Room with 'Tude

With little space and few existing furnishings to work with, this 9-x-12-foot room for a tween boy presented a decorating challenge. Since storage containers couldn't be hidden, they had to be a part of the room's design.

A custom-made alder platform bed fits snugly between bookshelves and a window and allows room for underbed storage. The duvet is sewn from khaki twill with topstitched decorative 2-inch stripes. Orange-twill shams sport plaid-flannel flanges and initials applied with fabric paint.

A bright marine blue covers the room's focal wall, while soothing khaki coats the others. Teamed with a playful orange, the offbeat mix is a lasting choice for a boy on the verge of his teenage years.

 

Introducing metallic-accented rolling drawers, laminate cubes, and an unfinished dresser to the room took care of clothing and knick-knack storage.

The nifty display unit was crafted from six purchased 12-inch laminate storage cubes fastened together and secured atop a plywood base with wheels. The entire unit was primed and painted.

 

Next came the room's overall style and color scheme. Inspired by vintage college pennants, the dresser drawers were painted with a college pennants and bold plaid to complement the pattern on the bed pillows.

On the walls, 2-foot-tall painted letters make a big statement and help balance the room's smaller plaid patterns. A tone-on-tone color scheme keeps the letters from overwhelming the overall design.

The industrial-looking floor lamp, made from a metal stand and clip light, is a creative knockoff of more expensive models.