A Modern Town House; ‘Tweenage’ Girl’s Bedroom

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 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.

Initially the ground floor living area layout and storage had been highlighted as an immediate problem along with the guest accommodation. As the design of these areas progressed it became apparent that the daughter’s bedroom was also not working as well as it should.

SPECIFICS

  • to review current layout with a view to making space for a desk and a Hollywood-style dressing table
  • to review existing furniture with regards to its functionality and arrangement
  • to review existing decoration and consider how this might be improved
  • to review existing window dressings and consider how these might be improved

‘Tweenage’ Girl’s Bedroom

Located on the top floor of the house this room was designated by the developer as the Master Bedroom. As such it had a large built-in wardrobe with sliding doors and an en-suite shower room.

There were two main issues that needed addressing:

  1. the room needed to be able to accommodate a desk
  2. the room needed to be redecorated

Additionally, the young lady who occupied the bedroom had her heart set on a Hollywood-style dressing table and was keen to keep the upholstered double bed.

Before
Master bedroom in modern 3-storey townhouse in Berkshire
Before

Design Concept

The lifestyle image below took into account the young lady’s hobbies and some of her favourite things which I had ascertained from the Style Questionnaire that I had asked her to complete.

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 the floor plan. A successful floor layout was the key to the success of this design and below are the observations that were made:

  • The Master Bedroom has a sloping ceiling (hidden in this illustration) with a wall height of around 150cm. With this in mind the bed, and its oversized bed head, would sit comfortably against this wall.
  • When facing the bed there is an electrical socket to the right-hand side which would be perfect for a bedside light. By pulling the bed away from the wall there would also be room for a bedside table.
  • The ideal position for a desk would be close to the window so that it would benefit from the natural light, an open window if required, and, again, if required the warmth of the radiator.
  • This arrangement would leave sufficient space for a dressing table adjacent to the en-suite bathroom door and the hanging hooks need not be disturbed.
  • Decorative shelves could be put on the wall alongside the bed.

Taking these observations into consideration I used the measured floor plan to create two 3D models. Each one showed an alternative desk option.

OPTION ONE – A WALL-MOUNTED FOLDAWAY DESK

OPTION TWO – A CONVENTIONAL DESK AND STOOL

Colour Palette & Key Purchases

As it transpired the solution was quite simple. Once the bed was turned through 90° it fitted neatly under the low ceiling thus freeing up floor space for the additional furniture. A wall-mounted fold-away desk adjacent to the window and radiator seemed to be the neatest option but was not a winner. The alternative was to find a small desk that was similar in style to the desired dressing table. One was sourced that would fit in the same space but without the option of folding away when not in use.

For the colour scheme the bed’s upholstery fabric and the pendant lampshade, with a gold coloured interior, were the points of reference. The gold handles on the Hollywood-style dressing table blended well with the existing finishes so much so that when sourcing a desk and bedside table these details were a given. The hexagonal shelf was the client’s choice and the cheese plant cushion another favoured icon. A simple roman blind in muted tones worked well with the pinky/grey paint colours applied to the walls and ceiling.

Client Presentation of the Bedroom Design

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 additional furniture was required.

3D Rendering of the Bedroom Design

Summary

A time scale of 3 weeks was allocated to design of this space.

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