YOUR CHILD’S ROOM CAN MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE A SUPERHERO. HERE’S HOW TO START

Hi guys, happy Friday!

Wow, can you believe it’s fall already? I swear, the summer just flew by!

Now, I know that many of you are not exactly thrilled that September is here and that the warm, long, sunny days are (almost) gone, but hear me out: fall can be an amazing season as well. The leaves are turning gold, giving nature just a gorgeous palette, pumpkin spice smells are everywhere… If you can’t tell, I love fall, haha! Especially fall in New York.

And because I want to help you fall in love with fall as well, in a couple of weeks I will be sharing all the fun tips and tricks I have in my interior design arsenal on how to decorate your house and set your dinner table for fall. Just in time to get you in a Halloween and Thanksgiving mood!

But today, we’ll talk about a boy. A very special, six-year old boy who is fond of Transformers — you may remember him from my previous post! Seriously, this project turned out to be so rewarding for me — both as an interior designer and as a mother myself.

As I usually do at this stage of every new project, after we have discussed all the function and comfort requirements with my clients, it’s time to get the creative juices flowing!

You know, one of the questions I get asked more often is, “Where do you get your inspiration from?” The answer is really quite simple: my inspiration comes from you, my clients! And when my client (or at least, the son of my client) is a boy with an immense imagination who just wants to be surrounded by his favorite heroes in his own private play-land… well, then Victoria has her work cut out for her!

This part of my job is called the Conceptual Design phase and, as Ι promised before, today we will talk a bit more about it. Most of my designer peers will probably agree, the Conceptual Design it’s the best part of a project. This is the time when I get to let my imagination run wild; to go through the rabbit hole of my own, design Wonderland! These are the creative moments every designer cherishes (and craves) at all times: when imagination blends together with the inspiration I get from my clients and my own research. It is then that the design concept is born.

So after my meeting with the room owner, I have to tell you: that six-year old boy proved to be a very smart, energetic, outgoing and inquisitive individual! He has a big collection of Transformers and is interested in practically everything about them.

It will make him so proud and happy to see his favorite toy collection becoming a focal point in his space!

HERE’S HOW I INCORPORATED THIS BOY’S HOBBY INTO THE ROOM’S DESIGN

Doing some research on Transformers, I realized that one of the key visual elements with these toys are their geometric shapes and bold colors. These shapes change and expand as they transform from their humanoid to their vehicle form. (What can I say, it’s fun watching cartoons for work research!)

So I decided to go with that theme, and incorporate the colors and the shapes to everything from wall murals to shelf design.

The transformers logo in particular, was an unexpected source of inspiration! I played around with it a lot and as I was flipping it around to look at it from different angles, I realized something very interesting...

If you turn the Transformers logo upside down, it contains the letter A!

“So what?” you may think. But guys, this was a big deal for me, because the boy’s name starts with the letter A... Obviously, I took it as a sign, haha!

I decided then and there I would somehow make this upside down version of the Transformers logo the focal point of the room. Turning it into something the boy can see both when he’s playing on the floor and when he’s lying in bed at night…

Enter: an upside down Transformers logo, with emphasis on the letter A, which takes up the whole wall!

OKAY, WE HAVE THE CONCEPT! NOW IT’S TIME TO THINK COLOR PALETTE AND MATERIALS..

Like I already mentioned, the key visual aspects of the Transformers are the geometric shapes. You could say that there’s an almost origami aspect to the whole thing, as the Transformers fold and unfold into their different shapes!

So I knew I would absolutely have to go with geometric patterns.

I chose square, maze-like patterns such as Chevron and Diamond Braid. I think they work perfectly and are in great balance with the general concept idea.

To create a good flow and some balance in the space, I combined the bold patterns with blocks of solid color, like the velvet and chenille fabrics that were used for the headboard and the desk chair

The color pallette was itself inspired by the awesome fabrics I found!

Then, it was time to find the colors that would execute my vision for this boy’s room. The idea was to choose a color palette that would look fun in a little boy’s eyes but still look sophisticated and cool to the same boy, as he grows older.

Now, I know this can be quite the challenge for parents who are looking to design their children’s room! If you’re facing similar design dilemmas drop me a line today, I’d love to help you out.

In the end, I went with four Benjamin Moore paint color hues: Seattle Gray, Pike’s Peak Gray, Witching Hour and Kurkuma.

The juxtaposition of the three different grey tones (from the super light, almost white that is Seattle Gray to the graphite of Witching Hour and the very baby-blue like Pike’s Peak Gray in between) with the earthy yellow Kurkuma anchors the room nicely, giving it almost a timeless approach.

Plus, I think the grey colors depict the “mechanical” aspect of Transformers very well, but the yellow is keeping them from looking cold and lifeless!

NOW IT WAS TIME TO FOCUS ON FINDING LIGHTING SOLUTIONS…

Going again with the geometric shapes theme, I was looking for lamps that are fun and fit a child’s room but, at the same time, not too childish. After all, they should still work perfectly in this space when the boy turns into a cool teenager!

For both the desk and the bedside lamp, as well as the ceiling lighting fixture, I was looking for movement — to depict the “in between” state when the Transformers, well, transform. Sometimes these transformations can be quite explosive from what I’ve seen, so I’m particularly happy with how the ceiling fixture I chose depicts that!

For the bedside lamp, I went with “Gigi” from Mitzi: a white glass sphere that looks like it’s almost floating, connected to a grey square base, with a brass finish frame to complement the brass cabinet’s hardware.

As for the desk lamp, I selected the Cleo Desk lamp from designer Kelly Wearstler. It’s a practical, tripod base; bronze with an antique-burnished brass finish and marble sphere. I think it looks equal parts “adult and sophisticated” and “sci-fi fun”!

WHEN THE ROOM WAS FINALLY READY…

Like I mentioned in my other post about this project, the mother’s number one (and number two) goal was to create ample storage for all her kid’s toys. Well, suffice to say she was very happy with all the extra storage and play-time space we were able to provide in this space. You can check out my other post for all the fun and functional solutions that went into making that happen...

But at the end of the day, this was a kid’s room — so the kid had to be happy about it or I wouldn’t be!

And… was he? You betcha!

Quoting my six-year old client: “I feel like it’s a party room, and I am a superman!!”

Well, there you have it!

My goal was accomplished: we created a space that will make my client happy and proud to be in it. A space he can show (and brag about to) his friends, with ample room for play, his favorite toys echoing across the room…

Now this is a room where many precious childhood memories will be made, I can guarantee you that!

Do you also want to transform (sorry, haha) your imagination, or your child’s imagination, into design reality? Contact us for a consultation today!