Grey, Orange & White – Cool Colours for an Older... | Spencer Thorpe Blog

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Children grow up so quickly and within the blink of an eye they’re swapping teddies for transformers. Here’s how we tackled a makeover for my nine year old son, whose bedroom was overdue for an update to reflect his needs and interests.

Collaboration

We approached the makeover as a joint venture creating a board on Pinterest for him to pin anything he liked the look of. This was the equivalent of a mood board as a starting point to see his preferred colours and styles.

Colours

Orange and grey were consistent colours within his board so we chose orange as the accent colour and a light grey for the walls. I was keen to have a versatile colour on the walls and to keep the bold orange for accents and accessories, items that are easy to change in the future. We also opted for white as some of his existing furniture was white and we could see the colours worked well together.

Layout

I looked at the shape and space of the room and considered how the bedroom was going to be used. My son would need a desk and chair for homework, a comfortable place to read and a playing space on the floor in addition to a single bed and clothes storage.

Personality

I was keen for my son’s bedroom to reflect his personality so I incorporated spaces to store and display his Lego models and creations, as well as display board that he can add to or change easily. Inspired by his Pinterest board, we made a Lego mini figure display board made from an old wooden picture frame with the glass removed. Lego bricks were glued on for his favourite mini figures also preventing them from letting lost in a large box of Lego pieces.

Storage

Older children still play with toys but they usually take up less space compared to big chunky baby and toddler toys. We managed to fit all his toys into three storage boxes that fit under the bed resulting in more space to play.

Fabrics and soft furnishings

Being a fabric designer I was happy to make a bespoke design for my son. He asked for a labrador print so I created one with a contrasting dark grey background with a white and orange repeating labrador design (we don’t have a dog but I think this was a strong hint!). For his bedding we chose a orange and white geometric print. Geometrics are great for kids bedrooms as the shapes and bold colours look youthful and contemporary.

Growing up

To add a grown up touch within his room we bought black picture frames for the wall art. This brings a slightly more edgy feel to the room which will grow with him into the next phase, the teenage years. But I’m not sure I’m ready for that phase just yet…

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