise
The walls are SW7006 Extra White (a stark white) and the doors are SW6239 Upward.
I think kids (particularly tweens/teens) rooms are their personal spaces and in most homes the only spaces that is truly theirs (acknowledging some kids needs to/choose to share). It’s also a private space (no one other than their parents or friends should be in there) so let them do what they like as long as it’s not going to permanently wreck the room. Yes, their idea of a sanctuary won’t match their parents idea of a designed room but they are kids so should be able to express themselves in their own private space so they feel comfortable/safe. I have a six year old and when he’s tired/sad/overwhelmed he says “I want to go home” – but what he actually means (because he says it sometimes when we are at home) is “I want to be in my room” because it’s the part of our house that feels most like home to him, so I try to honor that and let him choose what he likes – whale wallpaper which I quite like, a bed in the corner which is the worst use of space but he did not want it under the window, a giant Avengers poster (yuck) lots… Read more »
Honoring Charlie’s wants is good. Now do the same with Elliot’s, including taking down that wallpaper.
it’s time for it to go
Just paint over the wall paper for now.
Speaking from experience, taking down wallpaper that has been painted over is nearly impossible.
Could you move the bed where the chair is and move the chair where the bed is. Bed still in corner, only blocking one window and wall on side so no need for a second bolster. Attach light to wall for reading.
I think he wants to have his face towards the door of the room—I get it! My husband can’t sit with his back to a door; same feeling.
Yah i wanted to do that, but he wanted to see the door while laying in bed. I totally get it. its soooo cozy.
Absolutely! I believe the Chinese word for it is Feng shui but I’ve probably misspelled that.
Why not give your daughter the current guest room, and then keep the wallpaper/make it work for an adult space? Personally, I would love to stay in a guest room with some personality — give it boutique hotel vibes! Make it your eccentric granny fever dream. Go ham. You have the space … maybe it’s time to rethink its use?
Genius idea
That’s a great idea!
Omgosh that’s a great idea! Love the boutique hotel vibe idea! So perfect!
Brilliant idea
yes! that is what we are thinking of doing, eventually actually. She wants the bathroom 🙂 But of course the king bed that I designed literally for this room (which is in our bedroom) is about to move up there since I’m about to get a new bed that will work better in our room and as you can imagine a massive king bed won’t work in here…. but technically i haven’t ordered the bed for our room yet (was going to this week) so i could just keep that bed in our room (which is fine but a much smaller scale than I would choose for a large room). haha. lots of moving parts 🙂
I personally stopped trying to decorate or style my sons’ rooms a long time ago! They have very strong opinions, and what I think is nice, they don’t like at all, or they simply don’t want me meddling in their personal space! 😉 Actually, I understand them. I didn’t want my parents to decorate my room for me either. I enjoyed doing it myself and liked having my own little world! 😉
totally. I don’t resist at all. The ONLY reason that i even blog about and want it to be better it is for work (occupational hazard). I actually think his room is sweet and looks just like him 🙂
If anyone thinks using safety film on the window seems over the top, I’m here to tell you it’s not! My son’s next-to-the bed window broke when he and a friend were “dancing”.
ha good to know! I love having it. They are single paned vintage windows and I think it helps with heat a tiny bit (but those shades help SO MUCH actually).
Leave the bed in the corner, he likes it there. I would switch the round couch and the desk. Put the desk facing the wall at the end of the bed, and float shelves and art on that large wall. Move the round sofa at an angle, i nthe corner where the desk is. It will keep with his wishes for a corner bed but blance out the room.
Don’t add the long side ‘headboard’! My small version will hate it because I can’t see the window when lying down, so that might makes you need to change again soon. The current version is best, because there is back support and you can see the window while sitting on the back.
I learned with my kids that their rooms are THEIR ROOMS. I don’t get a say. It is their safe space, happy place, retreat … it should be arranged and painted and filled with what they choose. Kids have so little say in their lives; their room should be the one thing over which they have control.
My 11 and 13 year olds BOTH have their beds in the corner! They love it / it’s cozy / stuff doesn’t fall off / they line their stuffy crap up against the walls. I wish it was easier the make the bed and change the sheets is all!
I’d love to see a fun DIY about a sideheadboard fix that would help things feel cozy but in a less squishmallow way!
