A Modern Town House; Bedroom Makeover

A terrace of modern townhouses in a leafy development near Bracknell

Introduction

This modern 4-bedroom townhouse with open plan living and dining is located in a leafy village in Berkshire. The current owners bought the house, brand new, 5 years ago and now live there with their two children.

Now that the children are a little bit older, their daughter is eleven and their son is eight, it has become apparent that the house is no longer working as well as it should for the family.

With this in mind the owners contacted Langdon-Hyde Interior Design to help resolve some of the functional issues as well as to advise on the decoration.

The guest accommodation and gaming room were highlighted as an immediate problem.

The over-riding goal for this project was to create a ‘grown-up’ home whilst still providing a ‘tweenager’ friendly environment.

SPECIFICS

  • to review existing decoration and consider how this might be improved
  • to suggest and source miscellaneous items of furniture to accommodate both guests and gamers
  • to review existing window dressing and consider how this might be improved from both a functional and aesthetic perspective
  • to review existing lighting and consider how it might be improved

Guest Bedroom-Cum-Gaming Room

Located on the top floor of the house this room had previously been used as the young son’s bedroom prior to him moving to a bigger bedroom on the middle floor. Within the room was a large Ikea wardrobe, a fitted carpet, a bespoke Roman blind and some miscellaneous toys. The window wall followed the line of the roof and therefore sloped inwards towards the ceiling. The end wall was painted a vibrant blue/green whilst the others were a neutral shade. The door, architrave, skirting board, ceiling and coving were all painted white.

The room had been earmarked as a dual purpose room to accommodate guests and gaming. On a day-to-day basis it would serve as a gaming room for the children and this would require a wall-mounted T.V. and a comfortable sofa as a bare minimum. To serve as an occasional guest room a comfortable bed and an element of basic storage would also be needed.

Before

Design Concept

The lifestyle images below were presented to the client to illustrate how the room might serve as a gaming room and as a guest room.

Floor Plan

A measured survey was carried out and an accurate floor plan drawn using C.A.D. software. Furniture measurements were taken and selected items added to floor plan.

Colour Palette & Key Purchases

Key to the design was the development of a colour scheme which would serve the room’s dual purpose. I was advised that the young son had a preference for orange which was the starting point for the colour palette. I collaborated with the client to source a sofa bed that would work from both an aesthetic and functional perspective. The one we chose was upholstered in a hardwearing, easy clean fabric available in a choice of colours. We opted for the Foxy micro cloth.

Small pieces of Ikea furniture were chosen to accessorise the room. An open bamboo wardrobe was selected for its clean lines and slatted sides which gave an appearance of lightness. It would provide hanging space for overnight guests. Sputnik-style light fittings added to the clean lines and contemporary feel whilst providing much needed light sources for both guests and gamers.

The backdrop for the room was a statement geometric wallpaper in a soft shade of plaster pink and taupe on, what had been, the blue/green wall. The psychology behind this choice was that the softness of colour would encourage rest and relaxation for visitors and the busy pattern would stimulate gamers. Dusty pink bedding worked with both the wall colour and the sofa fabric whilst a pair of framed Super Mario posters and a neon light were incorporated to add an air of playfulness. A wall mounted T.V. was an absolute must and would double as a gaming screen and as a conventional television.

To complete the look and feel of the room an off-white emulsion was used for the remaining walls and ceiling and a contemporary warm light grey eggshell for the woodwork and bespoke gaming storage unit.

Client Presentation Of The Bedroom

A colour rendered floor plan and 3D model were produced to demonstrate how the furniture would fit into the space. The electrical sockets, radiator, window, door and sloping ceiling were all taken into consideration when creating the scheme. Circulation was also an important consideration given that the sofa would transform into a comfortable double bed.

3D Rendering & Colour Floor Plans

Summary

A time scale of 10 weeks was allocated to design and implement this project thus ensuring it would be ready for the clients’ guests to stay for the summer holiday.

My Services

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