A Makeover Makes One Little Boy a Happy Camper
Six-year-old Stephen had outgrown his toddler bed and was in need of some organization for piles of clothes and toys. Los Angeles interior designer Baiyina Hughley envisioned a camping themed space that was playful yet organized which could grow with Stephen over the years.
Hughley made a focal point of the room a five-foot high mini teepee from House Inhabit (Etsy, $130), to encourage play and discovery. She added a Felt Campfire Playset with S’Mores (Etsy, $50) and a cozy IKEA STOCKHOLM cushion ($14.99) a TEJN Faux Sheepskin rug ($9.99). Above the tee pee she placed a Moon in My Room (Toys R Us, $20.99) nightlight to balance the vignette.
To make the ceilings appear higher, Hughley used a modern color scheme and removable white vinyl birch tree decals from Décor Your Wall (Etsy, $115) against a backdrop of light gray (Sherwin-Williams, Harmony Light French Gray 0055, flat enamel, matte). She chose a bright white for the ceiling (Sherwin-Williams, Harmony Extra White 7006, eg-shel), and placed a decorative wood trim border just under the curve of the cove ceiling to add charm in line with the original architecture. All trim and the door were also painted bright white (Sherwin-Williams, Harmony Extra White 7006, semi-gloss).
Hughley used bunk beds with two roomy drawers as a practical and space-saving choice (Overstock, $1,345.99), and mattresses for the beds (Beautyrest Elements Plush Pocketed Coil, twin $239.99, full $284.99), which are shipped rolled in a box and unfurled and plump into amazingly comfortable beds.
She chose a bright orange and white Rugby Stripe Duvet Cover ($69 twin, $99 full) from Pottery Barn Kids with a matching sham ($24.50) personalized with Stephen’s monogrammed initials, and Pottery Barn Teen Reverse Dottie sheet set (sale priced $22.99-$38.99). Underneath the covers were down alternative inserts ($29.99 each) for the duvet and gusseted pillows,( two pack for $29.99) from BrylaneHome.com with accent pillows from HomeGoods.
Hughley solved the room’s low light problem with plenty of lighting options, including the fun modern FLY Suspension Pendant light by Kartell ($350) in petrol blue, two blue-and-white accent lamps (HomeGoods, $25 each), a bright orange Euro Style Lalla Desk Lamp (Overstock, $66) and two white plug-in Eyeball Sconces ( Urban Outfitters, $29 each) placed so that each bunk had its own personal reading light.
The closet was small and shelving in the back was not accessible, so Hughley added function with the help of a WoodTrac system that neatly held all Stephen’s clothes, shoes, hats, and the odds and ends. Handymen from Handybook expertly installed the closet, as well the electrical installations. For fun and whimsy, Hughley decorated the closet with custom-framed wildlife artwork from postercheckout.com and dog-tail clothing hooks (IKEA, $2.99 each) and wicker storage bins (HomeGoods, $20).
To ground the space, Hughley chose a 8×10 Handmade Hexagon Light Blue N.Z. Wool Rug, (Overstock, $447.95) with a modern kid-friendly geometric pattern, with a Broyhill non-slip pad (HomeGoods, $29.99) underneath.
Other furnishings included the Pottery Barn Kids sturdy white Schoolhouse Basic Desk ($589) which doubled as a nightstand for the bottom bunk, a molded plastic side chair (InStyleModern, $99) and armchair rocker across the room (InStyleModern, $135) , IKEA’s black-brown MALM 6-drawer dresser ($149) and IKEA TROFAST ($39.99) storage system and plastic bins ($3-5) For books, Hughley chose the array silver bookcase from CB2 ($189).
On the windows she hung black dotted roman shades from Pottery Barn Teen ($189 each), to contrast with the paint to create the illusion of brightness, framed by gun-metal black drapery rods with square finials (HomeGoods, $19.99) and the IKEA AINA grey linen curtains ($49.99 pair).
“I hope that I’ve created a space for Stephen to grow with over the years. It was very empowering to create a foundation and direction where he still felt open to making it his own,” said Hughley. “One of the biggest successes of the project was making the process of letting go of old toys and clothes a positive one. He was making space for something new! The space feels completely different now. There is a sense of peace with having less and he can actually find and play with his favorite toys.”