YES! So great to line stuff up. I just hate how it cuts off all the windows, but what can you do 🙂
Maybe it’s because her room is smaller than your son’s, but I’ve always put my daughter’s bed in the corner so she actually has some floor space to play. She does like to be cozy though so I’ll have to ask her if being in the corner helps with that. My rule was that it has to be a vacuum width’s away from the wall which then usually just ends up filled with stuffed animals anyway!
I have the same rule about leaving a vacuum width space between the bed and the wall to clean and easily change sheets. My “kids” are now college students and still prefer their beds in the corner.
I love the idea of the DIY headboard with the existing fabric. That fabric is amazing and looks so designed. I think it helps balance the tween hodge podge you’re trying not to fight against 😉
Curious if you’re considering a hidden trundle at all.
I’m curious how the carpet has held up! We had a little basement flood recently and are looking at re-carpeting. Please update! Would love to do something similar.
My son has a lot of built-ins so CANT have a corner bed and when we redid his room he chose a velvet tufted full sized daybed which looks HORRENDOUS in the middle of the room but he absolutely loves it. This post made me realize its because he basically made himself a corner bed in the center of the room. It honestly hurts my eyes to look at it every time I walk by!
When we were renovating we borrowed a foot from my daughter’s closet space and built the wall between her closet (which has lots of room) and my son’s room’s closet so that he got that extra foot. It allowed us to fit a twin size bed in his closet – it is a tight fit, but from the outside it looks like the bed is built into a long nook (with cubbies across the bottom for books). He has his entire room to build in, and as a person who doesn’t care about clothes, everything fits in a highboy dresser. If we move, the bed comes right out and folding doors can be added.
As a special needs kid, he loves feeling safe and sound in an enclosed (but still very accessible) space. We’ve put a vintage brass train rack higher up on one end for extra pillows/blankets and a brass (hardwired – no hanging wires) extendable sconce on the other end for reading (and a safety/closet light in the ceiling).
I’m honestly jealous of it – as a kid and teenager I would have loved it and probably would have added curtains to it in order to fully hide!
That sounds amazing, Cris!
I want to see a pic! that sounds awesome. I love a sleeping nook for sure 🙂
My Children are now grown, so I have been through all stages of decorating bedrooms: my own bedroom as a teenager (when I first had my own room), baby, toddler, tween and teen and college student coming home for breaks. Let them move the furniture around, hang posters with tape, even choose paint color every few years. As long as it won’t do permanent damage let them do it – it is how they learn what they want and what they like and grow some DIY skills.
Charlie’s room looks fun and cozy!
Corner beds are the only thing that make sense to me (psychologically, like on a primal caveman level). The only reason to float a bed is if two people share it!
And by “corner bed” I mean “a bed in a corner” haha! But I would totally love the special beds you linked!
YHL did a DIY one for their son a few years ago that looked super cozy.
Or I guess any store-bought 3-sided daybed would do the trick!
When I was young we moved into a house with wallpaper my mom didn’t like. She let us draw all over it with crayons, and then “let” us help remove it.
Emily, I love that you are letting Charlie be in change! There is so little kids get to be in charge of! I say let them rule where they can! As for Elliot’s wallpaper, I think that if the budget allows then make a learning project out of it. Give her a budget, let her make the mood board and pitch to you with how the money will be spent and then make a whole blog project out of it. She can learn all about the ins and outs of what you do and practice math skills, writing skills, all of it! Then when she completes the project we can all see what she did! I just watched the Fixer Upper for their mountain house and there daughter did one of the guest houses! It was so much fun to see what she did! That could be Elliot’s way to see if she enjoys your career!
Also, if I remember correctly, Emily was the one who pushed for this particular pattern. Keeping it up longer isn’t going to make Emily regret the decision less, but Elliot’s space will feel less like her own for longer.
Hah, on the wallpaper thing, my sister and I got so annoyed that our “little girl” 70s quilt pattern wall paper was still up as we were entering high school, that one night, we ripped it all down ourselves. We then started drawing on the walls with our friends-doodles, graffiti, and meaningful quotes. Our room became famous, and everyone came over to add their own favorite quotes over a background of old wallpaper glue. It was spectacular! One of my favorite parts of high school. The moral I think is, IMO, let their rooms be their own kingdoms/queendoms: Let Elliot work beside you and take the current paper down, and put the new paper up (peel and stick?). Everyone happy. Any more changes, she can help pay for. I was just at a party where are heard of local families that are hiring designers (!) for their kids’ dorm rooms (!!) OMG. Our current college kids love their apartments filled with “street finds”, facebook marketplace and thrifted items that they paid for. And they have a decent design eye! They just need to be allowed to let it flourish–that is how you grew up right? Finding cool thrifted items? Anyway,… Read more »
Agree with most of this…but no need to judge what other parents or families do. Maybe that is what their kids asked for? Better to simply share your thoughts or opinions.
