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Lively Hangout

Designer Kim Hrasky was seeking a specific reaction when she created this room for an energetic preteen girl as part of the Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut Showhouse in New London.

"I wanted people to walk in and say 'Well, hello room!'" she says. "It had to be vibrant without being chaotic." Mission accomplished. The room's simple lines balance its dazzling color and geometric patterns, giving it a warm vibe.

 

The designer wanted the room to be a place where girls could be themselves and relax with friends. To that end, a cozy, oversize daybed functions as a sleep space, sofa, and social center. It was fitted with casters so a tween could roll it around to suit a mood. "I wanted it big and deep so that girls could hang out on it," she says, "but also easy to move around."

 

To ensure the room would be a cinch to clean, she suspended a corner desk and hung a chair from the ceiling. "As one who's always unhappily vacuuming," she says, "I made sure I could get under things without moving them."

This eye-catching room was completed on a modest budget. "Basically, it's how my brain works: I'd rather repurpose something than go out and buy it new and expensive," Hrasky says. To circumvent big-ticket solutions, she scoured flea markets and discount stores for materials.

 

She found the brushed-metal floor shelf -- a liquor-store fixture in a former life -- at a yard sale. Ditto for the wainscoting made from inexpensive ducting. "I knew I wanted to do something with metal, and this had a funky and cool look that would appeal visually to kids," she says.

She also devised an unusual blanket-weave ceiling, which she conceived to cover a water stain. "Call me crazy," she says, "but I find working on a budget is really satisfying!"