Just hopped on to say I am HERE for this comment section! I haven’t seen this level of polite but opinionated discourse in a while. It’s riveting!!! We could take some pointers from this on other debates. 🙂
My two kids are just going to college, so I have a slightly different perspective. It is such a short time, let them do what they like in their rooms and let it go. shut the door and don’t look. It is their safe space, let them learn their style and what they like. The rest of the house is yours to do with as you like. One of mine had a cute room, decorated nicely and loved that. The other has a bed nook with a horrendous ceiling mounted curtain around it and that safe small space made them feel comfortable and secure. Filled with shelves of legos and knickknacks. I can’t stand it, but I don’t have to sleep there.
This is sooo relatable. Thanks for keeping it real, Em!
I have been looking at corner daybeds for my 9-year-old daughter because her room is TINY, so the double bed has to be in the corner anyway. She broke that very same Ikea bed two years ago (jumping on it) and her mattress has been on the floor ever since. Since I have already obsessed over this for months and have read too many reviews, you should know: a lot of the affordable ones I see on the site you linked actually have a very short headboard once the mattress is on it, so that really defeats the purpose in my eyes. They are often reviewed as cheaply made, not durable enough and too hard to keep clean. The ones at pottery barn and such are insanely expensive, as you mentioned. SO, I’m now leaning towards a regular upholstered bed frame with trundle pushed into the corner with a body pillow against the wall. Cheaper and washable! However, I would love to see you DIY an extra panel on the side of his Tarva bed. Maybe I could channel your energy! 🙂
love it! let him do what he wants! (but could the bed rotate so the head is on the other wall so it things wouldn’t jam up in that corner so much?)
Wow. So true!
Corner bed sounds like it would be a pain to make. At least with a regular bed in the corner you can kind of shove the blankets next to the wall. Not that my son every makes his regular bed that is in the corner in his room that is all grey and looks like a cell per his “modern” design style.
I’m a musician and my husband is a drummer, and we agree the electronic drum set should stay in his bedroom. The guest cottage is the perfect place for him to keep his real drum sets. He definitely needs both!
I’m a Feng Shui consultant, and while for adults (especially those looking for love!) we recommend a bed centered and flanked by two nightstands, kids often do way better in a cozy corner. Love that he spoke up for his needs and you trusted his intuition!
Totally get having the bed in the corner for both the coziness and more floor space for activities. Wondering if the bed would fit in the corner where the desk is so it only blocks one window… and the desk by the windows might be nice. But letting him choose is probably a valuable part of development and personal space, so not stressing about it seems to be a win!
My 21-year-old, who’s now only home a few weeks a year, insists on pushing her queen size bed into the corner, which is annoying when we use it as a guest room for couples and have to pull it into the middle again. So I guess this is a thing!
Our eldest daughter’s room has been in 3 different locations in the house, painted lavender, white, sky blue, black, and teal (🤮). There were keyboards, a drumset, her two siblings, a Playstation, everything Jane Austen, and a Hammond “baby B3” organ.
Now, at 27, her house is all white. So it goes.
Haha, as a teen my attic bedroom was painted like the Friends apartment: I had mint green and lilac walls, and pink beams. The bed was tucked into a nook in the eves under a skylight: so cosy!
Now as an adult, my house is all neutrals or whites – except the kids’ rooms where I lean into their desires. My daughter’s room is lilac! At least, I think it is, beneath the K Pop Demon Hunters posters.
I love this and think it’s their space and we should just let them do what they want within reason! No need for it to look designed or perfect (although i understand where Emily is coming from as a designer on the internet!!). Can always close the door!
All three of my boys love a cozy corner bed. They also need floor space for their many, many hobbies. Display shelf space is KEY for
creative kids.
Moving your daughter into the current guest room would give her a private bathroom, right? That would be so nice for her as she matures.
I did not know that specially designed “corner beds” were a thing! And the ones you’ve linked to are very stylish and practical with all that storage! You learn something new everyday.
Also, the comments section has spoken, Elliot’s room is beautiful, AND the wallpaper has got to go!!! When I was little, my mom had picked out this baby blue wallpaper with a white grid that used to make me go cross-eyed staring at it! My room felt much more comfortable once it was gone, and my eyes could relax.